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. 2024 Jul 11;16(7):e64296.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.64296. eCollection 2024 Jul.

Assessment of Cognitive Functions Among Remitted Patients of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: A Comparative Study

Selvameenatchi R  1 , Ramya Rachel Jetty  2 , Aruna Kaki  1 , Suresh Kumar Gunapalli  3 , Prasanna Kumar N  3 , Arul Saravanan R  2
Affiliations

Assessment of Cognitive Functions Among Remitted Patients of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: A Comparative Study

Selvameenatchi R et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Introduction Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia exhibit different patterns of cognitive impairment, with schizophrenia demonstrating more profound deficiencies in verbal memory and bipolar disorder in social cognition. Understanding these patterns may guide the development of interventions to enhance cognition in these disorders. Aim This study aims to assess and compare the cognitive abilities of persons diagnosed with bipolar illness and schizophrenia. Methodology A facility-based cross-sectional study was done from December 2016 to June 2017 among 30 schizophrenia and 30 bipolar disorder patients aged 18-45 years, in remission selected after screening through Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), or Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Exclusions included schizoaffective disorder, systemic illness, brain/neurological conditions, and substance abuse. After collecting the baseline demographic and clinical profile of the selected patients, the cognitive domains were assessed such as attention (digit span), verbal memory (Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)), visual memory (Rey Complex Figure), verbal fluency (Animal Naming), and executive functions (Stroop and Trail Making). The data was analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 16 (Released 2007; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) using standard descriptive and inferential statistics. Results Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were largely similar between groups. Schizophrenia patients showed poorer attention, working memory, and visual attention/task-switching compared to bipolar patients. Bipolar patients demonstrated relatively preserved abilities in these domains but exhibited more impairments in visual and verbal memory. Distinct patterns highlight unique neurobiological underpinnings, showing association of more generalized cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and more localized impairments in memory functions in bipolar disorder. Conclusion The study findings explain these disorders' unique neurobiological mechanisms and may help develop targeted cognitive remediation and pharmacological interventions to improve functional outcomes and quality of life.

Keywords: bipolar disorder; cognitive functions; india; neuropsychological test; schizophrenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam issued approval 4/IEC/AMC/2017. This is letter of consent is hereby accorded to Dr. Ramya Rachel Jetty (Department of Psychiatry) for conducting the research work entitled "Assessment of Cognitive Functions Among Remitted Patients of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: A Comparative Study" after the necessary scientific evaluation and ethical review of the above-cited research rptpcp, by the Institutional Ethics Committee, AMC, Visakhapatnam. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

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