Background: This study aimed to explore differences in links between negative symptoms and neurocognitive\ndeficits in adolescent and adult patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder often\ncharacterized by positive and negative symptoms, reduced emotional expression, excitatory status, and poor\ncognitive ability. The severity of negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia was reported to be more\nrelated to poor quality of life, weak functional ability, and heavy burden from families than with the severity\nof positive symptoms. Previous studies suggested correlations between the severity of negative symptoms in\npatients with schizophrenia and neurocognitive deficits.\nMethods: This study included 92 patients (33 adolescents and 59 adults) with first-episode schizophrenia and\n57 healthy people matched by age and education level. Neurocognitive functions and clinical symptoms were\nassessed using a standardized questionnaire.\nResults: Patients with first-episode schizophrenia showed neurocognitive deficits in most neuropsychological\nassessments compared with healthy people. With the variable of education level controlled, the negative factor\nscore of adolescent patients with first-episode schizophrenia was strongly correlated with more time spent in\npart 1 (r = .646) and part 2 (r = .663) of the trail making test, and moderately correlated to more perseverative\nerrors (r = .425) of the Wisconsin card sorting test and fewer correct trials 2 (r = âË?â??.425) of the continuous performance\ntest. However, no such correlations were found in adult patients.\nConclusions: This study indicated significant correlations between negative symptoms and most neurocognitive\nfunctions in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, with a stronger correlation in adolescent patients.
Loading....