Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | 2686 - The Impact of Neurocognitive Functioning on Functional Outcome in Schizophrenia. The 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome as a Genetic Model. |
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| Contribution code | PS03-38 (P) |
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| Form of presentation | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Objective Cognitive symptoms have an important impact on functional outcome in schizophrenia. The specific domains of neurocognitive functioning most associated with functional outcome in schizophrenia remain undetermined, however. Identification of these domains may be hindered by the etiological heterogeneity of schizophrenia; studying patients who share the same etiology could thus be advantageous. Individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) have a 25-30% risk of developing schizophrenia. We propose using this etiologically more homogeneous population to investigate the association between neurocognitive functioning and functional outcome in schizophrenia. Methods A test battery of 18 neurocognitive tests was administered to 99 individuals with 22q11DS. DSM-IV diagnoses of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders were made, based on structured diagnostic interviews. In 84 of the individuals, the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS) was used as a measure of adaptive functioning. We conducted a principal component analysis to extract underlying factors representing domains of neurocognitive functioning, then applied multiple regression to examine the effect of these domains on adaptive functioning, over and above the impact of schizophrenia. Results Of the total sample (n=99), 43 were diagnosed with a psychotic disorder (3 with schizoaffective disorder, 40 with schizophrenia). Preliminary principal component analysis revealed 4 factors (with Eigenvalues >1 that together explained 63.2% of the variance) underlying the 18 neurocognitive tests. Based on the test content, we dubbed these domains: “executive performance”, “visual memory”, “motor functioning”, and “verbal memory”. Preliminary multiple regression analysis revealed a significant association between the neurocognitive domain executive performance and adaptive functioning, even when accounting for FSIQ as assessed with a Wechsler scale and the presence of a psychotic disorder (β=.273, p = 0.05). Conclusion These findings indicate that over and above the effect of FSIQ and the presence of a psychotic disorder, the neurocognitive domain “executive performance” was significantly associated with adaptive functioning. Associations between the domains of neurocognitive functioning and the subdomains of the VABS (communication, daily living skills, and socialization) will also be discussed. The results have implications for potential remediation to optimize functioning in schizophrenia. |