OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine whether the duration of illness before antipsychotic drug treatment for schizophrenia was associated with the severity of cognitive deficits and volumetric brain structure anomalies observed in some patients with a first episode of schizophrenia. METHOD: Duration of psychotic symptoms and of other symptoms marking a behavioral change was estimated from structured interviews with 50 patients who had a first episode of schizophrenia and their family members. Interviews were conducted within a month of the patients' hospitalization. Duration of untreated psychotic symptoms and of behavioral change was correlated with neuropsychological summary scores from a comprehensive cognitive battery and with measurements of lateral ventricular, temporal lobe, and cerebral hemispheric volumes. RESULTS: No significant correlations were observed between measures of untreated illness and the severity of either cognitive or structural brain deficits at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The duration of untreated symptoms of schizophrenia, for which an association with an uncontrolled toxic brain process has been proposed, is unlikely to explain why first-episode patients with schizophrenia have widespread deficits in cognitive functioning and have detectable ventricular enlargement and some loss of cortical mass.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine whether the duration of illness before antipsychotic drug treatment for schizophrenia was associated with the severity of cognitive deficits and volumetric brain structure anomalies observed in some patients with a first episode of schizophrenia. METHOD: Duration of psychotic symptoms and of other symptoms marking a behavioral change was estimated from structured interviews with 50 patients who had a first episode of schizophrenia and their family members. Interviews were conducted within a month of the patients' hospitalization. Duration of untreated psychotic symptoms and of behavioral change was correlated with neuropsychological summary scores from a comprehensive cognitive battery and with measurements of lateral ventricular, temporal lobe, and cerebral hemispheric volumes. RESULTS: No significant correlations were observed between measures of untreated illness and the severity of either cognitive or structural brain deficits at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The duration of untreated symptoms of schizophrenia, for which an association with an uncontrolled toxic brain process has been proposed, is unlikely to explain why first-episode patients with schizophrenia have widespread deficits in cognitive functioning and have detectable ventricular enlargement and some loss of cortical mass.
Authors: Tor K Larsen; Ingrid Melle; Bjørn Auestad; Svein Friis; Ulrik Haahr; Jan Olav Johannessen; Stein Opjordsmoen; Bjørn Rishovd Rund; Erik Simonsen; Per Vaglum; Thomas McGlashan Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2006-06-29 Impact factor: 9.306
Authors: Terry E Goldberg; Katherine E Burdick; Joanne McCormack; Barbara Napolitano; Raman C Patel; Serge M Sevy; Robert Goldman; Todd Lencz; Anil K Malhotra; John M Kane; Delbert G Robinson Journal: Schizophr Res Date: 2008-11-29 Impact factor: 4.939
Authors: Srihari S Bangalore; Dhruman D Goradia; Jeffrey Nutche; Vaibhav A Diwadkar; Konasale M R Prasad; Matcheri S Keshavan Journal: Neuroreport Date: 2009-05-06 Impact factor: 1.837
Authors: Leticia Gutiérrez-Galve; Claudia A M Wheeler-Kingshott; Daniel R Altmann; Gary Price; Elvina M Chu; Verity C Leeson; Antonio Lobo; Gareth J Barker; Thomas R E Barnes; Eileen M Joyce; María A Ron Journal: Biol Psychiatry Date: 2010-05-10 Impact factor: 13.382