BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to investigate differences in executive functioning between patients with early-onset and adult-onset schizophrenia spectrum psychoses at the time of first treatment. METHODS: Neuropsychological tests covering executive functioning domains were performed for 20 adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) close to first treatment and 90 first episode patients with adult onset schizophrenia (AOS) in addition to 66 adolescent- and 127 adult age and gender matched healthy controls. RESULTS: Both EOS and AOS patients had significantly poorer executive performance than their age- and gender matched healthy counterparts. Both healthy adolescent controls and EOS patients had poorer executive performance than their adult counterparts. However, there were no differences in executive functioning between EOS and AOS patients after controlling for the levels of their age matched healthy control groups. Substituting EOS/AOS status with other age-at-onset thresholds had no effect. CONCLUSIONS: We find the same relative levels of executive dysfunction in EOS- and AOS groups at the time of first treatment. This does not necessarily contradict previous findings of more severe dysfunction in EOS patients over time, but indicates an interaction between the disorder and the maturational processes that only can be investigated through longitudinal studies.
BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to investigate differences in executive functioning between patients with early-onset and adult-onset schizophrenia spectrum psychoses at the time of first treatment. METHODS: Neuropsychological tests covering executive functioning domains were performed for 20 adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) close to first treatment and 90 first episode patients with adult onset schizophrenia (AOS) in addition to 66 adolescent- and 127 adult age and gender matched healthy controls. RESULTS: Both EOS and AOSpatients had significantly poorer executive performance than their age- and gender matched healthy counterparts. Both healthy adolescent controls and EOSpatients had poorer executive performance than their adult counterparts. However, there were no differences in executive functioning between EOS and AOSpatients after controlling for the levels of their age matched healthy control groups. Substituting EOS/AOS status with other age-at-onset thresholds had no effect. CONCLUSIONS: We find the same relative levels of executive dysfunction in EOS- and AOS groups at the time of first treatment. This does not necessarily contradict previous findings of more severe dysfunction in EOSpatients over time, but indicates an interaction between the disorder and the maturational processes that only can be investigated through longitudinal studies.
Authors: Tara A Niendam; Kimberly L Ray; Ana-Maria Iosif; Tyler A Lesh; Stefania R Ashby; Pooja K Patel; Jason Smucny; Emilio Ferrer; Marjorie Solomon; J Daniel Ragland; Cameron S Carter Journal: JAMA Psychiatry Date: 2018-12-01 Impact factor: 21.596
Authors: Trina M Norden-Krichmar; Ian R Gizer; Evelyn Phillips; Kirk C Wilhelmsen; Nicholas J Schork; Cindy L Ehlers Journal: Twin Res Hum Genet Date: 2015-11-26 Impact factor: 1.587
Authors: Pamela Ruiz-Castañeda; Encarnación Santiago Molina; Haney Aguirre Loaiza; María Teresa Daza González Journal: Cogn Res Princ Implic Date: 2022-08-12
Authors: Monica Juuhl-Langseth; Cecilie B Hartberg; Aina Holmén; Rune Thormodsen; Inge R Groote; Lars M Rimol; Kyrre E Emblem; Ingrid Agartz; Bjørn R Rund Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-07-31 Impact factor: 3.240