title: Contrasts in neuropsychological test profile between patients with first-episode schizophrenia and first-episode affective disorders.
abstract: Patients with first-episode (FE) schizophrenia (n = 27), unipolar depression (n = 10) and bipolar disorder (n = 17) and age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects (n = 27) were administered a battery of neuropsychological (NP) tests. FE schizophrenics performed significantly less well than patients with affective disorders in the area of visual motor processing and attention. Affective disorder patients without psychotic features did not perform significantly differently to controls. However, affective disorder patients with psychotic features performed as poorly as schizophrenics, with the most pronounced impairment in the area of visual motor processing and attention. Our data tentatively suggest the existence of a dichotomy in neuropsychological impairment, with psychotic patients showing similar neuropsychological deficits, while non-psychotic affective patients perform comparably to controls.
authors.affiliation: Division of Teaching and Research, State Mental Hospital Haar, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albus
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hubmann
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wahlheim
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sobizack
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mohr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001712:Biperiden / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002090:Butyrophenones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002746:Chlorpromazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D002090:Butyrophenones; D001712:Biperiden; D002746:Chlorpromazine