CANTAB explicit memory is less impaired in addicted schizophrenia patients.
It has been suggested that in order to sustain the lifestyle of substance abuse, addicted schizophrenia patients would have less negative symptoms, better social skills, and less cognitive impairments. Mounting evidence supports the first two assumptions, but data lack regarding cognition in dual diagnosis schizophrenia. Seventy-six schizophrenia outpatients (DSM-IV) were divided into two groups: with (n = 44) and without (n = 32) a substance use disorder. Motor speed and visuo-spatial explicit memory were investigated using CANTAB. As expected, dual diagnosis patients showed a better cognitive performance. Our results suggest either that substance abuse relieves the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia or that the patients with less cognitive deficits are more prone to substance abuse.
Potvin
Stéphane
S
Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin, Hôpital Louis-H Lafontaine, 7331 rue Hochelaga, Montreal, Que., Canada H1N 3V2.
Briand
Catherine
C
Prouteau
Antoinette
A
Bouchard
Roch-Hugo
RH
Lipp
Olivier
O
Lalonde
Pierre
P
Nicole
Luc
L
Lesage
Alain
A
Stip
Emmanuel
E
D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009048:Motor Skills; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*