title: Neuropsychological evidence for abnormal neurodevelopment associated with early-onset psychoses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The longitudinal neuropsychological study of first-episode early-onset psychosis (EOP) patients, whose brain maturation is still in progress at the time of illness onset, provides a unique opportunity to compare their cognitive development with that of healthy subjects, in search of specific patterns resulting from the interaction between neurodevelopmental processes and the presence of psychotic disorders. Method Seventy-five first-episode EOP patients (schizophrenia n = 35; bipolar disorder n = 17; other forms of psychosis n = 23) with a mean age of 15.53 years were assessed with a neuropsychological battery that included measures of attention, working memory, memory and executive functions within 6 months following the onset of the first psychotic symptom (baseline) and 2 years later. Psychotic symptoms were assessed at both times with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). Seventy-nine healthy subjects matched for age and education served as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EOP patients showed significant cognitive impairment at both baseline and the 2-year follow-up, with no significant differences between diagnostic groups at either time. Both healthy controls and EOP patients improved in all cognitive measures, except for patient working memory. Improvement in patient attention lost significance after controlling for psychotic symptom reduction. No significant time/diagnosis interaction was found among patients (p > 0.405).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cognitive impairment in EOP is already present at the first episode, and cognitive development seems to be arrested early in EOP patients compared to their healthy peers, at least for some cognitive functions. These and previous similar results support the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of psychosis.
authors: Department of Psychology, Universidad de Oviedo, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Oviedo, Spain. ibombin@reintegra-dca.es
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Bombin
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Mayoral
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Castro-Fornieles
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Gonzalez-Pinto
authors: E
authors: E
authors: de la Serna
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Rapado-Castro
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Barbeito
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Parellada
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Baeza
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Graell
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Payá
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Arango
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology