title: The relationship between obesity and neurocognitive function in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies have reported that up to 60% of individuals with schizophrenia are overweight or obese. This study explored the relationship between obesity and cognitive performance in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatients with schizophrenia aged 18-50 years were recruited from 10 study sites across China. Demographic and clinical information was collected. A neuropsychological battery including tests of attention, processing speed, learning/memory, and executive functioning was used to assess cognitive function, and these 4 individual domains were transformed into a neurocognitive composite z score. In addition, height and weight were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Patients were categorized into 4 groups (underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese) based on BMI cutoff values for Asian populations recommended by the World Health Organization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total number of 896 patients were enrolled into the study. Fifty-four percent of participants were overweight or obese. A higher BMI was significantly associated with lower scores on the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) Visual Reproduction subscale, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Digit Symbol subscale, and the composite z score (p's ≤ 0.024). Obese patients with schizophrenia had significantly lower scores than normal weight patients on the Trail Making Test B, the WMS-R Visual Reproduction subscale, the WAIS Digit Symbol subscale, and the composite z score (p's ≤ 0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that, in addition to its well established risk for various cardiometabolic conditions, obesity is also associated with decreased cognitive function in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. Future studies should explore if weight loss and management can improve cognitive function in obese patients who suffer from schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mental Health, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No, 139 Renmin Mid Road, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Zhanchou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qinling
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Hailong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Renrong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jingping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002681:China; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology