title: Neurocognitive similarities between severe chronic schizophrenia and behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia.
abstract: This study focuses on a group of patients with chronic schizophrenia who have a more severe form of the disorder, as indicated by socio-functional decline, treatment resistance, and recurrent hospitalisation. Previous research has suggested that the pattern and severity of cognitive deficits in people with severe chronic schizophrenia is similar to that observed in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). In the current study, we compared neurocognitive performance in 16 cognitive domains in 7 inpatients with severe chronic schizophrenia, 13 community-dwelling outpatients with chronic schizophrenia, 12 patients with bvFTD, and 18 healthy controls. Our findings revealed more similar cognitive profiles between the schizophrenia inpatient and bvFTD groups compared to the schizophrenia outpatient group, who outperformed the former groups. The current results provide preliminary evidence for a distinct schizophrenia subgroup, distinguishable from other chronic schizophrenia patients by poorer clinical and functional status, who have levels of cognitive impairment comparable to those seen in bvFTD patients.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychological Sciences, Building 17, Wellington Road, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia; Neuropsychiatry Unit, John Cade Level 2, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville 3050, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: huiminn@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hui-Minn
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: School of Psychological Sciences, Building 17, Wellington Road, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stolwyk
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatry Unit, John Cade Level 2, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville 3050, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neath
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatry Unit, John Cade Level 2, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville 3050, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kelso
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatry Unit, John Cade Level 2, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville 3050, VIC, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville 3053, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walterfang
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatry Unit, John Cade Level 2, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville 3050, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mocellin
authors.affiliation: Adult Mental Health Rehabilitation Unit, Sunshine Hospital, St Albans 3021, VIC, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville 3053, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pantelis
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatry Unit, John Cade Level 2, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville 3050, VIC, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville 3053, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Velakoulis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
keywords: Behavioural variant frontotemporal lobar degeneration; Dementia praecox; Kraepelinian schizophrenia; Neuropsychology; Poor-outcome schizophrenia