title: Cognitive course in first-episode psychosis and clinical correlates: A 4 year longitudinal study using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery.
abstract: While cognitive impairments are prevalent in first-episode psychosis, the course of these deficits is not fully understood. Most deficits appear to remain stable, however there is uncertainty regarding the trajectory of specific cognitive domains after illness onset. This study investigates the longitudinal course of cognitive deficits four years after a first-episode of psychosis and the relationship of performance with clinical course and response to treatment. Twenty three individuals with psychotic illness, matched with 21 healthy volunteers, were assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery at illness onset and 4 years later. We also investigated the relationship between cognitive deficits and quality of life and clinical indices. Verbal learning and two measures of processing speed had marked poorer trajectory over four years compared to the remaining cognitive domains. Processing speed performance was found to contribute to the cognitive deficits in psychosis. Poorer clinical outcome was associated with greater deficits at illness onset in reasoning and problem solving and social cognition. Cognitive deficits did not predict quality of life at follow-up, nor did diagnosis subtype differentiate cognitive performance. In conclusion, an initial psychotic episode may be associated with an additional cost on verbal learning and two measures of processing speed over a time spanning at least four years. Moreover, processing speed, which has been manipulated through intervention in previous studies, may represent a viable therapeutic target. Finally, cognition at illness onset may have a predictive capability of illness course.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland. Electronic address: j.kenney1@nuigalway.ie.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kenney
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Goettingen, Georg-August University, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Anderson-Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scanlon
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arndt
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scherz
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry, St Michaels Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Shane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McInerney
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McFarland
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Fintan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), School of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Donohoe
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hallahan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Colm
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Dara M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Cannon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D014706:Verbal Learning; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Clinical; Cognition; First-episode psychosis; Longitudinal; MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery