Cumulative effect of psychosis and aging on cognitive function of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders
Description
Cumulative Effect of Psychosis and Aging on Cognitive Function in Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A Cognitive Domain Approach Abstract BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are characterized by cognitive decline, which is evident even in the prodromal phase. Aging is a complex gradual procedure that affects, among other organs, the central nervous system, resulting in age-related cognitive decline. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess the cognitive function of patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders, in comparison with healthy controls, along the age spectrum. METHODS: 60 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in remission, 20-59 years old, and 60 healthy controls, matched by age and educational level, from the region of Thessaly in Central Greece, were evaluated, with respect to their cognitive performance, using the Greek version of MoCA. Correlations between age and MoCA total and cognitive domains’ scores, as well as statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test among age groups, were performed using SPSS Statistics 23. RESULTS: The MoCA score was negatively correlated with age. Mean MoCA scores were statistically significantly lower in all patients’ age groups in comparison with the same control age groups, except for age group 30-39, with different cognitive domains contributing in each age group. Statistically significant cognitive decline occurs in a shorter period in the patients’ group, suggesting an accelerated cognitive decline in psychotic patients after middle age. CONCLUSIONS: Age-related cognitive decline in psychotic patients occurs at an accelerated rate in relation to the control sample, with age-specific cognitive domain decline patterns, due to the cumulative effect of aging and psychosis on cognition. Further, larger, multicenter research should focus on establishing these results and designing relevant procognitive interventions.