| Popis: |
The purpose of the study was to assess the dynamics of neurocognitive functioning in patients with the first episode of schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders at baseline and in 5-year follow-up. The total number of patients was 67. The severity of symptoms was measured with the PANSS. Cognitive functioning was assessed with the Cognitive Processes Assessment Scale which is based on the methodological approaches developed by A.R. Luria. The liability of cognitive impairment with a tendency to decrease in severity was found in patients with a single psychosis or a history of few psychoses (n=25). In patients with more severe progression of disease (n=33), some labiality of cognitive impairment was observed as well, but, as opposed to the first group, its severity was increasing during the whole 5-year follow-up period. The most severely ill patients with early onset and the most progressive course of the disease (n=9) demonstrated the most severe cognitive impairment, which remained stable along the follow-up. In conclusion, the data obtained present the neurocognitive deficit in schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders as not an unchangeable phenomenon, with its dynamics corresponding to regularities of the disease course and its progression. |
