Neurocognitive dimensions characterising patients with first-episode psychosis

BACKGROUND: Assessment of neurocognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia is hampered by the multitude of tests used in the literature. AIMS: We aimed to identify the main dimensions of an assessment battery for patients with first-episode psychosis and to estimate the relationship between dimension scores and gender, age, education, diagnosis and symptoms. METHOD: Eight frequently used neuropsychological tests were used. We tested 219 patients 3 months after start of therapy or at remission, whichever occurred first. RESULTS: We identified five dimensions: working memory (WM); verbal learning (VL); executive function (EF); impulsivity (im); and motor speed (MS). Significant findings were that the MS score was higher for men, and the WM and VL scores were correlated with years of education. CONCLUSIONS: Neurocognitive function in first-episode psychosis is described by at least five independent dimensions.