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ABERRANT COGNITS: ONE MODEL FOR BASIC SYMPTOMS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA
Abstracts / Schizophrenia Research 102/1–3, Supplement 2 (2008) 1–279 cantly more in trusions errors than schizophrenic patients in remission. These consisted of intra-list and extra-list errors, and were also significative for extra-list errors not semantically related. Not differences between remitted patients and patients with de lusions, hallucinations, high diminished expression or high anhedonia-asociability were found. Conclusions: Intrusion errors are clearly and specifically associated to thought disorder. Both lack of inhibition of inappropriate irrelevant memories and source monitoring deficits seem have been found equally related. Also, semantic memory dysfunction appears associated to the symptom. References [1] Andreasen NC, Carpenter WT Jr, Kane JM, Lasser RA, Marder SR, Weinberger DR. (2005). Remission in schizophrenia: proposed criteria and rationale for consensus. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(3): 441-9. [2] Brebion G, Amador X, Smith MJ, Malaspina D, Sha rif Z, Gorman JM. (1999). Opposite links of positive and negative symptomatology with memory errores in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research, 88, 15-24 [3] Brebion G, Gorman JM., Amador X, Malaspina D, Sharif Z, (2002). Source montoring impairments in schzioph renia: characterisation and associations with positive and negative symptomatology. Psychiatry Research, 112, 27-39. [4] Lorente-Rovira, E., Pomarol-Clotet, E., McCarthy, R.A., Berrios, G.E., McKenna, P.J. (2007). Confabulation in schizophrenia and its relationship to clinical and neuropsychological features of the disorder. Psychological Medicine, 37(10),1403-12.
259 – ABERRANT COGNITS: ONE MODEL FOR BASIC SYMPTOMS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA Martin L. Vargas Complejo Asistencial de Zamora. Psychiatry Service, Zamora, Mexico [email protected] Introduction: A cognit is the unit of cognitive processing implemented in one neural network as defined by JM Fuster. We postulate that basic symptoms in schizophrenia are the phenomenological correlate of the activation of aberrant cognits that cause working memory deficits. The objective is to test the association between aberrant cognits and working memory deficits. Methods: One cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 58 schizophrenia in-patients in acute state. Working memory pe rformance were measured with a neuropsychological battery consisting of the Trail Making Test A and B, Stroop Test, and Continuous Performance Test. Symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) and various control clinical variables were analys ed. Basic symptoms were studied with one semi-structured interview (Subjective Evaluation of Attention Control Errors) based on Bonn Scale (BSABS) and the classical concept of mental automatism. Attending to the severity of basic symptoms we defined three grades of aberrant cognits presence: absent (n=13), mild (n=16) and clearly presents (n=29). Results: Perceptive intrusions (57%), cognitive and verbal intrusions (36%), and thinking subjective deficits (36%) were the most frequent basic symptoms. The presence of aberrant cognits was inversely associated with performance in Trail Making B (Jonckheere – Terpstra test of trend, p = 0.005, bilateral). Conclusions: Some basic symptoms could be the subjective experience of the activ ation aberrant cognits linked to working memory deficits in schizophrenia. References [1] Fuster JM. The cognit: a network model of cortical representation. Int J Psychophysiol 2006;60(2):125-32. [2] Vargas ML. The possibilities of neurocognitive rehabilitation in schizophrenia. Rev Neurol 2004;38(5):473-82.
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260 – EFFECTS OF AGE, GENDER AND EDUCATION ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS Bernhard W. Mueller 1 , Rigmor Timmers 2 , Renate Thienel 3 , Norbert Scherbaum 4 , Jens Wiltfang 2 , Stefan Bender 2 1 Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Essen; 2 Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen; 3 Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health University of Newcastle, Orange NSW; 4 Clinic for Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, University of Duisburg-Es, Essen, Germany [email protected] Introduction: Cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia have been widely assessed, but less is known on the impact of age, gender and education on cognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Here we analysed data from a large (N = 699) sample of patients with schizophrenia who participated in a computer based cognitive training program (Cogpack, Olbrich series). Data from the first run in the first twelve tasks were submitted to factor an alysis. Six factors (Eigenvalue > 1) explained 53% of the subjects variance: 1: general cognition, 2: attention regulation, 3. visumotor slowing, 4: cognitive slowing, 5: memory and 6: vigilance. Factor scores were analysed with regard to the effects of age (18-55 years), gender and education (+/- high school). Results: Age had effects on factors general cognition, attention regulation, visumotor slowing, cognitive slowing and memory. Gender effects emerged with factor two and three. Here women showed lower performance in dimensions of attention regulation and visumot or slowing. Education was related to factors general cognition, attention regulation and cognitive slowing. Conclusions: While age and education effects on dimensions of cognition are to be expected, our results shed light on the need to control for gender effects with regard to the dimensions of attention regulation and visumotor slowing in schizophrenia patients. Acknowledgements: We acknowledge partial financial support by Janssen-Cilag to SB and RT for data collection. References [1] Cadenhead KS, Geyer MA, Butler RW, Perry W, Sprock J, Braff DL (1997). Information processing deficits of schizophrenia patients: Relationship to clinical ratings, gender and medication status. Schizophrenia Research 28, 51-62
261 – COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE PREDICTORS OF ATTITUDES TO MEDICATION IN OUTPATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA Rosie Peel Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland [email protected] Introduction: Negative attitudes to medication are common in patients with schizophrenia, and predictive of non-adherence to medication. The Common Sense Model of Illness Representations suggests that negative attitudes to medication are influenced by the ability to represent/appraise health related information at both a cognitive and emotional level. We hypothesised that drug attitudes would be influenced cognitively by insight and level of cognitive function and affectively by depression severity. Methods: 237 stabilised out-patients with SCID diagnoses of schizophrenia were recruited as part of a large multi-centre study. Drug attitudes were assessed using the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10), symptom severity using the SAPS and SANS, and Mood using Bipolar Affective Disorder Dimension Scale (BADDS). General cognitive function, episodic memory, working memory, and attention, were measured using subtests from the Wechsler and CANTAB batteries. Results: Higher DAI score was significantly correlated with lower SAPS global scores (p values p>.0001 to p=.024) but not depression severity or SANS scores. DAI scores were also correlated with better insight (r=.543, p<.0001), and weakly with both measures of attention
259 – ABERRANT COGNITS: ONE MODEL FOR BASIC SYMPTOMS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA Martin L. Vargas Complejo Asistencial de Zamora. Psychiatry Service, Zamora, Mexico [email protected] Introduction: A cognit is the unit of cognitive processing implemented in one neural network as defined by JM Fuster. We postulate that basic symptoms in schizophrenia are the phenomenological correlate of the activation of aberrant cognits that cause working memory deficits. The objective is to test the association between aberrant cognits and working memory deficits. Methods: One cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 58 schizophrenia in-patients in acute state. Working memory pe rformance were measured with a neuropsychological battery consisting of the Trail Making Test A and B, Stroop Test, and Continuous Performance Test. Symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) and various control clinical variables were analys ed. Basic symptoms were studied with one semi-structured interview (Subjective Evaluation of Attention Control Errors) based on Bonn Scale (BSABS) and the classical concept of mental automatism. Attending to the severity of basic symptoms we defined three grades of aberrant cognits presence: absent (n=13), mild (n=16) and clearly presents (n=29). Results: Perceptive intrusions (57%), cognitive and verbal intrusions (36%), and thinking subjective deficits (36%) were the most frequent basic symptoms. The presence of aberrant cognits was inversely associated with performance in Trail Making B (Jonckheere – Terpstra test of trend, p = 0.005, bilateral). Conclusions: Some basic symptoms could be the subjective experience of the activ ation aberrant cognits linked to working memory deficits in schizophrenia. References [1] Fuster JM. The cognit: a network model of cortical representation. Int J Psychophysiol 2006;60(2):125-32. [2] Vargas ML. The possibilities of neurocognitive rehabilitation in schizophrenia. Rev Neurol 2004;38(5):473-82.
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260 – EFFECTS OF AGE, GENDER AND EDUCATION ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS Bernhard W. Mueller 1 , Rigmor Timmers 2 , Renate Thienel 3 , Norbert Scherbaum 4 , Jens Wiltfang 2 , Stefan Bender 2 1 Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Essen; 2 Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen; 3 Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health University of Newcastle, Orange NSW; 4 Clinic for Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, University of Duisburg-Es, Essen, Germany [email protected] Introduction: Cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia have been widely assessed, but less is known on the impact of age, gender and education on cognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Here we analysed data from a large (N = 699) sample of patients with schizophrenia who participated in a computer based cognitive training program (Cogpack, Olbrich series). Data from the first run in the first twelve tasks were submitted to factor an alysis. Six factors (Eigenvalue > 1) explained 53% of the subjects variance: 1: general cognition, 2: attention regulation, 3. visumotor slowing, 4: cognitive slowing, 5: memory and 6: vigilance. Factor scores were analysed with regard to the effects of age (18-55 years), gender and education (+/- high school). Results: Age had effects on factors general cognition, attention regulation, visumotor slowing, cognitive slowing and memory. Gender effects emerged with factor two and three. Here women showed lower performance in dimensions of attention regulation and visumot or slowing. Education was related to factors general cognition, attention regulation and cognitive slowing. Conclusions: While age and education effects on dimensions of cognition are to be expected, our results shed light on the need to control for gender effects with regard to the dimensions of attention regulation and visumotor slowing in schizophrenia patients. Acknowledgements: We acknowledge partial financial support by Janssen-Cilag to SB and RT for data collection. References [1] Cadenhead KS, Geyer MA, Butler RW, Perry W, Sprock J, Braff DL (1997). Information processing deficits of schizophrenia patients: Relationship to clinical ratings, gender and medication status. Schizophrenia Research 28, 51-62
261 – COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE PREDICTORS OF ATTITUDES TO MEDICATION IN OUTPATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA Rosie Peel Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland [email protected] Introduction: Negative attitudes to medication are common in patients with schizophrenia, and predictive of non-adherence to medication. The Common Sense Model of Illness Representations suggests that negative attitudes to medication are influenced by the ability to represent/appraise health related information at both a cognitive and emotional level. We hypothesised that drug attitudes would be influenced cognitively by insight and level of cognitive function and affectively by depression severity. Methods: 237 stabilised out-patients with SCID diagnoses of schizophrenia were recruited as part of a large multi-centre study. Drug attitudes were assessed using the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10), symptom severity using the SAPS and SANS, and Mood using Bipolar Affective Disorder Dimension Scale (BADDS). General cognitive function, episodic memory, working memory, and attention, were measured using subtests from the Wechsler and CANTAB batteries. Results: Higher DAI score was significantly correlated with lower SAPS global scores (p values p>.0001 to p=.024) but not depression severity or SANS scores. DAI scores were also correlated with better insight (r=.543, p<.0001), and weakly with both measures of attention