Comparisons of Symptoms and Neurocognitive Functions in Schizophrenic Patients Divided by Social Functioning

Kim, Chul Kwon; Choi, Byeong Moo; Ha, Mee Young; Kim, Seong Hwan; Seo, Ji Min

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this research was to investigate the differences of symptoms and neurocognitive functions with good and poor social functioning schizophrenic outpatients. METHOD: 152 schizophrenic outpatients were divided to good social functioning group(n=26) and poor social functioning group(n=126) based on the instrumental role of workers or students. Neurocognitive functions of these patient groups were compared with normal control group, which was composed of 30 healthy persons without a history of psychiatric illness. Schizophrenic symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS). Neurocognitive function tests include the sustained attention, sensory register, executive function, concentration and attention, and verbal memory and learning assessed with Degraded Stimulus Continuous Performance Test(DS-CPT), Span Apprehension Task(SAT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test(WCST), Digit Span(DS), and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test(RAVLT).
RESULTS
1) No significant differences were noted in the symptom subtypes of PANSS between good and poor social functioning patient groups. 2) The poor social functioning patient group showed significant deficits in the sustained attention, sensory register, concentration and attention, and verbal memory and learning as manifested in the data of DS-CPT, SAT, DS, and RAVLT compared with normal control and good social functioning patient groups. But there were no differences in these neurocognitive functions between good social functioning patient group and normal control group.
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggested that some neurocognitive deficits such as sustained attention, sensory register, concentration and attention, and verbal memory and learning may be more important factors than symptoms for social functioning in the stable schizophrenic outpatients.