A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY ON IMPACT OF MEDICATIONS ON COGNITION IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Abstract

Background: Cognitive decits in schizophrenia might start before onset of symptoms. Medications reduce the illness severity, but their effect on cognition is not clearly established. Poor cognition may worsen the prognosis and hence impact the overall functioning. To assess the effect Aim: of ongoing medications on cognition in patients with schizophrenia. A cross-sectiona Methods: l, observational study was conducted from JulyAugust, 2022 in a tertiary psychiatric hospital using convenience sampling in patients with schizophrenia on atleast 6-8weeks of same treatment medications. Patients with neurodevelopmental, neurological, neurodegenerative, chronic substance use or known personality disorders and drug naive patients were excluded. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale was used to assess illness severity and Cognitive Assessment Interview was conducted to assess cognitive decit. 107 subjects(n=60;56.1% men and n=47;43.9% women) with Results: diagnosis of schizophrenia were considered; mean age being 35.8610.14 years, mean duration of illness being 8.015.62 years. Majority had mild cognitive impairment(n=50;46.7%). Pearson's correlation showed signicant positive correlation between cognitive functioning and olanzapine and uoxetine use(r= 0.195 and r=0.296 respectively; p <0.05). Signicant negative correlation was observed between cognitive functioning and trihexyphenidyl use(-0.195; p<0.05). Medications used in schizophrenia can have both benecial Conclusion: and deleterious effects on cognition. Further longitudinal studies on patients maintaining on the same medications will help to establish the association and hence their relative impact on cognition.