Abstract
Aim: The following work aims to investigate the putative correlation between early trauma and cognitive functions, as well as psychotic symptoms and cognitive functions, in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Methods: A quantitative assessment was performed with 20 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) criteria and who were in ongoing outpatient treatment in Psychosocial Care Centres in Brazil. Clinical measurements comprised a semistructured clinical interview, a screening questionnaire for common mental disorders, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and the Early Trauma Inventory Self-Report—Short Form (ETISR-SF). Cognitive assessment included Beta III test, Concentrated Attention (CA) test, Color Trails Test (CTT), and Visual Face Memory (VFM) test. Results: Age-adjusted analysis showed a negative correlation between early trauma and visual memory performance (r = −0.585, p = 0.007) and negative symptoms and attention performance (r = −0.715, p = 0.000). Conclusion: Although a cause–effect relationship cannot be firmly stated, an association between early trauma experience and cognitive impairment such as visual memory, as well as a relationship between negative symptoms and attention domains, is suggested by our preliminary findings. Future studies with larger sample sizes and prospective design will clarify the long-term effects of early exposure to trauma and its clinical meaning in terms of developing psychotic-related illness.
Highlights
More than 75% of patients with schizophrenia show some level of cognitive impairment, leading to poor functional status and impairments in social interaction
Studies show that individuals with schizophrenia and a history of early trauma show memory deficits when compared to schizophrenia patients with no history of early trauma, and that these traumatic experiences may lead to neurocognitive deficits [13]
The cross-sectional basis of our data precludes any firm conclusion on the cause–effect relationship between trauma and clinical features. In spite of these constraints, the correlations may be considered clinically significant enough to show a trend towards statistical significance even in a heterogeneous and naturalistic sample. This is the first study assessing a Brazilian sample on the relationship between early trauma, cognitive functions, and psychotic symptoms
Summary
More than 75% of patients with schizophrenia show some level of cognitive impairment, leading to poor functional status and impairments in social interaction. Cognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia may be related to the illness itself and to endophenotypes, with cognitive profiles indicating traits, which can be developed later on the course of the illness [2]. This hypothesis has been supported by studies showing an overlap between cognitive deficits between SZ patients and their relatives. Overlapping cognitive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and their siblings seem to appear, with the latter exhibiting milder cognitive impairment, including memory, executive function, and attention
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