PMID- 17131214
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20071120
LR  - 20181113
IS  - 0940-1334 (Print)
IS  - 0940-1334 (Linking)
VI  - 257
IP  - 4
DP  - 2007 Jun
TI  - Comorbid substance abuse and neurocognitive function in recent-onset 
      schizophrenia.
PG  - 203-10
AB  - Despite the high prevalence of comorbid substance use disorder (SUD) up to 65% in 
      schizophrenia there is still few knowledge about the influence of substance abuse 
      on neurocognitive function. In a prospective design we recruited 68 patients 
      (aged 18-40 years) diagnosed as recent-onset schizophrenia or schizoaffective 
      disorder consecutively admitted to hospital. The patients received standardized 
      psychopathological evaluation of schizophrenic symptoms [Brief Psychiatric Rating 
      Scale (BPRS), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS)], depressive 
      symptoms [Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, (MADRS)] and global ratings 
      [Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI), Global Assessment of Functioning Scale 
      (GAF)]. Out of this sample 44 subjects underwent after stabilization (4-6 weeks 
      after admission) neuropsychological investigation focusing on early information 
      processing (Trail-Making-Test A, Digit Span), visuo-spatial ability (Corsi Block 
      Tapping), verbal fluency (Verbal Fluency Test, semantic and letter category), and 
      executive functioning and cognitive flexibility [Trail-Making-Test B, Wisconsin 
      Card Sorting Test (WCST)]. About 36% of patients reported drug abuse [European 
      Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI)] with a high prevalence for cannabis. 
      Compared with nonabusers the sample of substance abusers was younger, 
      predominantly male and had lower socioeconomic status. Attentional impairment 
      according to the SANS subscale was less in abusers than in nonabusers on 
      admission, no other psychopathological differences could be detected. 
      Schizophrenic patients without substance abuse demonstrated significantly better 
      performance only in a few neurocognitive tasks (Verbal Fluency, letter category 
      and at trend level Digit Span, backwards), while there tended to be an advantage 
      for substance abusers in executive functioning (WCST, not significant). These 
      results are consistent with other studies of first-episode patients. The lack of 
      higher cognitive disturbance in young schizophrenic patients with comorbid 
      substance abuse may encourage clinicians to develop integrated treatment 
      programmes using cognitive strategies of drug therapy.
FAU - Wobrock, Thomas
AU  - Wobrock T
AD  - Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Saarland, 66421 
      Homburg/Saar, Germany. thomas.wobrock@uniklinik-saarland.de
FAU - Sittinger, Helmut
AU  - Sittinger H
FAU - Behrendt, Bernd
AU  - Behrendt B
FAU - D'Amelio, Roberto
AU  - D'Amelio R
FAU - Falkai, Peter
AU  - Falkai P
FAU - Caspari, Dieter
AU  - Caspari D
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20061125
PL  - Germany
TA  - Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci
JT  - European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience
JID - 9103030
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Cognition/*physiology
MH  - Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry)
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Inpatients
MH  - Intelligence Tests
MH  - Male
MH  - Neuropsychological Tests
MH  - Prospective Studies
MH  - Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
MH  - Psychomotor Performance/physiology
MH  - *Schizophrenic Psychology
MH  - Socioeconomic Factors
MH  - Substance-Related Disorders/complications/*psychology
EDAT- 2006/11/30 09:00
MHDA- 2007/12/06 09:00
CRDT- 2006/11/30 09:00
PHST- 2006/01/03 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2006/05/26 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2006/11/30 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2007/12/06 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2006/11/30 09:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1007/s00406-006-0707-x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2007 Jun;257(4):203-10. doi: 
      10.1007/s00406-006-0707-x. Epub 2006 Nov 25.