The British Journal of Psychiatry (2008) 193: 297-304. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.040410
© 2008 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Data supplement
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Related articles in BJP
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bodnar, M.
Right arrow Articles by Lepage, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bodnar, M.
Right arrow Articles by Lepage, M.

Cognitive markers of short-term clinical outcome in first-episode psychosis

Michael Bodnar, BSc, BA

Brain Imaging Group and Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP–Montreal), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, and Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

Ashok Malla, MD and Ridha Joober, MD, PhD

Brain Imaging Group and Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP–Montreal), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, and Department of Psychiatry, Allan Memorial Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

Martin Lepage, PhD

Brain Imaging Group and Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP–Montreal), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, and Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, and Department of Psychiatry, Allan Memorial Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Correspondence: Martin Lepage, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Frank B Common Pavilion, 6875 LaSalle Blvd.,Verdun, Montreal, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada. Email: martin.lepage{at}mcgill.ca

Declaration of interest

None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background

Outcome from psychotic disorders is heterogeneous with poorer outcomes frequently identified too late to be influenced. Symptomatic ratings at 1 or more years following initiation of treatment have been related to cognition in first-episode psychosis. However, the relationship between cognition and early outcome remains unclear.

Aims

To determine whether specific cognitive domains could identify poor short-term outcome among individuals with first-episode psychosis.

Method

One hundred and fifty-one individuals with first-episode psychosis were divided into two groups based on 6-month clinical data after the initiation of treatment. Six cognitive domains were compared among 78 participants with poor outcomes, 73 with good outcomes and 31 healthy controls.

Results

Lower performance on verbal memory (z-scores: poor outcome=–1.3 (s.d.=1.1); good outcome=–0.8 (s.d.=0.9); P=0.001) and working memory (poor outcome=–1.0 (s.d.=1.2); good outcome=–0.4 (s.d.=0.9); P=0.003) identified individuals with first-episode psychosis with a poor outcome after 6 months of treatment.

Conclusions

The early identification of those individuals with first-episode psychosis with a poor clinical outcome may encourage clinicians to pay special attention to them in the form of alternative pharmacological and psychological treatments for a more favourable outcome in the long term.


Related articles in BJP:

Highlights of this issue
Kimberlie Dean
BJP 2008 193: A14. [Full Text]  



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Schizophr BullHome page
L. Buchy, Y. Czechowska, C. Chochol, A. Malla, R. Joober, J. Pruessner, and M. Lepage
Toward a Model of Cognitive Insight in First-Episode Psychosis: Verbal Memory and Hippocampal Structure
Schizophr Bull, April 3, 2009; (2009) sbp015v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]