Relationship between different PANSS cognitive factors and cognition assessed with MCCB in patients with first psychotic episode of schizophrenia

Abstract

Introduction

The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) has been used as a universal instrument for clinical assessment of psychopathology in schizophrenia. Different studies have analyzed the factorial structure of this scale and have suggested a five-factor model: positive, negative, excited, depressive, and cognitive/disorganized factors. Two of the most used models are the Marder´s solution and the Wallwork´s one.

Objectives

The aim of this work was to study the correlations of the two cognitive factors (Marder and Wallwork) with a cognitive assessment performed with a standard cognitive battery, in a sample of patients with first psychotic episode of schizophrenia.

Methods

Seventy four patients with first psychotic episode of schizophrenia (26.9, SD:7.8 years old; 70.3% male) were included. The cognitive assessment was performed with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). The MCCB present seven cognitive domains: Speed of processing, Working memory, Attention/Vigilance, Verbal Learning, Visual Learning, Reasoning and Problem Solving, and Social cognition). Pearson correlations were performed between MCCB scores and Marder´s PANSS cognitive factor (P2, N5, G5, G10, G11, G13, G15) and Wallwork´s one (P2, N5, G11).

Results

Correlation between MCCB scores and cognitive factors of Marder and Wallwork can be seen in the table.

	Marder´s cognitive factor	Wallwork´s cognitive factor
Speed of processing	r = -0.461; p<0.001	r = -0.455; p<0.001
Attention/Vigilance	r = -0.414; p<0.001	r = -0.415; p<0.001
Working memory	r = -0.449; p<0.001	r = -0.468; p<0.001
Verbal Learning	r = -0.511; p<0.001	r = -0.405; p<0.001
Visual Learning	r = -0.252; p=0.024	r = -0.254; p=0.029
Reasoning and Problem Solving	r = -0.244; p=0.036	r = -0.272; p=0.019
Social cognition	r = -0.268; p=0.024	r = -0.202; p=0.091

Conclusions

Both PANSS cognition factors show a moderate correlations with Speed of processing, Working memory, Attention/Vigilance and Verbal Learning assessed by MCCB. More discrete correlations were found with Visual Learning, Reasoning and Problem Solving, and with Social cognition (in fact, non-significant correlation with Wallwork´s cognitive factor was found).

Acknowledgements. This study has been funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the project PI19/00766 and co-funded by the European Union.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared