Are schizophrenics neuropsychologically impaired affected psychotics? Neuropsychological performance and personality traits in relatives

Neuropsychological deficits are found in both schizophrenic patients and their relatives, and some studies have shown similar, but less severe, deficits in affective psychotic patients and their relatives. We set out to establish – whether schizophrenia spectrum personality traits are more common in the relatives of schizophrenic patients than relatives of affective psychotic patients; – what is the relationship between spectrum personality traits and neuropsychological deficits in these relatives.Relatives were interviewed using the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE), and also completed the National Adult Reading Test (NART), the Trail Making Test (TMT: Parts A and B) and Thurstone's Verbal Fluency Test (TVFT). Spectrum personality traits were equally common in the 129 relatives of schizophrenic and 106 relatives of affective psychotic patients. Relatives of psychotic patients who themselves had high paranoid traits had lower NART scores than those without such personality traits (p=0.007);similarly, those with high schizoid personality traits took longer to complete the TMT, part B than those without such traits (p=0.0l); and relatives with high schizotypal traits generated significantly fewer words on the verbal fluency test than those without such traits (p=0.04).

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Verbal fluency in patients with schizophrenia and affective psychoses and their first-degree relatives

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291701003816 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 695-704 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

C. M. GILVARRY ◽

A. RUSSELL ◽

P. JONES ◽

P. SHAM ◽

D. HEMSLEY ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Verbal Fluency ◽

Reading Test ◽

Neuropsychological Deficits ◽

Neuropsychological Function ◽

Verbal Fluency Test ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Adult Reading ◽

Intellectual Deficit ◽

National Adult Reading Test ◽

Fluency Test

Background. Schizophrenic patients are known to have neuropsychological deficits including impaired verbal fluency, but it is not clear whether this latter deficit is: (a) a consequence of overall intellectual deficit; (b) shared with affective psychotic patients; or (c) shared by the relatives of schizophrenic patients; and (d) shared by the relatives of affective psychotic patients.Methods. We administered Thurstone's Verbal Fluency Test to 45 schizophrenic patients and 72 of their relatives, and 30 affective psychotic patients and 53 of their relatives. Subjects were asked to generate as many words as possible beginning with the letters ‘C’ and ‘S’ and the total was taken as the dependent variable. Subjects also completed the National Adult Reading Test (NART) to provide a measure of (pre-morbid) IQ.Results. Schizophrenic patients generated significantly fewer words than affective psychotic patients, however adjusting for NART this became non-significant. Schizophrenic (but not affective psychotic) patients generated significantly fewer words than their relatives; again adjusting for NART this became non-significant. Patients who had been exposed to obstetric complications (OC+) and those who had not (OC−) had similarly poor verbal fluency scores. Relatives of OC+ schizophrenic patients had superior verbal fluency than relatives of OC− schizophrenic patients and this remained significant after adjustment for NART.Conclusions. The results suggest that some families transmit impairment in verbal fluency as part of a pattern of lower overall IQ. However, in other families, relatives show largely normal neuropsychological function, and the poorer verbal performance of the schizophrenic member appears to have arisen secondary to his/her exposure to OCs.

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Association of Sarcopenia With Performance on Multiple Cognitive Domains: Results From the ELSA-Brasil Study

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glz118 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 (11) ◽

pp. 1805-1811 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Claudia Szlejf ◽

Claudia K Suemoto ◽

Paulo A Lotufo ◽

Isabela M Benseñor

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Muscle Strength ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Recall Test ◽

Word Recall ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Verbal Fluency Test ◽

Trail Making ◽

Fluency Test

Abstract Background Sarcopenia and cognitive impairment share pathophysiological paths and risk factors. Our aim was to investigate the association of sarcopenia and its defining components with cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults. Methods This cross-sectional analysis included 5,038 participants from the ELSA-Brasil Study, aged ≥ 55 years. Muscle mass was evaluated by bioelectrical impedance analysis and muscle strength by handgrip strength. Sarcopenia was defined according to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Cognition was evaluated using delayed word recall test, semantic verbal fluency test, and trail making test version B. Possible confounders included sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and clinical comorbidities. Results The frequencies of sarcopenia, low muscle mass, and low muscle strength were 1.8%, 23.3%, and 4.4%, respectively. After adjustment for possible confounders, poorer performance on the verbal fluency test was associated with sarcopenia (β = −0.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.38; −0.01, p = .03) and low muscle mass (β = −0.08, 95% CI = −0.14; −0.01, p = .02). Low muscle strength was associated with poorer performance in the delayed word recall test (β = −0.14, 95% CI = −0.27; −0.02, p = .02), verbal fluency test (β = −0.14, 95% CI = −0.26; −0.02, p = .03), and trail making test (β = −0.15, 95% CI = −0.27; −0.03, p = .01). Conclusions Sarcopenia was associated with poorer performance on the verbal fluency test, and low muscle strength was associated with poorer performance in all cognitive tests in middle-aged and older adults.

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Letter Verbal Fluency in Spanish-, Basque-, and Catalan-Speaking Individuals: Does the Selection of the Letters Influence the Outcome?

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2019_jslhr-l-18-0365 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (7) ◽

pp. 2400-2410

Author(s):

Laiene Olabarrieta-Landa ◽

Itziar Benito-Sánchez ◽

Montserrat Alegret ◽

Anna Gailhajanet ◽

Esther Landa Torre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Frontal Lobe ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Native Language ◽

Spanish Speakers ◽

Crucial Step ◽

Verbal Fluency Test ◽

Performance Differences ◽

Frontal Lobe Functioning ◽

Selection Of ◽

Fluency Test

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare Basque and Catalan bilinguals' performance on the letter verbal fluency test and determine whether significant differences are present depending on the letters used and the language of administration. Method The sample consisted of 87 Spanish monolinguals, 139 Basque bilinguals, and 130 Catalan bilinguals from Spain. Participants completed the letter verbal fluency test using the letters F, A, S, M, R, P, and E. Results Bilinguals scored higher on the letter verbal fluency test when they were tested in Spanish than in Basque or Catalan. No performance differences were found according to native language or dialects within Basque participants. Catalans with Spanish as their native language scored lower on the letter F compared to those who grew up speaking Catalan and Spanish. The suggested letters to use with Basque speakers are A, E, and B; the suggested letters to use with Catalan speakers are P, F, and M; and the suggested letters to use with Spanish speakers are M, R, and P. Conclusion Selecting appropriate stimuli depending on the language of testing is the first crucial step to assess verbal fluency and thus possible frontal lobe functioning impairment.

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Association of verbal fluency test with progression to dementia in non‐demented older adults

Geriatrics and Gerontology International ◽

10.1111/ggi.14230 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hiroyuki Umegaki ◽

Yusuke Suzuki

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Verbal Fluency Test ◽

Fluency Test

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A comparison of cognitive functioning in acute schizophrenia and depression

Acta Neuropsychiatrica ◽

10.1017/neu.2013.21 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 25 (6) ◽

pp. 334-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tina Gooren ◽

Peter Schlattmann ◽

Peter Neu

Keyword(s):

Major Depression ◽

Cognitive Deficits ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Acute Schizophrenia ◽

Wechsler Memory Scale ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Trail Making ◽

Unipolar Major Depression

ObjectiveEven though cognitive deficits are well recognised in schizophrenia and depression, direct comparisons between the disorders are scarce in literature. This study aims to assess specificity and degree of cognitive deficits in inpatients with acute schizophrenia and unipolar major depression.MethodsA neuropsychological test battery was administered to 76 schizophrenic patients, 102 patients with unipolar major depression and 85 healthy controls (HCs), assessing verbal learning [Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)], processing speed (Trail Making Test), verbal fluency and visual memory (Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised test).ResultsBoth patient groups were significantly impaired compared with HCs with regard to all test outcomes. The schizophrenia group (SG) performed significantly worse in the Wechsler Memory Scale and verbal fluency than the depression group (DG). The DG reached significantly lower scores than the SG in the RAVLT delayed recall subtest. No significant group difference between SG and DG was found for the Trail Making Test and the RAVLT direct recall trails.ConclusionOur results indicate that cognitive impairment is present in both disorders. Schizophrenic patients performed worse than patients with unipolar depression in only two of the administered tests. Differences in cognitive performance between the groups are not as general as often assumed. Therefore, during the acute phase of illness, a diagnostic classification on the grounds of the patients’ neurocognitive performance has to be done with caution.

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Neuropsychological correlates of schizophrenic syndromes in patients treated with atypical neuroleptics

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(01)00591-0 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 354-361 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

S. Moritz ◽

B. Andresen ◽

D. Jacobsen ◽

K. Mersmann ◽

U. Wilke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Verbal Fluency ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Digit Span ◽

Atypical Neuroleptics ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Trail Making ◽

Neurocognitive Dysfunctions ◽

Neurocognitive Tasks ◽

Negative Syndrome ◽

Typical Neuroleptics

SummaryThere is widespread evidence that schizophrenic symptomatology is best represented by three syndromes (positive, negative, disorganized). Both the disorganized and negative syndrome have been found to correlate with several neurocognitive dysfunctions. However, previous studies investigated samples predominantly treated with typical neuroleptics, which frequently induce parkinsonian symptoms that are hard to disentangle from primary negative symptoms and may have inflated correlations with neurocognition. A newly developed psychopathological instrument called the Positive and Negative and Disorganized Symptoms Scale (PANADSS) was evaluated in 60 schizophrenic patients. Forty-seven participants treated with atypical neuroleptics performed several neurocognitive tasks.A three-factor solution of schizophrenic symptomatology emerged. Negative symptomatology was associated with diminished creative verbal fluency and digit span backward, whereas disorganization was significantly correlated with impaired Stroop, WCST and Trail-Making Test B performance.Data suggest that disorganization is associated with tasks that demand executive functioning. Previous findings reporting correlations between negative symptomatology and neurocognition may have been confounded by the adverse consequences of typical neuroleptics.

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Estimation of Premorbid Intelligence in Schizophrenia

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.161.1.69 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 161 (1) ◽

pp. 69-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 69

Author(s):

J. R. Crawford ◽

J. A. O. Besson ◽

M. Bremner ◽

K. P. Ebmeier ◽

R. H. B. Cochrane ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alternative Explanation ◽

Adult Intelligence Scale ◽

Intelligence Scale ◽

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽

Premorbid Intelligence ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Adult Reading ◽

Valid Estimate ◽

Wechsler Adult Intelligence ◽

National Adult Reading Test

To determine whether the National Adult Reading Test (NART) would provide a valid estimate of premorbid intelligence in schizophrenia, two schizophrenic samples were recruited, one consisting of 35 patients resident in long-stay wards, the other of 29 patients normally resident in the community. Schizophrenic patients were individually matched for age, sex, and education with a healthy, normal subject. Both schizophrenic samples scored significantly lower on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) than their respective control groups. NART-estimated IQ did not differ significantly between the community-resident schizophrenics and their controls, suggesting that the NART provides a valid means of estimating premorbid intelligence in such a population. NART-estimated IQ was significantly lower in the long-stay sample than in their controls. Although low NART scores in this latter sample could be a valid reflection of low premorbid IQ, the alternative explanation that NART performance was impaired by onset of the disease cannot be ruled out.

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The Modified Fuld Verbal Fluency Test: A Validation Study in Hong Kong

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/52b.5.p247 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 52B (5) ◽

pp. P247-P250 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

H. F. K. Chiu ◽

C. K. Y. Chan ◽

L. C. W. Lam ◽

K.-o. Ng ◽

S.-w. Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Validation Study ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Verbal Fluency Test ◽

Fluency Test

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Characteristics of verbal fluency in patients with a primary episode of bipolar affective disorder

Psychiatry Neurology and Medical Psychology ◽

10.26565/2312-5675-2020-13-02 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Affective Disorder ◽

Test Performance ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

High Speed ◽

Bipolar Affective Disorder ◽

Rapid Change ◽

Verbal Fluency Test ◽

Manic Symptoms ◽

Fluency Test

A study was conducted using the verbal fluency test of 153 patients with a primary episode of bipolar affective disorder: with prevalence of depressive symptoms (44 men and 75 women), with prevalence of manic symptoms (15 men and 8 women), and with simultaneous presence of depressive symptoms and manic symptoms phase change (6 men and 5 women). Significant impairment of test performance in patients with depression with respect to phonetic and semantic verbal fluency was revealed: the average number of words per letter "K" per 60 sec. in all patients 14,1±2,7 words, in men – 13,8±3,1 words, in women - 14,3±2,4 words, on the letter "P" – 12,5±2,8 respectively words, 12.3±3.2 words, 12.6±2.6 words, "Male Names" – 13.1±2.6 words respectively, 12.8±3.0 words, 13.3±2,4 words; "Fruits / furniture" – 12.0±2.4 words, 11.9±2.8 words, 12.1±2.1 words. Deterioration in the performance of semantic and phonemic verbal fluency test reflects the state of bradypsychism inherent in patients with depressive variant, which manifests a slow thinking rate, difficulty concentrating attention, motor inhibition, deterioration of operational capacity, rapid exhaustion. In patients with a maniacal variant, the high speed of the test is offset by a large number of errors due to the chaotic mental activity, instability and scattering of attention, the difficulty of maintaining focus of attention: the indicators were respectively 21.7±5.7 words, 22.5±5.7 words, 20,3±6.0 words; 20.3±5.6 words, 21.1±5.5 words, 19.0±5.9 words; 20.5±5.4 words, 21.2±5.2 words, 19.1±5.7 words; 19.5±5.4 words, 20.2±5.2 words, 18.1±5.7 words. In patients with mixed variants, the indicators of verbal fluency are reduced due to the influence of complex polymorphic symptoms with rapid change of state: respectively 16.5±5.6 words, 18.2±6.1 words, 14.4±4.8 words; 14.5±5.4 words, 16.2±5.7 words, 12.4±4.8 words; 15.4±5.4 words, 17.0±5.8 words, 13.4±4.8 words; 13.9±5.0 words, 15.5±5.3 words, 12.0±4.3 words. The differences in scores across all subtests in all groups between men and women are statistically insignificant (p>0.05).

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