The comparative study of cognitive functions and alexithymia between schizophrenic patients treated with clozapine and those treated with chlorpromazine / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To compare cognitive function and alexithymia between the schizophrenic patients treated with chlorpromazine and those treated with clozapine. Methods The patients with schizophrenia in stable condition that received maintenance treatment either with chlorpromazine or clozapine and normal control subjects were recruited (n=24 per group). Neuropsychological tests, including Digit Vigilance Test, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Trail Making Test-A&B (TMT-A&B), Animal Naming Test, Stroop Color-Word Test, Block Design and Spatial Span Test were used to assess the participant’s cognitive function. The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) were used to evaluate the participant’s alexithymia. Results The significant differences were found between the patients and the controls in all items of cognitive function and all factor scores of TAS-20 (P0.05). Multivari? ate linear regression analysis showed that in the clozapine group, attention function associated with the total score of TAS (β=-0.20, P<0.05), executive function associated with TAS factor 1 (β=-0.26, P=0.03), spatial function associated with TAS factor 2 (β=-0.24, P<0.01). In the chlorpromazine group, attention function associated with TAS factor 2 (β=-1.24, P<0.01), executive function associated with TAS factor 2 (β=-0.33, P=0.02). Conclusions Patients with schizophrenia in maintenance period have widely cognitive impairment and alexithymia, both of which are related to each other.