Beneficial and adverse effects of antipsychotic medication on cognitive flexibility are related to COMT genotype in first episode psychosis.

This study evaluated the ability to flexibly shift cognitive set and to consistently maintain a new response preference using the Penn Conditional Exclusion Test (PCET). The relationship of performance errors with catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) rs4680 (Val158Met) genotype (Met carriers vs. Val homozygotes) on test performance before and after antipsychotic treatment in 32 first episode psychosis (FEP) patients was examined. After treatment, patients demonstrated a mixture of beneficial and adverse cognitive outcomes that varied in relation to COMT genotype. Met carriers showed decreased perseverative and regressive errors, reflecting improved cognitive flexibility and enhanced stability of behavioral preferences, respectively. In contrast, Val homozygotes exhibited an increase in regressive errors after treatment. These findings suggest that Val homozygotes may be vulnerable to adverse effects of antipsychotic medication on cognitive processes that maintain consistent adaptive response preferences, an ability linked to the striatum in rodent models.

Treatment settings and metabolic monitoring for people experiencing first-episode psychosis.

Monitoring for metabolic sequelae of antipsychotic medications is inconsistent in clinical settings. In this study, frequency of such monitoring in 40 individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis was analyzed according to the setting in which they received treatment (i.e., inpatient unit, outpatient clinic, or metabolic screening clinic). The traditional outpatient clinic was the least likely of the three settings to monitor blood glucose, blood pressure, weight, and waist circumference. In any setting, blood lipids were measured in only 2 of the 40 patients. Reasons for these findings and recommendations for reducing barriers to screening are presented.

A comparison of neuropsychological dysfunction in first-episode psychosis patients with unipolar depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

The severity and profile of cognitive dysfunction in first episode schizophrenia and psychotic affective disorders were compared before and after antipsychotic treatment. Parallel recruitment of consecutively admitted study-eligible first-episode psychotic patients (30 schizophrenia, 22 bipolar with psychosis, and 21 psychotic depression) reduced confounds of acute and chronic disease/medication effects as well as differential treatment and course. Patient groups completed a neuropsychological battery and were demographically similar to healthy controls (n=41) studied in parallel. Prior to treatment, schizophrenia patients displayed significant deficits in all cognitive domains. The two psychotic affective groups were also impaired overall, generally performing intermediate between the schizophrenia and healthy comparison groups. No profile differences in neuropsychological deficits were observed across patient groups. Following 6 weeks of treatment, no patient group improved more than practice effects seen in healthy individuals, and level of performance improvement was similar for affective psychosis and schizophrenia groups. Although less severe in psychotic affective disorders, similar profiles of generalized neuropsychological deficits were observed across patient groups. Recovery of cognitive function after clinical stabilization was similar in mood disorders and schizophrenia. To the extent that these findings are generalizable, neuropsychological deficits in psychotic affective disorders, like schizophrenia, may be trait-like deficits with persistent functional implications.

Effects of antipsychotic treatment on emotion perception deficits in first-episode schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluated emotion perception in acutely ill patients experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia. They also investigated the effects of antipsychotic medication on emotion perception. METHOD: Tests of the ability to perceive and discriminate emotional expressions from the Penn Computerized Neuropsychological Battery were given to 13 patients experiencing their first episode of schizophrenia. Patients were also assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. The patients were tested while they were unmedicated and again following clinical stabilization. Healthy individuals were evaluated over a similar time interval. RESULTS: Patients with first-episode schizophrenia demonstrated impairments in emotion perception before treatment and no significant improvement after treatment. Emotion perception deficits were correlated with negative symptoms after clinical stabilization. CONCLUSIONS: Deficits in emotion perception are present at illness onset in schizophrenia and show minimal response to effective antipsychotic treatment.