Metacognition, social cognition, and symptoms in patients with first episode and prolonged psychoses.

While it has been documented that persons with prolonged schizophrenia have deficits in metacognition and social cognition, it is less clear whether these difficulties are already present during a first episode. To explore this issue we assessed and compared metacognition using the Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated (MAS-A) and social cognition using the Eyes, Hinting and Bell-Lysaker Emotional Recognition Tests (BLERT) in participants with first episode psychosis (FEP; n=26), participants with a prolonged psychosis (n=72), and a psychiatric control group consisting of persons with a substance use disorder and no history of psychosis (n=14). Analyses revealed that both psychosis cohorts scored lower than controls on the MAS-A total and all subscales except metacognitive mastery. Compared to the FEP group, the persons with prolonged psychosis demonstrated greater metacognitive capacities only in those MAS-A domains reflective of the ability to understand the mental state of others and to see that others may have motivations and desires separate from their own. Other domains of metacognition did not differ between psychosis groups. The Eyes, Hinting and BLERT scores of the two psychosis groups did not differ but were poorer than those produced by the control group. Exploratory correlations in the FEP group showed a pattern similar to that previously observed in prolonged psychosis. Taken together, these findings suggest that while certain domains of metacognition could improve with prolonged psychosis, difficulties with global metacognition and social cognition may be stable features of the disorder and perhaps unique to psychosis.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome: natural history in a geographically defined population.

Advances in surgical treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome with the Norwood procedure and cardiac transplantation have made essential the understanding of the natural history of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In a geographically defined population, we ascertained the prevalence of hypoplastic left heart syndrome in children born in Oregon from 1971 through 1986. Clinical and anatomic data were extracted from the charts of the 98 affected children and the survival rate was calculated. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome occurred in 0.162 per 1000 live births in Oregon during this period. No syndrome complex was prevalent and 84% were free of other congenital malformations. However, there was an increased occurrence of congenital heart defects in first-degree relatives of probands with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Of the affected children 15 +/- 4% died on the first day of life, 70 +/- 5% died within the first week, and 91 +/- 3% died within 30 days. No secular change in survival occurred during the study. Palliation with the Norwood procedure was performed in 20 children. Although survival was significantly improved with this surgery (P = .01), the effect was observed principally through 30 days of life and only one of these children remains alive. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a lethal congenital heart defect in children and poses management and ethical dilemmas.