Cognitive function and biological correlates of cognitive performance in schizotypal personality disorder

Psychiatry Res. 1995 Nov 29;59(1-2):127-36. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(95)02709-2.

Abstract

There is evidence that some schizophrenic patients have deficits on tests of cognitive function, particularly tests of executive function, including the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Trail-making Test, Part B. This study was conducted to determine the generalizability of these findings across the schizophrenia spectrum to schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). Forty DSM-III SPD patients, 56 nonschizophrenia-related other personality disorder (OPD) patients, and 32 normal volunteers from two medical centers performed tests of executive function such as the WCST, Trail-making Part B, Stroop Word-Color Test, and Verbal Fluency, as well as tests of more general intellectual functioning such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale-Revised Vocabulary and Block Design subtests, and Trail-making Part A. SPD patients performed more poorly on the WCST and on Trail-making Part B than did OPD patients or normal subjects; the groups did not differ on tests of general intellectual functioning. SPD patients may share some of the cognitive deficits observed in schizophrenia.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attention
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Cognition Disorders / psychology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intelligence
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests* / statistics & numerical data
  • Personality Disorders / diagnosis
  • Personality Disorders / psychology
  • Psychometrics
  • Reference Values
  • Schizophrenia / diagnosis*
  • Schizophrenic Psychology*
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder / psychology
  • Wechsler Scales / statistics & numerical data