Cognitive functioning in schizophrenia: structure and clinical correlates

PhD ceremony: Mr. P.J. Quee, 16.15 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Dissertation: Cognitive functioning in schizophrenia: structure and clinical correlates

Promotor(s): prof. D. Wiersma, prof. A. Aleman

Faculty: Medical Sciences

Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders have a prevalence of 1,5%. Characteristic symptoms for schizophrenia include suspiciousness, hearing voices, blunted affect, and loss of taking initiatives. Furthermore, many patients have problems with regard to planning, paying attention, and memory. These problems are also called ‘cognitive impairments’. The studies outlined in this thesis were part of the Dutch project Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis (GROUP). Two cognitive domains were investigated in detail: the working memory and mental flexibility. The study also focused on differences between patients regarding cognitive functioning. To investigate the role of familial factors, the cognitive profile of an unaffected sibling was related to the profile of their affected family member. Next, patients were grouped, based on how well they were functioning before experiencing their first psychosis. Finally, we investigated the relevance of cognition for illness insight, in which specific attention was paid to the role of social cognition.