PubMed · 10086772
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D L Hahn. 1999. Not an ideal study.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10086772/
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This first part of a longitudinal study examined the initial cognitive performance of 312 individuals who recently presented with a first episode (FE) of psychosis. All attend a comprehensive first episode program. Deficits on a wide range of cognitive tests were observed, suggesting impairment similar to that seen in those with an established schizophrenia illness. There was no evidence to support differences in cognition among the different schizophrenia spectrum diagnostic groups.
The goal of the present study was to characterize sleep organization in first episode and neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia and to evaluate relationships between those sleep parameters and clinical symptoms. Eleven patients with acute schizophrenia never treated with neuroleptics were compared to 11 healthy controls. Sleep stages and phasic events (sleep spindles and rapid-eye-movements during REM sleep (REMs) were visually identified. Clinical symptoms were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Compared to controls, patients with schizophrenia had difficulty initiating sleep, decreased stage 4 duration, reduced rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency, and normal sleep spindles and REMs densities. Positive symptoms correlated negatively with REM sleep latency. The BPRS total score correlated negatively with REM sleep duration and REMs density. The present results indicate that first episode and neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia have difficulties initiating, but not maintaining, sleep. These results also confirm that the duration of stage 4 and REM sleep latency are reduced in first episode and neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia. The fact that measures of REM sleep correlate with clinical scales of schizophrenia suggests that REM sleep physiology shares common substrates with symptoms of this disease.
OBJECTIVE: There is a large amount of evidence to support the hypothesis that the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) prior to first psychiatric admission adversely affects acute treatment response and short-term outcome in schizophrenia. However, only few prospective studies have attempted to address a possible association between DUP and long-term outcome. METHOD: Fifty-eight DSM-III-R schizophrenic patients were assessed at their first psychiatric admission and after a 15-year course of the illness. The 15-year outcome in different domains was compared between patients with different DUPs prior to the first psychiatric admission. RESULTS: A longer DUP was associated with more pronounced negative, positive and general psychopathological symptoms as well as a lower global functioning 15 years after the first psychiatric admission, even after effects of other factors, possibly related to the long-term outcome, were controlled for. CONCLUSIONS: The DUP prior to first psychiatric admission adversely affects the long-term outcome in schizophrenia. The findings underline the importance of establishing health service programs for early detection and treatment of schizophrenic patients with the aim to shorten the DUP and to consequently improve the course and outcome of schizophrenic patients.