Examination and Comparison of Cognitive and Executive Functions in Clinically Stable Schizophrenia Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder

Behrooz Afshari; Nasrin Shiri; Fatemeh Sadat Ghoreishi; Mohtasham Valianpour

doi:10.1155/2020/2543541

Examination and Comparison of Cognitive and Executive Functions in Clinically Stable Schizophrenia Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder

Depress Res Treat. 2020 Dec 14:2020:2543541. doi: 10.1155/2020/2543541. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Behrooz Afshari¹, Nasrin Shiri¹, Fatemeh Sadat Ghoreishi¹, Mohtasham Valianpour²

Affiliations

¹ Kashan University of Medical Science, Kashan, Iran.
² Islamic Azad University-Kashan Branch, Kashan, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia (SC), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) are associated with various cognitive and executive dysfunctions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare cognitive and executive dysfunctions in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.

Materials and methods: Sixty-four schizophrenia patients, 68 bipolar patients, 62 patients with major depressive disorder, and 75 healthy individuals participated in the present study. All participants were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Trial Making Test (TMT), Four-Choice Reaction Time Task, Ruler Drop Method (RDM), Tower of London (TOL) task, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST). Data were analyzed by chi-square, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, and independent t-tests; ANOVA; and MANOVA.

Results: In the cognitive function, the scores of SC, BD, and MDD patients were lower than those of healthy individuals. Also, the scores of MDD patients were lower than those of other patients, and the scores of BD patients were lower than those of SC patients. In the executive function, the scores of SC, BD, and MDD patients were lower than those of healthy individuals. Moreover, the scores of the MDD group were higher than those of the BD and SC groups, and the scores of the SC group were higher than those of the BD group.

Conclusion: Patients with SC, BD, and MDD have poorer cognitive and executive functions than healthy individuals, even when these patients are in a stable state. Assessment of cognitive and executive functions in SC, BD, and MDD patients can help in understanding the pathology of these disorders.