Exploring the effects of COVID-19 on verbal memory function in schizophrenia: Multiple case study and brief literature review.

Individuals recovering from COVID-19 may experience persistent impairment in verbal memory performance, potentially due to illness-related hippocampal injury. Although verbal memory dysfunction is central to schizophrenia, the interactions between this vulnerability and COVID-19 remain unclear, with no imaging studies addressing the issue to-date. To explore this gap and generate hypotheses for future research, we adopted a multiple case study approach.

Longitudinal course of core cognitive domains in first-episode acute and transient psychotic disorders compared with schizophrenia.

Acute and transient psychotic disorder (ATPD) is characterized by acute onset of psychotic symptoms and early recovery. Contrastingly, schizophrenia (SZ) is a chronic mental disorder characterized by impaired functioning including a deficit in cognition. In SZ, the cognitive deficit is among the core symptoms, but in ATPDs, the existing evidence brings mixed results.

Inflammation and cognitive performance in first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders: The moderating effects of childhood trauma.

In this study, we aimed to determine whether childhood trauma moderated the relationship between inflammation and cognitive functioning in persons with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs). We included data from 92 individuals who participated in the nationwide Early-Stage Schizophrenia Outcome study. These individuals completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, provided a fasting blood sample for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein analysis, and underwent extensive neuropsychological testing.

Cognitive flexibility in schizophrenia: A confirmatory factor analysis of neuropsychological measures.

Cognitive flexibility (CF) is the ability to adapt cognitive strategies according to the changing environment. The deficit in CF has often been linked to various neurological and psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. However, the operationalization and assessment of CF have not been unified and the current research suggests that the available instruments measure different aspects of CF.

Smoking and attention in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: What are we neglecting?

Introduction: Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) record elevated rates of smoking, which is often attributed to their effort to self-medicate cognitive and attentional symptoms of their illness. Empirical evidence for this hypothesis is conflicting, however. In this study, we aimed to test predictions derived from the cognitive self-medication hypothesis.