Neuropsychological deficits are associated with smoking cessation treatment failure in patients with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenics have deficits in neuropsychological performance, some of which are modified by cigarette smoking. These patients also have high rates of smoking and resistance to smoking cessation interventions. We examined whether the presence of neuropsychological deficits prior to smoking cessation treatment was associated with smoking cessation treatment failure in schizophrenic as compared to non-psychiatric control smokers. Neuropsychological assessments were performed prior to treatment with pharmacological agents during the course of placebo-controlled trials in schizophrenic and non-psychiatric control smokers, and included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), a Visuospatial Working Memory (VSWM) task, the Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT) and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT). In schizophrenics (n=32), subjects who had greater deficits in VSWM and WCST performance were significantly less likely to quit smoking, but this association was not observed in controls (n=40). Differences between quitters and non-quitters were not likely related to atypical antipsychotic treatment or differences in depressive symptoms. No associations between baseline performance on CPT or SCWT and quit status were found in either group. These preliminary data suggest that in schizophrenics, neuropsychological deficits are associated with smoking cessation treatment failure.