The associations between duration of untreated psychosis, growth factors, and neurocognition in patients with drug-naïve schizophrenia.

Background: Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia with unclear mechanisms, particularly neurocognition. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and neurocognition, as well as potential biological mechanisms.

Methods: A total of 219 patients were recruited in this study. DUP was measured in years, reflecting the untreated period. Neurocognition was assessed by the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). The plasma concentrations of three growth factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 128 patients. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the association between DUP, growth factors, and neurocognition.

Results: Our findings showed that DUP was significantly negatively correlated with speed of processing and reasoning and problem-solving in all patients (N = 219, P < 0.05). Five years was defined as cut-off point for long and short DUP group in the present study. Only in the short DUP patients, DUP was strongly associated with visual learning and neurocognition (P < 0.05). In patients with growth factor (N = 128), DUP was independently associated with speed of processing, verbal learning, and neurocognition (P < 0.05). Further, plasma concentrations of VEGF, BDNF, and EGF were all significantly correlated with neurocognition (P < 0.05). Additionally, we found a potential trend of correlation between DUP and BDNF (P = 0.061).

Conclusion: Our study provides insights into a negative correlation between DUP and neurocognition, and BDNF may serve as a potential biological mechanism.