Social Cognition In Schizophrenia: Relationships With Neurocognition And Negative Symptoms

1
Social Cognition In Schizophrenia Relationships
With Neurocognition And Negative Symptoms Mark J.
Sergi,a,b Yuri Rassovsky,b,c Michael F.
Greenb,caCalifornia State University, Northridge
bVA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
cUCLA

• Results (Cont.)
• Is social cognition distinct from neurocognition?
• A one-factor model that represents social
  cognition and neurocognition as a single latent
  variable was compared to a two-factor model that
  represents social cognition and neurocognition as
  separate latent variables.
• The significant chi-squares (see figures 1 2)
  indicate that both models provided a good fit for
  the data.
• A high covariance was found between the latent
  variables of social cognition and neurocognition,
  standardized coefficient .84, p lt .05 (Figure
  2).
• Testing the difference between the chi-squares of
  the two models revealed that the two-factor model
  fit the data significantly better than the
  one-factor model, ?2 (1, n 100) 4.92, p lt
  .05.
• Is social cognition more closely related to
  neurocognition or to negative symptoms?
• A three-factor model that represents social
  cognition, neurocognition, and negative symptoms
  as separate latent variables (figure 3) was
  examined.
• As seen in Figure 3, the covariance between
  social cognition and neurocognition was
  substantially higher than the covariance between
  each of these constructs and negative symptoms.
• Summary
• Structural equation modeling (SEM) with data from
  100 outpatients with schizophrenia or
  schizoaffective disorder indicated that social
  cognition and neurocognition are separate
  constructs.
• A two-factor model that represented social
  cognition and neurocognition as separate
  constructs fit the data better than a one-factor
  model that represented social cognition and
  neurocognition as a single construct.
• At the same time, a high association between
  social cognition and neurocognition was observed
  in the two-factor model.
• Taken together, the findings indicate that social
  cognition and neurocognition are distinct, yet
  highly related constructs.
• The present study also found that the
  relationship between social cognition and
  neurocognition is greater than the relationship
  between social cognition and negative symptoms.

• Introduction
• Social cognitions visibility in schizophrenia
  research has increased in recent years.
• The NIMH MATRICS consensus cognitive battery
  identified social cognition as one of seven
  domains that should be routinely assessed in
  intervention studies.
• Despite the growing importance of social
  cognition in schizophrenia, basic issues
  concerning the nature of social cognition in
  schizophrenia have not been addressed. One such
  issue concerns the separateness of social
  cognition from key features of the disorder such
  as neurocognitive deficits and negative symptoms.
  
• Research Aims
• We examined two basic questions regarding the
  nature of social cognition in schizophrenia
• 1) Is social cognition in schizophrenia
  sufficiently distinct from neurocognition so that
  they are better modeled as two separate
  constructs?
• 2) When social cognition, neurocognition, and
  negatives symptoms are included in a single
  model, is social cognition more closely related
  to neurocognition or to negative symptoms?
• Method
• Participants
• 100 outpatients with schizophrenia or
  schizoaffective disorder
• BPRS ratings indicate that the outpatients were
  clinically stable at the time of testing
• _____________________________________
• Table 1. Outpatient Characteristics
  _____________________________________
• Males Females 919
• M (SD)

• Method (Cont.)
• Measures (Cont.)
• Neurocognition
• Verbal Secondary Memory
• California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) Words
  recalled trials 1 to 5
• Executive Functioning
• Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) Categories
  completed
• Attention/ Vigilance
• Degraded-Stimulus Continuous Performance Test
  (DS-CPT) Sensitivity score
• Verbal Working Memory
• Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS) Sequences
  correct, with and without reordering
• Speed Of Processing
• Digit Symbol Coding (DS-C) Total correct
• Motor Dexterity
• Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT) Time to completion,
  left right
• Verbal Fluency
• Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT)
  Total words produced
• Negative Symptoms

CVLT
WCST
DS-CPT
LNS
FEIT
.49
.55
.49
.51
.63
VEIT
DS-C
Neurocognition And Social Cognition
.42
.61
Half PONS
GPT
-.25
.68
IPT-15
COWAT
.31
.60
Figure 1. A one-factor SEM model that represents
social cognition and neurocognition as a single
latent variable. All coefficients (presented in
standardized form) are significant at the .05
level, ?2 (44, N 100) 43.61, p .49.
.52
.55
.50
.52
.67
.84
.64
.74
.63
-.24
.44
.31
IPT-15
Figure 2. A two-factor SEM model that represents
social cognition and neurocognition as two
separate latent variables. All coefficients
(presented in standardized form) are significant
at the .05 level, ?2 (43, N 100) 38.69, p
.66.
VEIT
Half PONS
.68
.72
Social Cognition
.54
FEIT
IPT-15
.35
EP Face
LNS
CVLT
SANS Affective Flattening
.52
.62
.73
.85
-.35
Neurocognition
Negative Symptoms
SANS Alogia
.45
.70
DS-C
-.51
SANS Avolition
p lt .05 p lt .01 two-tailed
COWAT
.66
.51
.54
.65
-.28
.53
SANS Anhedonia
GPT
WCST
DS-CPT
Figure 3. A three-factor SEM model that
represents social cognition, neurocognition, and
negative symptoms as three separate latent
variables. All coefficients (presented in
standardized form) are significant at the .05
level, ?2 (87, N 100) 91.47, p .35.