RESEARCH SESSION: 29 SEPTEMBER 2020

General Cognition and Alteration in Self-experiences in Schizophrenia

Abnormal Self-experiences (ASEs) are prevalent in patients with schizophrenia, even though it is considered a primary alteration in this mental illness. Although understanding of these abnormal experiences is still poor, it seems conceivable that those ASEs may be related to other altered functions in psychosis that require coordinated neurocognitive processing. Studies evaluating possible relationships between ASEs and general cognition in psychosis have shown conflicting results to date. One possible reason behind these discrepancies is that some cognitive scores may be related to some ASEs but not to others, while the previous literature has focused on the overall associations between ASEs and neurocognition. Social cognition may also be intuitively related to self-experience, given the large interpersonal dimension of self-concept in humans.

The hypotheses of our research group were: I) general cognition would predict abnormal self-experience and II) abnormal self-experience would hinder social cognition.

This research included 41 adults with schizophrenia (30 chronic and 11 first episodes) diagnosed according to DSM-5. ASEs were assessed using the Psychotic-like Abnormal Self Experience Inventory (IPASE); Clinical symptoms with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale; IQ with the adult version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III); General cognition with the Spanish version of the (BACS); and social cognition with the Meyer, Salovey and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) and the GEOPTE (Spanish Group for the Optimization of Schizophrenia Treatment).

The following results were obtained after statistical analysis: motor speed was significantly and inversely associated with IPASE scores for Somatization (z = -2.27; p = 0.02) and Self-Consciousness and Presence (z = -3.28; p = 0.001). A significant inverse relationship was also found between performance in problem solving and IPASE Consciousness scores (z = -2.31, p = 0.02). Contrary to our expectations, we could not identify any significant relationship between IPASE and social cognition scores in our patients.