No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Transsexualism*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether longitudinal changes in positive and negative symptoms affect cognitive functioning in chronic schizophrenia. METHODS: Sixty-eight patients diagnosed with DSM-IV schizophrenia were examined on two occasions over 6 months for symptoms and cognitive changes. Symptoms were measured by PANSS. Cognitive functions were examined for sustained attention, executive function, concentration and attention, and verbal memory and learning using Degraded Stimulus Continuous Performance Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Digit Span, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, respectively. Twenty control subjects were assessed to compare the cognitive scores of remitted schizophrenic patients. RESULTS: Patients showed significant improvement in symptoms and all cognitive tests after 6 months treatments. Significant improvements in positive and negative symptoms did not predict improvements in any aspect of cognitive functioning measured. Normal controls performed significantly better than remitted schizophrenic patients on all cognitive tests. The results show no relationship between change in symptoms and change in cognition in chronic schizophrenia. CONCLUSION: We suggest that symptomatic and cognitive impairment may be a distinct construct. These findings highlight the importance of treating cognitive impairment in addition to the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia.
Cognition ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Executive Function ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Learning ; Memory ; Schizophrenia* ; Verbal Learning ; Wisconsin

No abstract available.
Korea*

No abstract available.
Korea*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to examine whether the neurocognitive deficits of schizophrenia may be associated with certain features of symptomatology or a stable vulnerability of disease itself. METHOD: The 42 schizophrenic patients and 35 matched normal controls with sex, age, and education level were examined for their sustained attention, sensory register, executive function, concentration and attention, and verbal memory and learning in the acute and remitted stages of schizophrenia using Degraded Stimulus Continuous Performance Test, Span Apprehension Task, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Digit Span, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, respectively. RESULTS: The schizophrenic patients showed significant deficits in the sustained attention, sensory register, executive function, and verbal memory and learning compared with the normal controls in both acute and remitted stages of schizophrenia. Regarding the concentration and attention, the schizophrenic patients showed significant deficits in the backward digit span compared with the normal controls during acute stages, but there was no difference between two groups in the forward and backward digit span during remitted stages. No difference was evident in the sustained attention, sensory register, executive function, and verbal memory and learning between acute and remitted stages of schizophrenia. But the forward and backward digit span of schizophrenic patients showed significant improvement in the remitted stages compared with acute stages. CONCLUSIONS: The sustained attention and sensory register deficits in the visual information processing associated with schizophrenia, detected by high-processing-load version of the Degraded Stimulus Continuous Performance Test and Span Apprehension Task, are highly possible to be stable vulnerability indicators. Executive functioning deficit in the schizophrenic patients detected by Wisconsin Card Sorting Test is not likely to be dependent on symptoms, so it is difficult to conclude that it is a stable vulnerability indicators of schizophrenia. In the digit span task, the forward digit span is more likely to be a episodic indicator but the backward digit span is likely to be a mediating vulnerability indicator. And the forward and backward digit span tasks seem to be tap different cognitive abilities that are differentially associated with the diathesis for schizophrenia. Some forms of the verbal memory and learning deficits associated with schizophrenia appear to be a stable vulnerability indicators.
Automatic Data Processing ; Disease Susceptibility ; Education ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Learning ; Memory ; Negotiating ; Schizophrenia* ; Verbal Learning ; Wisconsin

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to examine differences of treatment responses and cognitive functions between typical antipsychotics and Olanzapine in schizophreniac inpatients. METHODS: Ninety-nine patients with schizophrenia treated by Olanzapine (n=56) or typical antipsychotics (n=43) by their attending were included in this study. Prior to entering the study, all subjects did not take any antipsychotics for at least 4 weeks. Cognitive and psychopathological evaluations were carried out on three times: prior to drug assignment immediately after admission (baseline), 3 months and 6 months after starting medications. Cognitive assessments were blinded to medication and psychopathological status. Cognitive functions were examined for sustained attention, sensory register, executive function, concentration and attention, and verbal memory and learning using Degraded Stimulus Continuous Performance Test, Span Apprehension Task, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Digit Span, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. RESULTS: The Olanzapine group presented a significantly greater improvement in the perseverative response, perseverative errors, number of completed categories of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, forward Digit Span, immediate recall of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, and positive and negative symptomatology than the typical antipsychotic group in the repeated-measures of ANCOVA among baseline, 3 month and 6 month assessments. These cognitive differences remained statistically significant after covarying out changes in symptomatology except forward Digit Span, which was affected by positive symptom in 3 month assessments. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that Olanzapine is associated with significantly greater symptomatic improvement and less cognitive than typical antipsychotics, and its benefits continued after 3 and 6 months of treatment in patients with schizophrenia.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Cognition* ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Learning ; Memory ; Memory, Short-Term ; Schizophrenia* ; Verbal Learning ; Wisconsin

BACKGROUND: Nicotine dependence and its severity are often determined by individuals’ psychosocial factors.This study purposed to analyze how Korean workers’ job stress is related with their nicotine dependence according to demographic and occupational characteristics in order to reduce smoking related to job stress and to establish objective indicators to be used in developing adequate smoking cessation strategies. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 4,639 workers who replied to the questionnaire survey. In addition, 1,948 current smokers were separated from non-smokers and ex-smokers, and the relationship between job stress and nicotine dependence was analyzed with the current smoker group. Nicotine dependence was tested using Fagerström’s Test of Nicotine Dependence, and stress was measured using a questionnaire on subjective stress felt by workers in their daily life and the short form of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale. RESULTS: The smoking rate was 54.1 % among men and 2.5 % among women. Nicotine dependence was significantly different according to interpersonal conflict, organization system and lack of reward (p < 0.05). As multivariate logistic analysis, job control, occupational climate and total stress score were statistical significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Job stress was found to be related with smoking status and nicotine dependence. Based on this result, it is suggested to enhance workers’ welfare for health promotion in workplace by improving their working environment in order to reduce job stress and consequently to decrease the smoking rate.
Climate ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Male ; Nicotine* ; Reward ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Smoking Cessation ; Tobacco Use Disorder*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the social functioning between schizophrenic patients treated with olanzapine and those with typical antipsychotics. METHODS: Fifty-seven schizophrenic patients with acute exacerbation entered consecutively to olanzapine treatment (N=33) or typical antipsychotic treatment (N=24). The assessment of social functioning and symptoms were made at 3 time points:at the time of admission (baseline), 6 months and 12 months after starting medications. Social functioning and symptoms were examined using the Korean version of Social Adjustment Scale II-Revised Version (KSAS II-RV) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: After 6-months and 12-months treatments, olanzapine treatment group showed significantly improved PANSS total scores (p=.02), positive scores (p=.04), negative scores (p=.01), and KSAS II-RV total score (p=.004), instrumental role (p=.002), social leisure (p=.03), personal well-being subarea scores (p=.02), compared with the scores of typical antipsychotic treatment group. CONCLUSION: Olanzapine was more effective than typical antipsychotics in reducing the severity of psychopathology and in improving some subareas of social functionings in patients with schizophrenia. The benefits of olanzapine on social functioning, although modest, may be important factor considering their accumulative effects for long-term treatment.
Antipsychotic Agents* ; Humans ; Leisure Activities ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia* ; Social Adjustment

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the social functioning between schizophrenic patients treated with olanzapine and those with typical antipsychotics. METHODS: Fifty-seven schizophrenic patients with acute exacerbation entered consecutively to olanzapine treatment (N=33) or typical antipsychotic treatment (N=24). The assessment of social functioning and symptoms were made at 3 time points:at the time of admission (baseline), 6 months and 12 months after starting medications. Social functioning and symptoms were examined using the Korean version of Social Adjustment Scale II-Revised Version (KSAS II-RV) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: After 6-months and 12-months treatments, olanzapine treatment group showed significantly improved PANSS total scores (p=.02), positive scores (p=.04), negative scores (p=.01), and KSAS II-RV total score (p=.004), instrumental role (p=.002), social leisure (p=.03), personal well-being subarea scores (p=.02), compared with the scores of typical antipsychotic treatment group. CONCLUSION: Olanzapine was more effective than typical antipsychotics in reducing the severity of psychopathology and in improving some subareas of social functionings in patients with schizophrenia. The benefits of olanzapine on social functioning, although modest, may be important factor considering their accumulative effects for long-term treatment.
Antipsychotic Agents* ; Humans ; Leisure Activities ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia* ; Social Adjustment

OBJECTIVES: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays an important role in metabolizing catecholamines, including dopamine. Also, several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the COMT gene are associated with schizophrenia. Therefore, this study aimed to find the association between COMT gene SNPs and schizophrenia in Koreans. METHODS: Participants were 366 schizophrenia patients and 359 normal controls. To identify the SNPs, we performed genetic analyses in 4 SNP regions, via SNP-ITTM assays. We compared allele, genotype, and haplotype frequencies between the two groups. Moreover, we built subgroups, based on onset age, and compared individual allele and genotype frequencies among these subgroups. RESULTS: In female patients, genotype frequencies showed a significant difference in rs2020917 among the 4 SNPs (p=0.0224), but haplotype frequencies showed no such difference among the 4 SNPs between patients and controls. We noted a significant difference in rs1544325 allele frequencies according to onset age. Also, in female patients, rs1544325 allele and genotype frequencies varied significantly according to onset age. CONCLUSION: This study found no genetic association between the COMT gene's 4 SNPs and schizophrenia in Koreans. However, our findings suggest genetic components for sex-specificity and onset age in Korean schizophrenics.
Age of Onset ; Alleles ; Catechol O-Methyltransferase ; Catecholamines ; Dopamine ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Schizophrenia