Sex differences in neuropsychological functioning of first-episode and chronically ill schizophrenic patients.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether men and women with schizophrenia demonstrate differences in cognitive abilities. Two cohorts of patients with schizophrenia, an acute first-episode and a chronically hospitalized group, were evaluated with a neuropsychological battery and compared with a normal group of subjects. After adjustment for age, age at onset, and premorbid IQ, male chronic patients performed worse than female chronic patients on measures of visual memory. These differences were eliminated after control for symptom severity. No other differences were found in cognitive function between men and women in either cohort. Sex differences in cognitive function in schizophrenic patients are not robust findings.