Is it possible to have impaired neurocognition but good social cognition in schizophrenia?

Abstract

Social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia is common and associated with poor functional outcome. While correlations in the moderate range suggest that social cognition and neurocognition are separate but overlapping domains, less is known about whether intact neurocognition represents a “necessary but not sufficient” condition for intact social cognition, as has been suggested. In the present study we examined the following in a sample of 119 psychiatrically stable outpatients with schizophrenia: 1) correlations between multiple social cognitive measures and neurocognition, 2) the predictive value of neurocognitive domains in explaining social cognitive performance, and 3) the co-occurrence of social cognitive and neurocognitive impairment within participants. While ¼ of participants showed intact overall neurocognition and impaired overall social cognition, only one participant had normal-range social cognition and impaired neurocognition. Results support the notion that normal range neurocognition is a necessary though not necessarily sufficient building block for good social cognitive performance.

Subjective perceptions of cognitive deficits and their influences on quality of life among patients with schizophrenia

“…These impairments, which involve difficulties acquiring and processing general information, have profound effects on functioning throughout the course of the disorder [1][2][3][4]. Social cognition is also related to patient functioning and is of prime interest as a potential treatment target to improve functioning [5][6][7][8][9]. Social cognition ''includes specific mental operations underlying social interaction'' [4], and deficits in social cognition involve a ''compromised ability to infer and interpret others' feelings and a tendency to excessively ascribe negative emotions to others'' [10].…”

Necessary, but not sufficient: Links between neurocognition, social cognition, and metacognition in schizophrenia are moderated by disorganized symptoms

“…However, this indicates that each ability only accounts for approximately 5% to 15% of the variance in the other constructs. Moreover, a number of studies have examined whether these processes can be disentangled from one another, with a growing consensus suggesting that neurocognition, social cognition, and metacognition are related, but independent constructs (Pinkham et al, 2003;Allen et al, 2007;Fanning et al, 2012;Lysaker et al, 2013).…”

Functional Outcome in Patients With Schizophrenia: The Concept and Measurement

“…Furthermore, a large portion of improvement of social cognition (83%) is explained by enhancement of neuropsychological performance (Vauth et al, 2004). These findings indicate that enhancing neuropsychological performance is essential for ameliorating social cognition (Fanning et al, 2012), and, consequently, for restoring functional outcome.…”

“…Rather, social cognition may be enhanced by the recovery of neurocognitive performance in that case. In fact, a recent study (Fanning et al, 2012) has reported that the percentage of patients with impaired neurocognitive functions but without deficits in social cognition is less than 1%, while the opposite (spared neurocognitive function and impaired social cognition) is considerably higher (25%). Furthermore, a large portion of improvement of social cognition (83%) is explained by enhancement of neuropsychological performance (Vauth et al, 2004).…”