Olfactory deficits in individuals at risk for psychosis and patients with schizophrenia: relationship with socio-cognitive functions and symptom severity
Poster B77, Tuesday, October%209, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom
Tsutomu Takahashi1, Mihoko Nakamura1, Daiki Sasabayashi1, Yuko Komori1, Yuko Higuchi1, Yumiko Nishikawa1, Shimako Nishiyama1, Hiroko Itoh1, Yuri Masaoka2, Michio Suzuki1; 1Toyama University, 2Showa University
1. Purpose: Odor identification deficits are well documented in schizophrenia, but it remains unclear whether individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis exhibit similar changes and whether their olfactory function is related to social/cognitive functions and symptomatology. This study aimed to investigate olfactory function and its relation to clinical variables in subjects with at-risk mental state (ARMS) and schizophrenia patients. 2. Materials and Methods: Odor detection sensitivity and identification ability were examined in 32 ARMS, 59 schizophrenia, and 169 healthy subjects using a T&T olfactometer. The ARMS and schizophrenia subjects were administered the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS), and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS) to assess their cognitive and social functions, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for clinical symptoms. 3.Results: Both the ARMS and schizophrenia subjects had a lower odor identification ability when compared with controls, while no significant difference was found in the odor detection sensitivity. The lower odor identification ability in the ARMS group correlated with the severity of negative symptoms and weakly correlated with lower performance on the BACS verbal fluency test. The olfactory measures of schizophrenia patients did not correlate with socio-cognitive functions and symptomatology. For the ARMS and schizophrenia groups, the olfactory measures did not correlate with the SOFAS and SCoRS scores. 4. Conclusion: High-risk subjects for psychosis likely exhibit odor identification deficits similar to those observed in schizophrenia patients, which probably reflect a biological trait related to vulnerability to psychosis.
Topic Area: Ultra High Risk / Prodromal Research