TY - JOUR
T1 - A Network of Psychopathological, Cognitive, and Motor Symptoms in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
AU - Moura, Bernardo Melo
AU - van Rooijen, Geeske
AU - Schirmbeck, Frederike
AU - Wigman, Hanneke
AU - Madeira, Luís
AU - van Harten, Peter
AU - van Os, Jim
AU - Roberto Bakker, P.
AU - Marcelis, MacHteld
AU - van Amelsvoort, Therese
AU - Bartels-Velthuis, Agna A.
AU - Bruggeman, Richard
AU - Cahn, Wiepke
AU - Haan, Lieuwe De
AU - Kahn, Rene S.
AU - Simons, Claudia J. P.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
PY - 2021/7/1
Y1 - 2021/7/1
N2 - Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) are complex syndromes involving psychopathological, cognitive, and also motor symptoms as core features. A better understanding of how these symptoms mutually impact each other could translate into diagnostic, prognostic, and, eventually, treatment advancements. The present study aimed to: (1) estimate a network model of psychopathological, cognitive, and motor symptoms in SSD; (2) detect communities and explore the connectivity and relative importance of variables within the network; and (3) explore differences in subsample networks according to remission status. A sample of 1007 patients from a multisite cohort study was included in the analysis. We estimated a network of 43 nodes, including all the items from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, a cognitive assessment battery and clinical ratings of extrapyramidal symptoms. Methodologies specific to network analysis were employed to address the study's aims. The estimated network for the total sample was densely interconnected and organized into 7 communities. Nodes related to insight, abstraction capacity, attention, and suspiciousness were the main bridges between network communities. The estimated network for the subgroup of patients in remission showed a sparser density and a different structure compared to the network of nonremitted patients. In conclusion, the present study conveys a detailed characterization of the interrelations between a set of core clinical elements of SSD. These results provide potential novel clues for clinical assessment and intervention.
AB - Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) are complex syndromes involving psychopathological, cognitive, and also motor symptoms as core features. A better understanding of how these symptoms mutually impact each other could translate into diagnostic, prognostic, and, eventually, treatment advancements. The present study aimed to: (1) estimate a network model of psychopathological, cognitive, and motor symptoms in SSD; (2) detect communities and explore the connectivity and relative importance of variables within the network; and (3) explore differences in subsample networks according to remission status. A sample of 1007 patients from a multisite cohort study was included in the analysis. We estimated a network of 43 nodes, including all the items from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, a cognitive assessment battery and clinical ratings of extrapyramidal symptoms. Methodologies specific to network analysis were employed to address the study's aims. The estimated network for the total sample was densely interconnected and organized into 7 communities. Nodes related to insight, abstraction capacity, attention, and suspiciousness were the main bridges between network communities. The estimated network for the subgroup of patients in remission showed a sparser density and a different structure compared to the network of nonremitted patients. In conclusion, the present study conveys a detailed characterization of the interrelations between a set of core clinical elements of SSD. These results provide potential novel clues for clinical assessment and intervention.
KW - cognition
KW - extrapyramidal symptoms
KW - negative symptoms
KW - network analysis
KW - positive symptoms
KW - psychosis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111109300&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbab002
DO - https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbab002
M3 - Article
C2 - 33533401
SN - 0586-7614
VL - 47
SP - 915
EP - 926
JO - Schizophrenia Bulletin
JF - Schizophrenia Bulletin
IS - 4
ER -