TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of smoking Behavior on cognitive functioning in persons at risk for psychosis and healthy controls
T2 - A longitudinal study
AU - van der Heijden, Heleen S.
AU - Schirmbeck, Frederike
AU - Kempton, Matthew J.
AU - van der Gaag, Mark
AU - Allot, Kelly
AU - Nelson, Barnaby
AU - Ruhrmann, Stephan
AU - de Haan, Lieuwe
AU - Vermeulen, Jentien M.
N1 - Funding Information: The European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene–Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) Project is funded by grant agreement HEALTH-F2-2010-241909 (Project EU-GEI) from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program. Additional support was provided by a Medical Research Council Fellowship to M Kempton (grant MR/J008915/1). Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association.
PY - 2021/9/21
Y1 - 2021/9/21
N2 - Background The high prevalence of smoking in individuals who are at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis is well known and moderate cognitive deficits have also been found in UHR. However, the association between smoking and cognition in UHR is unknown and longitudinal studies are lacking. Method A cohort study with 330 UHR individuals and 66 controls was conducted, as part of the European network of national schizophrenia networks studying gene-environment interactions (EU-GEI). At baseline and after 6, 12, and 24 months, smoking behavior was assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and cognitive functioning with a comprehensive test battery. Linear mixed-effects analyses were used to examine the multicross-sectional and prospective associations between (change in) smoking behavior and cognitive functioning, accounting for confounding variables. Results At baseline, 53% of UHR and 27% of controls smoked tobacco. Smoking UHR and controls did not significantly differ from nonsmoking counterparts on the tested cognitive domains (speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory, verbal learning, or reasoning/problem solving) across different assessment times. Neither smoking cessation nor initiation was associated with a significant change in cognitive functioning in UHR. Conclusions No associations were found between smoking and cognitive impairment in UHR nor in controls. However, the fact that one in every two UHR individuals report daily use of tobacco is alarming. Our data suggest that UHR have fewer cognitive impairments and higher smoking cessation rates compared to patients with first-episode psychosis found in literature. Implications to promote smoking cessation in the UHR stage need further investigation.
AB - Background The high prevalence of smoking in individuals who are at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis is well known and moderate cognitive deficits have also been found in UHR. However, the association between smoking and cognition in UHR is unknown and longitudinal studies are lacking. Method A cohort study with 330 UHR individuals and 66 controls was conducted, as part of the European network of national schizophrenia networks studying gene-environment interactions (EU-GEI). At baseline and after 6, 12, and 24 months, smoking behavior was assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and cognitive functioning with a comprehensive test battery. Linear mixed-effects analyses were used to examine the multicross-sectional and prospective associations between (change in) smoking behavior and cognitive functioning, accounting for confounding variables. Results At baseline, 53% of UHR and 27% of controls smoked tobacco. Smoking UHR and controls did not significantly differ from nonsmoking counterparts on the tested cognitive domains (speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory, verbal learning, or reasoning/problem solving) across different assessment times. Neither smoking cessation nor initiation was associated with a significant change in cognitive functioning in UHR. Conclusions No associations were found between smoking and cognitive impairment in UHR nor in controls. However, the fact that one in every two UHR individuals report daily use of tobacco is alarming. Our data suggest that UHR have fewer cognitive impairments and higher smoking cessation rates compared to patients with first-episode psychosis found in literature. Implications to promote smoking cessation in the UHR stage need further investigation.
KW - clinical high risk
KW - cognition
KW - nicotine
KW - psychosis
KW - smoking
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117356153&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2233
DO - https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2233
M3 - Article
C2 - 34544507
SN - 0924-9338
VL - 64
JO - European psychiatry
JF - European psychiatry
IS - 1
M1 - e60
ER -