This finding could help improve the accuracy of treatment based on your condition
The Genetics and Environment in Psychiatry research group (GAP), of the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV-CERCA), of the Pere Mata Institut University Hospital (HU-IPM) and Rovira University and Virgili (URV), has just published an article in the journal Schizophrenia showing these novel results.
Schizophrenia is the most well-known psychotic disorder and is estimated to affect approximately 1% of the population.
However, if we consider all psychotic disorders, this figure rises to 3.5%. This type of disorder usually starts between the ages of 16 and 35 with a first psychotic episode, and the therapeutic approach during this first stage of the disease is crucial to determine its evolution.
Usually these disorders are accompanied by a cognitive impairment that makes the daily life of the people who suffer from them difficult (difficulties to communicate, to maintain attention or even to remember facts). In addition, they are also associated with metabolic alterations, such as sudden weight gain. Both of these factors can be modulated through therapy and drug treatment, which is why it is important to take them into account when deciding on the best therapeutic approach.
This is why the GAP focuses part of its efforts on researching this type of population. Precisely, this recent study found differences between men and women in cognitive performance (processing speed, verbal memory and social cognition), showing that women who suffer a first psychotic episode tend to have these abilities less affected than men men.
In addition, it has been seen that within the group of women, those who are not overweight also perform better in several processes (processing speed, verbal memory, reasoning and general cognition), compared to those who are they are overweight In men, on the other hand, there are no differences between the two groups.
These differences may be associated with the role that hormones have on metabolism and their possible effect on brain processes, since hormonal regulation is different between men and women.
The finding highlights the importance of taking sex (or gender) into account as a variable in research on cognition and metabolism in psychotic disorders, as there can be substantial differences between men and women. In addition, the results have clinical applicability, since with this information, treatment can be focused in a more precise way to improve the quality of life of these people.
*Throughout the text we will talk about men and women to facilitate understanding, but it should be taken into account that the variable that has been used to carry out the study is biological sex.
Bibliographic reference: Llaurador-Coll, M., Cabezas, Á., Algora, M., Solé, M., Vilella, E., Sánchez-Gistau, V. Sex differences in the association of overweight with cognitive performance in individuals with first-episode psychosis. Schizophrenia10, 95 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-024-00521-w
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