Deficits in executive and memory processes in delusional disorder: a case-control study

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 8; no. 7; p. e67341
• Main Authors: Ibanez-Casas, Inmaculada, De Portugal, Enrique, Gonzalez, Nieves, McKenney, Kathryn A, Haro, Josep M, Usall, Judith, Perez-Garcia, Miguel, Cervilla, Jorge A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 02.07.2013; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Case-Control Studies; Cognitive ability; Cognitive disorders; Complications and side effects; Delusions; Educational Status; Executive Function; Female; Flexibility; Hospitals; Humans; Impulsive behavior; Impulsivity; Learning; Male; Medicine; Memory; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental Recall; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Neurosciences; Patients; Psychiatry; Psychosis; R&D; Research & development; Risk factors; Sampling methods; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia, Paranoid - physiopathology; Schizophrenia, Paranoid - psychology; Sex Factors; Studies; Traumatic brain injury; Verbal Learning; California; Spain
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067341

Delusional disorder has been traditionally considered a psychotic syndrome that does not evolve to cognitive deterioration. However, to date, very little empirical research has been done to explore cognitive executive components and memory processes in Delusional Disorder patients. This study will investigate whether patients with delusional disorder are intact in both executive function components (such as flexibility, impulsivity and updating components) and memory processes (such as immediate, short term and long term recall, learning and recognition). A large sample of patients with delusional disorder (n = 86) and a group of healthy controls (n = 343) were compared with regard to their performance in a broad battery of neuropsychological tests including Trail Making Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Colour-Word Stroop Test, and Complutense Verbal Learning Test (TAVEC). When compared to controls, cases of delusional disorder showed a significantly poorer performance in most cognitive tests. Thus, we demonstrate deficits in flexibility, impulsivity and updating components of executive functions as well as in memory processes. These findings held significant after taking into account sex, age, educational level and premorbid IQ. Our results do not support the traditional notion of patients with delusional disorder being cognitively intact.