Cognitive impairment across the schizophrenia spectrum: a comparative neuropsychological study

These findings support a stratified continuum of cognitive impairment across schizophrenia progression. While chronic patients manifest generalized deficits, at-risk populations demonstrate distinct profiles: FDR display subclinical vulnerabilities, whereas CHR show intermediate impairment exceeding familial risk but preceding acute psychosis. The differential trajectory of verbal memory and executive function deficits from FEP to MECS suggests progressive deterioration in higher-order cognitive domains. These gradient patterns may inform stage-specific cognitive interventions across the schizophrenia spectrum.