Verbal fluency and attention and processing speed associated with clinical recovery in patients with schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study

We investigated differences in cognitive and social functioning between patients with schizophrenia who met criteria for recovery or remission and healthy controls. This cross-sectional study included 55 patients with schizophrenia who met recovery or remission criteria and 20 healthy controls. Cognitive function was assessed using the Japanese version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS-J), and social function was assessed using the Japanese version of the Social Functioning Scale. Executive function scores did not differ significantly among the three groups; however, the other primary and composite scores of the BACS-J differed significantly among the three groups. In the post hoc analysis, verbal fluency (VF) and attention and processing speed (AP) were higher in the recovery group compared with the remission group (VF: p = 0.043; AP: p = 0.045). All domains of social functioning differed significantly among the three groups. In the post hoc analysis, significant differences between the recovery and remission groups were observed in interpersonal communication (p = 0.002), prosocial activity (p = 0.005), employment/occupation (p < 0.001), and total score (p = 0.005). These results indicate that VF and AP may be important cognitive domains related to clinical recovery in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, social functioning domains that require interaction with others may be more important for recovery than daily living skills.