Executive dysfunctions in schizophrenia measured using a virtual reality task - Jansari assessment of Executive Functions (JEF©)

Abstract

Introduction Impairments in executive functions are often observed in schizophrenia. However, previous studies using standard tests show inconclusive and conflicting findings. Objectives The main objective of this study was to compare the performance of schizophrenia patients and healthy controls on classical tasks and a non-immersive virtual reality task, Jansari assessment of Executive Functions (JEF©) Methods A total of 71 schizophrenia patients and 80 healthy controls took part in the study. Executive functions were assessed with JEF© and the following classical tasks: Color Trail Test (CTT), Stroop Color World Test (SCWT), Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT), and computerized tasks from the PEBL battery: Berg Card Sorting Test (BCST), Tower of London (TOL), and Go/No Go task (GNG). The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess psychopathological symptoms. Results Compared to healthy controls, schizophrenia patients scored lower on most of JEF© indices i.e., prioritization, selective-thinking, creative-thinking, adaptive-thinking, multi-tasking, time-based prospective memory, event-based prospective memory, and action-based prospective memory (p < 0.001). Moreover, schizophrenia patients performed poorer on all traditional tasks (p < 0.001), except the GNG task. Conclusions Schizophrenia patients were demonstrated to manifest deficits in executive functions as measured by traditional tests, such as concept formation, problem-solving, cognitive flexibility, planning or cognitive inhibition, and the executive functions measured by the JEF© i.e., those that are used and observed in everyday situations such as working in an office. This research was funded by the National Science Centre in Poland, grant number 2020/04/X/HS6/01920. Disclosure of Interest None Declared