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

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