An exploratory analysis of neurocognition in methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study compared the neurocognitive performances of individuals with methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder (MA psychosis) and paranoid schizophrenia. BACKGROUND: MA psychosis presents very similarly to paranoid schizophrenia and the relationship between the 2 disorders is not well-understood. Neurocognitive functioning is one potential factor for comparison, as deficits are documented in both schizophrenia and methamphetamine dependence. METHOD: Participants were selected through chart review. Neurocognitive test scores for participants with paranoid schizophrenia (n=20) and MA psychosis (n=19) were obtained from hospital records and compared. RESULTS: Results of multivariate analysis of variance found no significant differences between the groups in any neurocognitive domain. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings suggest that similarities between the disorders may extend to neurocognition. Low power and sampling limitations may contribute to the null findings.