Olfactory identification and WAIS-R performance in deficit and nondeficit schizophrenia

Seckinger, Regine Anna; Goudsmit, Nora; Coleman, Eliza; Harkavy-Friedman, Jill; Yale, Scott; Rosenfield, Paul J; Malaspina, Dolores

doi:10.1016/S0920-9964(03)00124-5

« Previous Next »Schizophrenia Research
Volume 69, Issue 1 , Pages 55-65, 1 July 2004

Olfactory identification and WAIS-R performance in deficit and nondeficit schizophrenia

Regine Anna Seckinger
- Corresponding author. New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, Box #2, New York, NY 10032, USA. Tel.: +1-212-543-6230; fax: +1-212-543-6176.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Clinical Psychology, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
Nora Goudsmit
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Eliza Coleman
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Jill Harkavy-Friedman
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Scott Yale
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Paul J Rosenfield
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Dolores Malaspina
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

Received 12 November 2002; received in revised form 26 March 2003; accepted 8 April 2003.

Abstract

Introduction: An expanding database supports the notion that the deficit syndrome (DS) is a discrete condition within schizophrenia and recent data argues that Smell Identification Deficits (SID) may have a primary relationship with its pathophysiology. If so, then the relationship of University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) scores with other neurocognitive measures in DS patients may point to the neural substrate of the deficit syndrome. Method: We examined the relationship of UPSIT scores and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) performance in 46 DSM-IV schizophrenia patients. The Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS) interview was used to subgroup the sample into 13 DS and 33 nondeficit syndrome (NDS) patients. Results: DS and NDS groups had similar mean ages, age of onset, and GAF scores, but DS patients had fewer years of education. DS and NDS patients also did not differ in full scale, verbal or performance IQ or in any WAIS-R subtest. However, UPSIT scores were significantly worse in the DS patients, most of whom met criteria for a clinically meaningful olfactory impairment. In DS patients, UPSIT scores were significantly correlated with Performance IQ, Block Design, and Object Assembly, all of which are associated with complex visual–motor organizational function thought to be mediated by parietal circuitry. UPSIT scores in NDS patients were significantly related with Vocabulary, Similarities, and Digit Symbol subtests, which are indicative of verbal functioning. Conclusion: These preliminary data support previous findings suggesting that in addition to frontal neuropsychological abnormalities, DS patients may have greater performance impairments on tasks associated with parietal functioning. Our findings furthermore suggest that the parietal circuitry may be a conspicuous substrate for impaired odor identification ability in these patients. The lesser abnormalities in UPSIT ability in NDS patients may be attributed to verbal ability. These data are preliminary and further investigations with larger samples are needed to support our findings.

Keywords: Olfactory deficit, WAIS-R, Schizophrenia