Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35024348›Full record

ArticleSchizophrenia research. Cognition2022

Prevalence, profile and associations of cognitive impairment in Ugandan first-episode psychosis patients.

Emmanuel K Mwesiga, Reuben Robbins, Dickens Akena, Nastassja Koen, Juliet Nakku, Noeline Nakasujja, Dan J Stein

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Schizophrenia research. Cognition, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Whole brain grey matter synaptic terminal density, age and intellectual functioning in schizophrenia: an in vivo [Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Emmanuel K MwesigaDepartment of Psychiatry, Makerere University, Uganda.
Reuben RobbinsDepartment of Psychiatry, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, United States.
Dickens AkenaDepartment of Psychiatry, Makerere University, Uganda.
Nastassja KoenDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Juliet NakkuButabika National Referral Mental Hospital, Uganda.
Noeline NakasujjaDepartment of Psychiatry, Makerere University, Uganda.
Dan J SteinDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Makerere University · UGUniversity of Cape Town · ZAButabika Hospital · UGNew York State Psychiatric Institute

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe MATRICS consensus cognitive battery (MCCB) is the gold standard for neuropsychological assessment in psychotic disorders but is rarely used in low resource settings. This study used the MCCB to determine the prevalence, profile and associations of various exposures with cognitive impairment in Ugandan first-episode psychosis patients.

methodsPatients and matched healthy controls were recruited at Butabika Hospital in Uganda. Clinical variables were first collated, and after the resolution of psychotic symptoms, a neuropsychological assessment of seven cognitive domains was performed using the MCCB. Cognitive impairment was defined as two standard deviations (SD) below the mean in one domain or 1SD below the mean in two domains. Descriptive statistics determined the prevalence and profile of impairment while regression models determined the association between various exposures with cognitive scores while controlling for age, sex and education.

resultsNeuropsychological assessment with the MCCB found the burden of cognitive impairment in first-episode psychosis patients five times that of healthy controls. The visual learning and memory domain was most impaired in first-episode psychosis patients, while it was the working memory domain for the healthy controls. Increased age was associated with impairment in the domains of the speed of processing (p < 0.001) and visual learning and memory (p = 0.001). Cassava-rich diets and previous alternative and complementary therapy use were negatively associated with impairment in the visual learning (p = 0.04) and attention/vigilance domains (p = 0.012), respectively. There were no significant associations between sex, history of childhood trauma, or illness severity with any cognitive domain.

conclusionA significant burden of cognitive impairment in Ugandan first-episode psychosis patients is consistent with prior data from other contexts. However, the profile of and risk factors for impairment differ from that described in such work. Therefore, interventions to reduce cognitive impairment in FEP patients specific to this setting, including dietary modifications, are required.

Indexed as

Cognitive impairmentFirst-episode psychosisLow-income countryMATRICS consensus cognitive batteryNeuropsychological assessmentRisk factorsUganda

Identifiers

PMID35024348
PMCPMC8728100
OpenAlexW4200219875

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.