Non-motor cognitive-perceptual dysfunction associated with drug-induced parkinsonism.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) and subjective non-motor cognitive impairments in schizophrenia by performing comprehensive assessments of extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) and the subjective cognitive-perceptual functioning.

METHODS

Ninety-one outpatients with schizophrenia were evaluated for DIP and other EPS. Subjective cognitive-perceptual dysfunction was comprehensively assessed using the Frankfurt Complaint Questionnaire (FCQ). To examine the association between DIP and non-motor cognitive-perceptual dysfunction, Pearson's partial correlation analysis was performed between the FCQ scores and the severity of DIP, controlling for relevant variables.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed that the severity of DIP had a significant correlation with the total FCQ score (p < 0.05). In phenomenological subscales, the severity of DIP showed significant correlations with "deterioration of discrimination," "psychomotor disorder," "perceptual disorder," "cognitive floating," and "automatic behavior disorder" (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our study suggest that DIP is significantly associated with a wide range of subjective non-motor cognitive impairments. Clinicians should be careful of the appearance of DIP and the associated non-motor cognitive-perceptual symptoms, which may cause considerable distress and reduce the quality of life in an already vulnerable group of patients.