Association of obsessions and compulsions in schizophrenia with neurocognition and negative symptoms

It is unclear whether obsessions and compulsions in schizophrenia spectrum disorders are associated with a unique pattern of symptoms and deficits. Accordingly, the present study compared symptom levels and neurocognitive function of participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with (n = 11) and without (n = 52) significant obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Analyses of variance revealed that the obsessive-compulsive group performed more poorly on measures of executive function and vigilance and had higher levels of negative and emotional discomfort symptoms. Unexpectedly, the obsessive-compulsive group also demonstrated superior performance on a measure of visual memory. The implications of these clinical correlates of obsessive-compulsive phenomena in schizophrenia spectrum disorders are discussed.