The Comparison of the Executive Function among Acute and Chronic Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Type I and Normal Group in Tower of London and Stroop Neuropsychological Tests

Since cognitive defects have an effective role in the life of people with bipolar and schizophrenia disorders, the current research mainly aimed at comparing the status of executive functions and attention of the patients affected with schizophrenia and acute and chronic bipolar disorder type I and also comparing their functions with a normal group.
This study is a descriptive-comparative study thorough which the executive functions have been compared among five groups. The statistical population consists of all outpatient and inpatient patients affected with acute and chronic schizophrenia and acute and chronic bipolar type I in the manic episode who had referred to the Psychiatry Clinic of Shafa, Rasht. Sampling was done through convenience within 2014-2015 and 60 male subjects were selected. Age range of the subjects was 16-50 and they were paralleled in variables of gender, age, and education levels in the groups. Stroop Test and Tower of London Test were administered to all subjects in individual sessions and finally, data were analyzed via using Multivariate Analysis Test and Tukey Follow-up Tests.
Findings: Results indicated that there is generally a significant difference (p≤ 0.05) between the groups with acute and chronic schizophrenia , acute and chronic bipolar disorder sufferers in the manic episode with normal people in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Continuous Performance Test.
Schizophrenic patients had weaker executive function and attention disorder than the Bipolar disorder I patients and normal subjective. And chronicity had agreat effect on executive function and attention disorder among the patients.