Cortical surface area as a stronger mediator of the waist-to-height ratio and cognitive impairment link in patients with first-episode schizophrenia compared to body mass index and waist-hip ratio.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The high metabolic risk and inherent brain structural changes in patients with schizophrenia are associated with cognitive impairment; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated whether cortical surface area (CSA) and cortical thickness (CT) mediate obesity-related cognitive impairment in patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FEPS).

Methods

We included 160 patients with FEPS and 150 healthy controls (HCs). Cognitive function and psychiatric symptoms were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Chinese version of the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). The CSA and CT of 34 grey matter regions in each hemisphere were measured us

SUBMITTER: Lin C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12512609 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature