Cognitive functioning and visual perception in patients with schizophrenia

Objective. To analyze visual perception characteristics in patients with schizophrenia and to establish the relationship between contrast sensation parameters and cognitive functioning metrics. Material and methods. A total of 40 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 20 healthy individuals serving as a control group were included in the study. Contrast sensation of the visual system was evaluated using computer-assisted visocontrastometry at low (0.4 cycles/degree), medium (1, 3, and 6 cycles/degree), and high (10 cycles/degree) spatial frequencies. Results. The findings indicate that contrast sensation in schizophrenia patients is statistically significantly lower (p<0.05) across all spatial frequency ranges when compared to control individuals. A positive correlation was identified between contrast sensitivity at high spatial frequencies and motor functions (r=0.405; p=0.009) and executive functions (r=0.321; p=0.042). The severity of neurocognitive deficits was found to be exclusively associated with the perception of high spatial frequencies (p=0.043). Conclusions. The results underscore the critical role of the parvocellular neural system in the manifestation of cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.