Comorbid obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia: Neurocognitive profile

Although schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are discrete psychiatric disorders, evidence from neuroimaging studies as well as clinical and demographic features points to shared pathophysiology between schizophrenia and OCD. Furthermore, the elevated comorbidity rates of OCD or obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) in schizophrenia have been widely reported. Many studies have focused on the clinical implications of this considerable comorbidity, including the impact on cognitive functioning, which is one of the core areas of dysfunction in schizophrenia. This article reviews findings of the impact on cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia with comorbid OCD or OCS, and poses some questions that still need to be answered.