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Psychotic disorders can be exacerbated by the hormonal changes associated with childbirth, but the extent to which exacerbations occur with the menstrual cycle is unclear. We addressed this issue by conducting a systematic review. Embase, Medline, and PsychINFO databases were searched for studies that measured exacerbations of psychotic disorders in relation to the menstrual cycle. We extracted exacerbation measure, definition of menstrual cycle phase, and measurement of menstrual cycle phase. Standard incidence ratios were calculated for the perimenstrual phase based on the observed admissions during this phase divided by the expected number of admissions if the menstrual cycle had no effect. Random effects models were used to examine pooled rates of psychiatric admission in the perimenstrual phase. Nineteen studies, comprising 1193 participants were eligible for inclusion. Eleven studies examined psychiatric admission rates, 5 examined symptoms scores, 2 examined self-reported exacerbation, and 1 examined both admission rates and symptom scores. A random effects model demonstrated the rate of admissions during the perimenstrual phase was 1.48 times higher than expected (95% CI: 1.31–1.67), with no significant heterogeneity detected. Four of six symptom score studies reported perimenstrual worsening, but lack of consistency in timepoints precluded meta-analysis. Two studies examining self-reported menstrual exacerbations reported prevalences ranging from 20% to 32.4%. Psychiatric admission rates are significantly higher than expected during the perimenstrual phase. There is some evidence that a worsening of psychotic symptoms also occurs during this phase, but further research with more precise measurement of the menstrual cycle and symptomatology is required.

Background It is widely accepted that neurocognitive performance is linked to functional outcomes in schizophrenia (Green, Kern, Braff, & Mintz, 2000). Research, however, shows that this relationship is likely to be mediated by other factors such as social competence (Brekke, Kay, Lee, & Green, 2005). Indeed, performance on cognitive tasks only explain 20% of the variance in work related skills (Bowie et al., 2008). Furthermore, the composite score generated by the gold standard neurocognitive measure, the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), fails to predict work or education related functioning and independent living (August, Kiwanuka, McMahon, & Gold, 2012). To address these limitations, we developed a novel and ecologically valid virtual reality (VR) task with the aim to simultaneously measure cognition and functional capacity in schizophrenia. The assessment is set in a minimarket environment where participants are required to buy selected items from a shopping list. In this study, our objective was to establish the construct validity of the VR task in relation to the MCCB, and test whether it can predict functional outcomes. In addition, we tested whether app-based cognitive training can improve cognition and/or functional outcomes at follow-up as an exploratory objective. Methods Thirty patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were recruited from South London. At baseline, participants completed the VR task and MCCB, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and various functional capacity/outcome measures including the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS), UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment-Brief (UPSA-B), and World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS-II). A subset of participants was randomly allocated to receive a 4-week long, app-based training; either playing with an immersive or a 2D spatial memory training game. Those who completed the training were invited back for a follow-up visit. Construct validity of the VR task will be assessed through a series of bivariate correlations. The predictive ability of the VR task for functional outcomes will be tested through linear regression models. Finally, the efficacy of spatial memory training will be assessed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results Data analysis is currently ongoing, and results will be presented at the conference. Discussion This study will provide the first indication whether VR can be employed to test cognition and functional capacity simultaneously in patients with schizophrenia. Given the current lack of reliable and ecologically valid functional outcome measures, new assessments that are sensitive to clinically meaningful cognitive improvements are desperately needed.