The first episode of psychosis is a crucial period when early intervention can alter the trajectory of the young person's ongoing mental health and general functioning. Cognitive abilities are nuclear for the social recovery. Stress impairs higher cognitive processes, dependent on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and that involve maintenance and integration of information over extended periods, including working memory and attention. Different mechanism are involved such as HPA-Axis hyperactivity, affecting PFC. Recently, investigations show the different evolution of cognitive abilities between different sex in WM.

A sample of 41 FEPs and 39 healthy subjects were evaluated. The variables assessed were verbal and visual memory, attention, working memory, processing speed, mental flexibility, verbal fluency, motor coordination, planning ability and intelligence.

We found an interaction between age (< 16 years and > 16 years) and group (psychosis vs. controls) in working memory (P = 0.04). There were no difference in men < 16 years old control group and men with same age plus psychosis (5.87 ± 1.57 vs. 5.83 ± 1; P = 0.1) in WM. However, this work was found to be significantly different in the univariant analysis of working memory in the group < 16 years old women control (7.30 ± 1.56) and women psychosis group (5.61 ± 1.91).

Social cognition and stress seem to be directly relation. Some studies show that stress enhance cognition performance in men while impairing it in women. Stress affect a variety of cognitive processes such attention and working memory. Deficit in social cognition are present in the prodromal phases of psychosis.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.