Abstract: Introduction: Cognitive reserve (CR) has recently been considered a key factor in the onset ofa first episode of psychosis (FEP). However, the differences in CR in FEP patients according tosex have not yet been investigated.Material and methods: CR was estimated among 443 FEP patients (246 men and 197 women)and 156 healthy controls (96 men and 60 women) by using the proxies premorbid IQ, years ofeducation and employment status. A neuropsychological battery was administrated to measureneurocognitive specific domains. Analyses of variance were used to make comparisons betweengroups.Results: FEP women had greater CR than FEP men. This circumstance was not observed inhealthy controls. Among the group of patients with low CR, FEP women outperformed FEPmen in the cognitive domains verbal memory and processing speed. Meanwhile, among the FEPpatients with high CR, men showed better performance in attention than women.Conclusions: Differences in CR observed between FEP men and women could be related toa number of specific factors, such as, age at illness onset, education level, and variability inperformance in verbal memory, processing speed, and attention domains. These results providebackground information about CR in FEP patients that will be useful in the design of sex specificcognitive remediation interventions.

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