Prediction of response to haloperidol dose reduction by Span of Apprehension measures for treatment-refractory schizophrenic patients

Cognition in schizophrenia: impairments, determinants, and functional importance

Recent findings support and add to earlier findings of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Deficits across neurocognitive domains such as attention, working memory, language skills, and executive functioning tend to be moderate, with the most pronounced deficits found in verbal learning and memory. All these neurocognitive domains are related to adaptive and social skills, with executive functions and verbal learning and memory showing more variance across more domains than other neuro-cognitive variables. Negative symptoms and neurocognitive domains, although correlated, are distinct and have differential pathways of change with treatment. General psychopathology symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, may become important treatment targets as strategies are developed for translating cognitive enhancement to real-world functional performance.

Demographic, clinical, and neurocognitive predictors of quality of life in schizophrenia patients receiving conventional neuroleptics

We sought to evaluate demographic, clinical, and neurocognitive predictors of self-rated life quality and hospitalization in schizophrenia patients without the potentially cognition-enhancing influence of newer generation neuroleptic medication. A sample of 55 atypical neuroleptic-naive schizophrenia patients was assessed at index and 3 years later. Index neurocognitive measures included general intellectual ability (IQ), executive ability (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test [WCST]), verbal memory (California Verbal Learning Test [CVLT]), and manual dexterity (Purdue Pegboard). These measures, along with demographic (age, sex, education) and clinical (symptoms, prior hospitalizations) variables, were entered into regression equations to predict life quality (Sickness Impact Profile [SIP]) at follow-up, as well as rehospitalization during the 3-year period. Stability data were also analyzed. Demographic and cognitive data predicted subjective quality of life, but not rehospitalization. Changes in memory over time rather than performance levels related to life quality at follow-up. Rehospitalization was related only to demographic data and previous hospital admissions. The findings support the predictive value of selected aspects of neurocognition in relation to a subjective outcome domain in schizophrenia.