TY - JOUR
T1 - Attentional and clinical neuroleptic response in schizophrenia
T2 - A study with the continuous performance test
AU - Serper, Mark R.
AU - Harvey, Philip D.
AU - Davidson, Michael
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - Past research has confirmed the importance of vigilance deficits in schizophrenia. The present investigation examined the temporal relationship between treatment response of acute schizophrenic inpatients' (n = 13) psychopathology and their vigilance performance, using the Continuous Performance Test, at four time points over the course of an acute hospitalisation: at medication-free baseline and then weekly for 21 days after the initiation of neuroleptic treatment. A comparison group of stable schizophrenic outpatients (n = 12) receiving neuroleptics at all assessments were also tested during the same time period. For the acute group we found a significant improvement in both vigilance and symptoms over the course of neuroleptic treatment and the extent of improvement in vigilance performance was correlated with improvements in symptomatology. The control patients exhibited no CPT improvement or symptomatic changes. Because vigilance deficits correlate with poor outcome in schizophrenia, these data suggest that the medication-related changes in cognitive performance early in the course of neuroleptic treatment may provide clues to the expected course of illness in acute patients.
AB - Past research has confirmed the importance of vigilance deficits in schizophrenia. The present investigation examined the temporal relationship between treatment response of acute schizophrenic inpatients' (n = 13) psychopathology and their vigilance performance, using the Continuous Performance Test, at four time points over the course of an acute hospitalisation: at medication-free baseline and then weekly for 21 days after the initiation of neuroleptic treatment. A comparison group of stable schizophrenic outpatients (n = 12) receiving neuroleptics at all assessments were also tested during the same time period. For the acute group we found a significant improvement in both vigilance and symptoms over the course of neuroleptic treatment and the extent of improvement in vigilance performance was correlated with improvements in symptomatology. The control patients exhibited no CPT improvement or symptomatic changes. Because vigilance deficits correlate with poor outcome in schizophrenia, these data suggest that the medication-related changes in cognitive performance early in the course of neuroleptic treatment may provide clues to the expected course of illness in acute patients.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0004674995&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/135468097396261
DO - 10.1080/135468097396261
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0004674995
SN - 1354-6805
VL - 2
SP - 241
EP - 249
JO - Cognitive Neuropsychiatry
JF - Cognitive Neuropsychiatry
IS - 4
ER -