Effectiveness of Cognitive Remediation in Early Versus Chronic Schizophrenia: A Preliminary Report

Conclusion: Our study confirms the effectiveness of cognitive remediation in improving clinical, cognitive, and functional parameters in patients with schizophrenia, both in patients in the early course and in chronic patients. However, patients in the early course showed a differential, greater change in clinical and functional parameters compared to chronic patients. Although this study has some limitations, it confirms the effectiveness of cognitive remediation interventions, particularly if applied in the early course of the illness.IntroductionCognitive impairment represents a core feature of schizophrenia (1, 2), and its heavy impact on functional outcome has been widely demonstrated (3, 4). In recent years, several cognitive remediation (CR) interventions have been developed and have been used in integrated treatment approaches in patients with schizophrenia. The effectiveness of these treatments in the improvement of cognition and social functions is now well established (5, 6). However, many issues are still debated, such as the role of specific patients’ characteristics in influencing the possibility to fully benefit from the effects of cognitive rehabilitation (7–11). Among those characteristics, younger age and shorter duration of illness have been identified as predictors of the effectiveness of CR in schizophrenia. In a review by our group (12), we found preliminary positive, yet not conclusive results. In fact, although in some studies age has bee...
Source: Frontiers in Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research