Byrne LK, Pan L, McCABE M, Mellor D, Xu Y. Assessment of a six-week computer-based remediation program for social cognition in chronic schizophrenia.
SHANGHAI ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRY 2016;
27:296-306. [PMID:
26977127 PMCID:
PMC4764004 DOI:
10.11919/j.issn.1002-0829.215095]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Background
Programs to remediate cognitive deficits have shown promising results in schizophrenia, but
remediation of social cognition deficits is less well understood. Social cognitive deficits may cause more
disability than the widely recognized neurocognitive deficits, suggesting that this is an area worthy of further
investigation.
Aim
Implement and evaluate a brief computerized cognitive remediation program designed to improve
memory, attention, and facial affect recognition (FAR) in outpatients with chronic schizophrenia.
Methods
Baseline assessments of FAR and of clinical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning were
completed on 20 males with schizophrenia enrolled in an outpatient rehabilitation program at the Shanghai
Mental Health Center (the intervention group) and on 20 males with schizophrenia recruited from among
regular outpatients at the Center (the control group). Both groups received treatment as usual, but the
intervention group also completed an average of 12.7 sessions of a computer-based remediation program
for neurocognitive, social, and FAR functioning over a 6-week period. The baseline measures were repeated
in both groups at the end of the 6-week trial.
Results
There were no statistically significant differences in the changes in clinical symptoms (assessed by
the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, PANSS) or cognitive measures (assessed using the Hong Kong List
Learning Test and the Letter-Number Sequencing Task) between the intervention and control groups over
the 6-week trial, but there were modest improvements on the PANSS for the intervention group between
baseline and after the intervention. There was a significantly greater improvement in the social functioning
measure (the Personal and Social Performance scale, PSP) in the intervention group than in the control
group. The pre-post change in the total facial recognition score in the intervention group was statistically
significant (paired t-test=-2.60, p=0.018), and there was a statistical trend of a greater improvement in facial
recognition in the intervention group than in the control group (F(1,37)=2.93; p=0.092).
Conclusion
Integration of FAR training with a short, computer-administrated cognitive remediation program
may improve recognition of facial emotions by individuals with
schizophrenia, and, thus, improve their social
functioning. But more work on developing the FAR training modules and on testing them in larger, more
diverse samples will be needed before this can be recommended as a standard part of cognitive remediation
programs.
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