scholarly journals Mechanisms of functional improvement in a 2-year trial of cognitive enhancement therapy for early schizophrenia

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1253-1261 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Eack ◽  
M. F. Pogue-Geile ◽  
D. P. Greenwald ◽  
S. S. Hogarty ◽  
M. S. Keshavan

BackgroundCognitive rehabilitation has emerged as an effective treatment for addressing cognitive impairments and functional disability in schizophrenia; however, the degree to which changes in various social and non-social cognitive processes translate into improved functioning during treatment remains unclear. This research sought to identify the neurocognitive and social-cognitive mechanisms of functional improvement during a 2-year trial of cognitive enhancement therapy (CET) for early-course schizophrenia.MethodPatients in the early course of schizophrenia were randomly assigned to CET (n=31) or an enriched supportive therapy control (n=27) and treated for up to 2 years. A comprehensive neurocognitive assessment battery and the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) were completed annually, along with measures of functioning. Mediator analyses using mixed-effects growth models were conducted to examine the effects of neurocognitive and social-cognitive improvement on functional change.ResultsImprovements over 2 years in neurocognition and the emotion management branch of the MSCEIT were found to be significantly related to improved functional outcome in early-course schizophrenia patients. Neurocognitive improvement, primarily in executive functioning, and social-cognitive change in emotion management also mediated the robust effects of CET on functioning.ConclusionsImprovements in neurocognition and social cognition that result from cognitive rehabilitation are both significant mediators of functional improvement in early-course schizophrenia. Cognitive rehabilitation programs for schizophrenia may need to target deficits in both social and non-social cognition to achieve an optimal functional response.

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S78-S78 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Roux ◽  
M. Urbach ◽  
S. Fonteneau ◽  
B. Aouizerate ◽  
F. Berna ◽  
...  

The relation of social cognitive disorders and schizophrenic symptoms are well-established. Yet, assessment methods have not reached a consensus. In addition, causal paths between neurocognition, social cognition, symptoms and functional expression are not clearly understood. During the past few years, some authoritative accounts proposed specialized batteries of tests and emphasized theory of mind, emotion recognition, and interpretation bias constructs:– NIMH's “Social cognition psychometric evaluation” battery (Pinkham AE, Penn DL, Green MF, Harvey PD. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 2015);– “Social cognition and functioning in schizophrenia” (Green MF, Lee J, Ochsner KN. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 2013).Interestingly, these accounts stemming either from expert consensus and psychometric considerations or from neuroscience knowledge recognized some difficulties in providing a fully usable set of instruments. The project described here (EVACO protocol, funded by the Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique national) follows an alternative approach and aims at providing a psychometrically validated battery. Based on a cognitive neuropsychology view on schizophrenic functional disability, several tests were gathered and are assessed in a 12-months multi-center follow-up of 160 individuals with schizophrenia. The FondaMental foundation network of Expert Centers is involved in recruiting patients from eight centers (Clermont-Ferrand, Colombes, Créteil, Grenoble, Marseille, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Versailles). To-date, the first evaluation of the population has been achieved. Experience reports and inclusions follow-up demonstrate the good acceptability of this battery both on the patients and the evaluator's side. We emphasize the usefulness of this project to meet the clinicians’ needs of validated social cognition tools, by describing different scenarios of use.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda Wheeler ◽  
Owen Williams ◽  
Louise Johns ◽  
Grace Chiu ◽  
Elitsa D. Slavkova ◽  
...  

Depression and anxiety are common psychological consequences of stroke. Here, we investigated the relationships between cognitive change following stroke, awareness of cognitive impairments, and mood to further understanding of change processes influencing psychological outcomes post-stroke in line with the “Y-shaped” process model. Stroke patients (n = 143) were assessed at 3-weeks (T1) and 6-months (T2) post stroke and had completed the Oxford Cognitive Screen (T1 and T2), the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ; T2), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS; T2). An ANCOVA controlling for disability relating to activities of daily living (ADL) revealed that awareness of cognitive impairment was significantly lower in participants with moderate-severe cognitive impairment. Regression analysis indicated that greater awareness of cognitive impairment and greater independence in ADL were associated with lower HADS scores at T2. Finally, cognitive improvement over time was associated with lower HADS scores at T2. This was moderated by acute cognitive impairment, suggesting that this effect was largest for those most cognitively impaired at T1. Together, predictors explained 36.9% variance in the model, whereby the interaction variable explained 2.2% variance. Targeting those most cognitively impaired post-stroke with cognitive rehabilitation may positively impact their long-term emotional adjustment.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Synthia Guimond ◽  
George Ling ◽  
Jessica Drodge ◽  
Hannah Matheson ◽  
Jessica A. Wojtalik ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The ability to manage emotions is an important social-cognitive domain impaired in schizophrenia and linked to functional outcome. The goal of our study was to examine the impact of cognitive enhancement therapy (CET) on the ability to manage emotions and brain functional connectivity in early-course schizophrenia. Methods Participants were randomly assigned to CET (n = 55) or an enriched supportive therapy (EST) control group (n = 45). The resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans and measures of emotion management performances were collected at baseline, 9, and 18 months follow-up. The final sample consisted of 37 CET and 25 EST participants, including 19 CET and 12 EST participants with imaging data. Linear mixed-effects models investigated the impact of treatment on emotion management and functional connectivity from the amygdala to ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Results The CET group showed significant improvement over time in emotion management compared to EST. Neither functional connectivity changes nor main group differences were observed following treatment. However, a significant between-group interaction showed that improved emotion management ability was associated with increased functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left dlPFC in the CET group exclusively. Conclusion Our results replicate the previous work demonstrating that CET is effective at improving some aspects of social cognition in schizophrenia. We found evidence that improvement in emotion management may be associated with a change in amygdala-dlPFC connectivity. This fronto-limbic circuit may provide a mechanistic link between the biology of emotion management processes that can be enhanced in individuals with schizophrenia.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 577-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice Frajo-Apor ◽  
Georg Kemmler ◽  
Silvia Pardeller ◽  
Markus Huber ◽  
Christian Macina ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectives:Social cognitive deficits have been discussed to be endophenotypes for schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses. The current study aimed to assess emotional intelligence (EI) in unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients to investigate its potential role as endophenotype for schizophrenia.Methods:EI was measured in 56 schizophrenia patients, 57 unaffected siblings, and 127 healthy control subjects by using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). In addition, non-social cognition was assessed with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Linear mixed models with compound symmetric correlation structure were used for of the three groups with respect to EI and non-social cognition.Results:Schizophrenia patients showed significantly lower overall EI and performed significantly worse in three out of four MSCEIT branches compared to unaffected siblings and control subjects, whereas the two latter groups had comparable EI levels. Similar performance patterns (patients<unaffected siblings=control subjects) were found with respect to non-social cognition. Solely in the “Tower of London” test, siblings achieved significantly lower task scores compared to control subjects.Conclusions:Based on our results, EI as measured with the MSCEIT does not seem to represent a marker of risk for schizophrenia. Further investigations should concentrate on other EI measures to reassess this finding. (JINS, 2017,23, 577–583)


2009 ◽  
pp. 123-141
Author(s):  
Dennis R. Combs ◽  
Dustin J: Chapman ◽  
Casey Reneau

- There has been an increased interest in research on paranoia and persecutory delusions. This is partly based on the idea that paranoia exists on a continuum ranging from sub-clinical to clinical levels. One area of interest is in social cognition as it may provide methods to understand how persons with paranoia perceive, interpret, and understand their social world. Previous research has showed that social cognition directly influences or mediates social functioning. Paranoia can be ideally approached from a social cognitive perspective, which makes understanding these processes even more important. For this review, we will focus on the current state of knowledge for paranoia as it pertains to the three primary domains of social cognition: 1) emotion/social perception, 2) theory of mind, and 3) attributional style. Deficits in emotion/social perception appear to be found across the paranoia continuum. In contrast, deficits in theory of mind and attributional style are typically found in persons with clinical levels of paranoia. Future studies should focus on understanding the processes that might underlie the deficits.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1030-1030
Author(s):  
Milena Y Gotra ◽  
Elmma Khalid ◽  
Madison M Dykins ◽  
Scot K Hill

Abstract Objective The present study applied a developmentally based subgrouping procedure previously examined in chronic psychosis patients to a sample of first-episode psychosis (FEP) and examined change in cognition following treatment with antipsychotic medication. Method Medication naïve FEP patients (n = 119; age = 27.96; 63.9% male; 62.2% White, 32.8% Black, 5.0% Other) recruited during initial hospitalization were categorized into groups based on 1) estimated premorbid intellectual ability and 2) the discrepancy between predicted (modeled on 151 healthy controls) and current cognitive ability. Consistent with findings from chronic psychosis samples, groups were characterized as Preserved (n = 46; average premorbid, no discrepancy), Deteriorated (n = 44; average premorbid, significant discrepancy), and Compromised (n = 29, low premorbid and current cognitive ability). A mixed analysis of variance was used to examine change in a composite cognitive score derived from a comprehensive neuropsychological battery at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 months. Results There was a significant group by time interaction [Figure 1; F(5.4142.4) = 2.81, p = 0.02] in which the Preserved group performed similar to healthy controls across all time points, the Compromised group demonstrated stable deficits after treatment, and the Deteriorated group diverged from the Compromised group at 6 weeks and 12 months. Discussion There is considerable cognitive heterogeneity in FEP at baseline and after initiation of antipsychotic medication. Findings of cognitive improvement in the Deteriorated group after treatment initiation suggests a differential response to antipsychotic medications that was not found in the Compromised or Preserved groups. Future work may benefit from examining medication and symptom severity as potential factors contributing to the unique change observed in the Deteriorated group.


2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 7512520385p1-7512520385p1
Author(s):  
Yu-Chih Chen ◽  
Szu-Wei Chen ◽  
Britney Ferri

Abstract Date Presented 04/22/21 Computer-based programs, conventional cognitive rehabilitation, neurologic music therapy, and noninvasive brain stimulation are effective in improving memory and learning, processing speed, language, executive function, or general cognitive skills. However, the retention of treatment effects and the generalizability of the cognitive improvement to the daily occupations are not clear. Including a predetermined single outcome, functional and long-term outcomes are needed in future studies. Primary Author and Speaker: Yu-Chih Chen Contributing Authors: Nicole Gerhardt, Christina Calhoun Thielen, Winnie Dunn, and Mary Jane Mulcahey


2021 ◽  
pp. 7-19
Author(s):  
Andrzej Girdwoyń

The article aims to answer the question of whether a healthy person who takes a registered medication containing modafinil may be considered responsible for behaviours, for which he or she would not be responsible without the cognitive enhancement. For this purpose, three specific questions are analysed. First, it is analysed whether liability is connected to competence in such a way that the increase in an individual’s cognitive competence increases his or her responsibility. Second, if the answer to the previous question is affirmative, under which conditions the person who has taken medications to extend his or her responsibility may be held responsible for conduct which he or she would not have committed without the cognitive improvement. Third, can the conditions referred to in the previous sentence be satisfied in the case of a healthy person who acts under the influence of a drug containing modafinil.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhideeta Jalal ◽  
Aarti Nair ◽  
Amy Lin ◽  
Ariel Eckfeld ◽  
Leila Kushan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a common recurrent neurogenetic condition associated with elevated risk for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders and intellectual disability. Children and adults with 22q11DS often exhibit marked social impairment as well as neurocognitive deficits, and have elevated rates of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychosis. However, the relationship between the basic processes of social cognition and cognitive ability has not been well studied in 22q11DS. Here, we examined differences in social cognition in 22q11DS, relative to multiple groups of idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders, and typically developing healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we examined differences in intellectual functioning and its relationship to social cognitive abilities. Finally, we examined the relationship between social cognitive abilities and real-world social behavior. Methods: We examined social cognition and intellectual functioning in 273 participants (mean age = 17.74+/-5.18% female = 44.3%): 50 with 22q11DS, 49 youth with first episode psychosis (FEP), 48 at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, 24 participants with ASD, and 102 HC. Social cognition was assessed using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), while reciprocal social behavior was assessed via parent/caregiver ratings on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Participants were also administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2 nd edition (WASI-II) to assess intellectual functioning. Results: The 22q11DS group exhibited significantly lower social cognitive abilities compared to all other groups, even after controlling for intellectual functioning. Significant positive correlations were found between social cognition, as measured by the TASIT, and IQ across groups. In contrast, no significant relationships were found between TASIT and real-world social behavior (SRS) for any group. Conclusions: Our findings indicate social cognitive deficits are more prominent in 22q11DS than idiopathic neuropsychiatric conditions across the age range, even after adjusting for global intellectual function. These results contribute to our understanding of the intellectual and social vulnerabilities of 22q11DS in comparison to idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders. Our findings of robust associations between intellectual ability and social cognition emphasizes the importance of accounting for neurocognitive deficits in social skills interventions and tailoring these existing treatment models for 22q11DS and other populations with intellectual impairment.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhideeta Jalal ◽  
Aarti Nair ◽  
Amy Lin ◽  
Ariel Eckfeld ◽  
Leila Kushan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a common recurrent neurogenetic condition associated with elevated risk for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders and intellectual disability. Children and adults with 22q11DS often exhibit marked social impairment as well as neurocognitive deficits, and have elevated rates of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychosis. However, the relationship between the basic processes of social cognition and cognitive ability has not been well studied in 22q11DS. Here, we examined differences in social cognition in 22q11DS, relative to multiple groups of idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders, and typically developing healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we examined differences in intellectual functioning and its relationship to social cognitive abilities. Finally, we examined the relationship between social cognitive abilities and real-world social behavior. Methods We examined social cognition and intellectual functioning in 306 participants (mean age = 16.63+/-4.59; % female = 44.8%): sixty-eight with 22q11DS, 49 youth with first episode psychosis (FEP), 48 at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, 24 participants with ASD, and 117 HC. Social cognition was assessed using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), while reciprocal social behavior was assessed via parent/caregiver ratings on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Participants were also administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2 nd edition (WASI-II) to assess intellectual functioning. Results The 22q11DS group exhibited significantly lower social cognitive abilities compared to all other groups, even after controlling for intellectual functioning. Significant positive correlations were found between social cognition, as measured by the TASIT, and IQ across groups. In contrast, no significant relationships were found between TASIT and real-world social behavior (SRS) for any group. Conclusions Our findings indicate social cognitive deficits are more prominent in 22q11DS than idiopathic neuropsychiatric conditions across the age range, even after adjusting for global intellectual function. These results contribute to our understanding of the intellectual and social vulnerabilities of 22q11DS in comparison to idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders. Our findings of robust associations between intellectual ability and social cognition emphasizes the importance of accounting for neurocognitive deficits in social skills interventions and tailoring these existing treatment models for 22q11DS and other populations with intellectual impairment.


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