New methods of evaluation the cognition in schizophrenia

Abstract

This workshop aims to make progress in the knowledge of the cognitive symptoms and her evaluation in the psychotic diseases. Schizophrenia begins in late adolescence causing a derailment of social, educational, and occupational pursuits that extends to the end of life. The psychosocial costs contribute to the extraordinary public health care costs of this illness. Alleviation of the positive symptoms, negative symptoms, depression, and anxiety is insufficient to restore psychosocial status. An improvement in social, educational, and occupational status is dependent on improvement in cognitive status.

Primary Prof. JE Rojo & O. Pino will emphasize the relevant aspects of the neuropsychological evaluation in clinical practice, and relationships between cognitive, clinical, psychosocial status and social performance in patients with psychosis dysfunction.

Although vital to prognosis, cognitive status is often neglected in clinical practice because neuropsychological assessments are expensive and time consuming, and they require considerable expertise. The Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) is a 10 to 15 minute assessment of cognitive status developed to encourage routine assessment of cognitive status in clinical practice, and to promote research on the alleviation of cognitive impairments in psychiatric illness. Prof. Purdon will briefly review the rational for a brief assessment of cognitive status. He will present evidence supporting the comparability of three alternate forms of the SCIP from three Canadian normative samples and one large clinical sample. He will also present evidence supporting the validity of the brief screening tool relative to a comprehensive assessment of neuropsychological status in a large sample of psychiatric inpatients. The primary objective will be to encourage the use of the SCIP in routine clinical practice.

Afterwards, Prof. P. McKenna try to describe the new research strategies and methods of investigation in neuropsychology and schizophrenia, the state of art more novelty and relevant.