Are there specific aspects of cognition that are more important for people with schizophrenia?
Dr. Keefe: Neurocognitive impairment is clinically relevant and profound for all patients with schizophrenia. As a rule, schizophrenic patients perform an average of 1.5 to 2 standard deviations below healthy controls on many neurocognitive tests. The severity of this impairment is greatest in the domains of memory, attention, working memory, problem solving, processing speed, and social cognition. Do psychotic symptoms or antipsychotic treatments influence these findings? Dr. Keefe: In fact, these neurocognitive deficits are present prior to the initiation of antipsychotic treatment and are not caused by psychotic symptoms in patients who are able to complete cognitive testing, which includes the overwhelming majority. How do you differentiate specific aspects of cognitive dysfunction from hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia? Dr. Keefe: They are very different. In fact, they are largely unrelated. In the CATIE study, we assessed cognition as well as symptoms at baseline before ran
