Cognitive Impairment is one of the key features of schizophrenia and can cause negative consequences on the final outcomes. Cognitive remediation (CR) has emerged as an effective treatment option for schizophrenia; its effectiveness is questionable. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of CR for cognition and functioning in patients with schizophrenia.
This systematic review and meta-analysis include a total of 1815 reports, of which 358 were assessed and 194 reports with130 studies on randomized clinical trials comparing CR with other control conditions in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were used for final analysis. The primary outcomes of the analysis were changes in global cognition and overall functioning investigated through metaregressions, subgroup, and sensitivity analyses.
A total of 8,851 patients were included in the study. The findings suggested that CR was effective in improving both cognition and functioning. Further analysis showed that a trained therapist, integration of psychosocial rehabilitation, and structured development of cognitive strategies were associated with higher efficacy. Some characteristics of optimal candidates were fewer years of education, lower premorbid IQ, and higher baseline symptom severity.
The research concluded that CR intervention in patients with schizophrenia was associated with improved cognition and functioning. These findings indicate that CR should be included in clinical guidelines for the treatment of schizophrenia.
Ref: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2778914?resultClick=1
