Schizophrenia Research
Volume 120, Issue 1 , Pages 210-216, July 2010

One-year durability of the effects of cognitive enhancement therapy on functional outcome in early schizophrenia

  • Shaun M. Eack

      Affiliations

    • School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh, United States
    • Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. 2117 Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States. Tel.: +1 412 648 9029.
    • ,
  • Deborah P. Greenwald

      Affiliations

    • Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
    • ,
  • Susan S. Hogarty

      Affiliations

    • Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
    • ,
  • Matcheri S. Keshavan

      Affiliations

    • Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
    • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, United States

Received 29 December 2009; received in revised form 30 March 2010; accepted 31 March 2010. published online 18 May 2010.

Abstract 

Cognitive rehabilitation is an effective intervention for addressing cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia. Previous research has shown that the early application of Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET) can improve neurocognitive and social-cognitive deficits in the early course of the disorder, and ultimately reduce the substantial functional disability that these patients experience. However, the lasting effects of CET on functional outcome in early course schizophrenia patients remain unknown. In this study, 58 patients in the early course of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder treated with 2years of either CET or an Enriched Supportive Therapy (EST) control were followed-up 1year after the completion of treatment to examine the durability of CET effects on functional outcome. At one-year post-treatment, a high (72%) retention rate was observed in both treatments. Results from intent-to-treat analyses employing linear mixed-effects models indicated that CET effects on functional outcome were broadly maintained one-year post-treatment, and that patients receiving CET continued to demonstrate highly significant differential functional benefits compared to patients treated with EST. These findings support the durability of CET effects on functional outcome in the early course of schizophrenia, and point to the potential of cognitive rehabilitation to have a lasting impact on the early trajectory of the disorder.

Keywords: Schizophrenia, Cognitive rehabilitation, Cognition, Neurocognition, Social cognition, Early intervention

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PII: S0920-9964(10)01222-3

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2010.03.042

Schizophrenia Research
Volume 120, Issue 1 , Pages 210-216, July 2010

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