COMPUTER-AIDED COGNITIVE REHABILITATION - POSSIBLE APPLICATION TO THEATTENTIONAL DEFICIT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, A REPORT OF NEGATIVE RESULTS

The cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia commonly include impairment in attention, which may contribute to difficulties with lea rning, memory, and executive function. This study evaluated the effect iveness of computer-aided training of attentional skills in schizophre nia. Two groups of schizophrenic subjects (9 men and 1 woman) were mat ched for age, estimated premorbid IQ, and positive and negative sympto m scores. Both groups were assessed using a battery of attentional tes ts. Subjects then received either six l-hr. computer-aided cognitive r ehabilitation sessions (experimental condition) or six sessions of gra phics-based computer games (control condition). Both groups were reass essed with attentional measures. There was significant improvement on only one test, a letter-cancellation task. This improvement was eviden t in both groups suggesting that this was a practise effect. Apart fro m the letter-cancellation test, subjects undertaking the computer-aide d rehabilitation treatment did not show significant improvement on any attentional tasks.