Neuropsychological impairments in patients with schizophrenia: stability and prediction of outcome

Objective: To assess neuropsychological impairments among fairly young schi zophrenic patients over time, and relations between impairment and symptoms , drug type and dose. Method: Clinical and: neuropsychological data for 29 schizophrenic patients have been published earlier. Twenty of these patients were retested after 3 years using the same methods. Results: The patients displayed stable impairments in most neuropsychologic al tests. Vocabulary and focused attention improved over time, whereas resp onse slowness became more pronounced. Symptoms varied considerably over tim e. A specific pattern of neuropsychological impairments, but not measures o f psychopathology, predicted clinical outcome. Patients were unable to judg e their test performance. Conclusion: A few years after the first episode, our patients displayed a s pecific pattern of neuropsychological impairment, which predicted clinical outcome. One aspect of the impairment appears to be failure at self-monitor ing.