Dataset Information

Neuroplastic changes in patients with schizophrenia undergoing cognitive remediation: triple-blind trial.

ABSTRACT: BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia have shown cognitive improvements following cognitive remediation, but the neuroplastic changes that support these processes are not fully understood.AimsTo use a triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial to examine neural activation before and after cognitive remediation or a computer skills training (CST) placebo (trial registration: NCT00995553)).MethodTwenty-seven participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after being randomised to either cognitive remediation intervention or CST. Participants completed two variants of the N-back task during scanning and were assessed on measures of cognition, functional capacity, community functioning and symptoms.ResultsWe observed a group × time interaction in the left prefrontal cortex, wherein the cognitive remediation group showed increased activation. These changes correlated with improved task accuracy within the cognitive remediation group, whereas there was no relationship between changes in activation in untrained cognitive measures. Significant changes were not observed in other hypothesised areas for the cognitive remediation group.ConclusionsWe replicated the finding that cognitive remediation increases left lateral prefrontal activation during a working memory task in patients with schizophrenia, suggesting this may be an important neural target for these types of interventions.

SUBMITTER: Ramsay IS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5331188 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Neuroplastic changes in patients with schizophrenia undergoing cognitive remediation: triple-blind trial.

Ramsay Ian S IS Nienow Tasha M TM Marggraf Matthew P MP MacDonald Angus W AW

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science 20170202 3

BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia have shown cognitive improvements following cognitive remediation, but the neuroplastic changes that support these processes are not fully understood.AimsTo use a triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial to examine neural activation before and after cognitive remediation or a computer skills training (CST) placebo (trial registration: NCT00995553)).MethodTwenty-seven participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging before and a ...[more]

PMID: 28153927

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Project description:BackgroundSchizophrenia is associated with severe cognitive deficits, particularly episodic memory deficits, that interfere with patients' socio-professional functioning. Retrieval practice (also known as testing effect) is a well-established episodic memory strategy that involves taking an initial memory test on a previously learned material. Testing later produces robust long-term memory improvements in comparison to the restudy of the same material both in healthy subjects and in some clinical populations with memory deficits. While retrieval practice might represent a relevant cognitive remediation strategy in patients with schizophrenia, studies using optimal procedures to explore the benefits of retrieval practice in this population are still lacking. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to investigate the benefits of retrieval practice in patients with schizophrenia.MethodsNineteen stabilised outpatients with schizophrenia (DSM-5 criteria) and 20 healthy controls first studied a list of 60 word-pairs (30 pairs with weak semantic association and 30 non associated pairs). Half the pairs were studied again (restudy condition), while only the first word of the pair was presented and the subject had to recall the second word for the other half (retrieval practice condition). The final memory test consisted in a cued-recall which took place 2?days later. Statistical analyses were performed using Bayesian methods.ResultsCognitive performances were globally altered in patients. However, in both groups, memory performances for word-pairs were significantly better after retrieval practice than after restudy (56.1% vs 35.7%, respectively, Pr(RP?>?RS)?>?0.999), and when a weak semantic association was present (64.7% vs 27.1%, respectively; Pr(weak > no)?>?0.999). Moreover, the positive effect of RP was observed in all patients but one.ConclusionsOur study is the first to demonstrate that retrieval practice efficiently improves episodic memory in comparison to restudy in patients with schizophrenia. This learning strategy should therefore be considered as a useful tool for cognitive remediation programs. In this perspective, future studies might explore retrieval practice using more ecological material.

Dataset Information

Neuroplastic changes in patients with schizophrenia undergoing cognitive remediation: triple-blind trial.

Publications

Neuroplastic changes in patients with schizophrenia undergoing cognitive remediation: triple-blind trial.

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