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OBJECTIVE: The Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, which is used to evaluate learning and memory, is a widely recognized tool in the general literature on neuropsychology. This paper aims at presenting the performance of Brazilian adult subjects on the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, and was written after we published a previous study on the performance of Brazilian elderly subjects on this same test. METHOD: A version of the test, featuring a list of high-frequency one-syllable and two-syllable concrete Portuguese substantives, was developed. Two hundred and forty-three (243) subjects from both genders were allocated to 6 different age groups (20-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-44; 45-54 and 55-60 years old). They were then tested using the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. RESULTS: Performance on the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test showed a positive correlation with educational level and a negative correlation with age. Women performed significantly better than men. When applied across similar age ranges, our results were similar to those recorded for the English version of the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the adaptation of the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test to Brazilian Portuguese is appropriate and that it is applicable to Brazilian subjects for memory capacity evaluation purposes and across similar age groups and educational levels.

OBJETIVO: O uso de modelos experimentais tem permitido importantes avanços no diagnóstico e na terapêutica de doenças somáticas, tais como diabetes e hipertensão. No caso da esquizofrenia, entretanto, as tentativas de modelos experimentais causaram, historicamente, pouco impacto e algum ceticismo. Estudos mais recentes, contudo, indicam que a Ciência Cognitiva aplicada ao uso de modelos pode nos ajudar na compreensão da fisiopatologia da esquizofrenia. O estudo objetivou realizar uma revisão crítica dos modelos experimentais propostos para a esquizofrenia. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO: As dificuldades próprias dos modelos de esquizofrenia são a subjetividade dos sintomas, a dificuldade em reproduzi-los em animais e a complexidade clínica a ser totalizada. Fenótipo tão complexo só pode ser abordado pela separação de seus componentes (endofenótipos) e pela respectiva manipulação de seus correlatos experimentais, feita por intervenções específicas (e.g. farmacológicas, cirúrgicas, genéticas) na busca de um mecanismo comum para estes endofenótipos. A correlação entre resultados e sintomas deve apoiar-se em hipótese explanatória abrangente. Até o presente, a doença parece envolver desconexão neuronal difusa decorrente de anormalidades cerebrais sutis, de causa genética e/ou ambiental. CONCLUSÕES: A integração da informação dos modelos atualmente em uso pode contribuir de modo significativo para a compreensão da esquizofrenia. OBJECTIVE: Diagnostic and therapy of somatic diseases like diabetes and hypertension have improved notably with the use of experimental models. For schizophrenia the proposal of a model has made little impact and even scepticism. Nevertheless the most recent studies indicate that "Cognitive Sciences" applied to specific models may help us to find out mechanisms of the disease. This article reviews the models presently under investigation for schizophrenia. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The difficulty to model schizophrenia results from the subjectivity of its symptoms, the difficult to reproduce them in animals and the disease complexity. Research on such a complex phenotype can only proceed by separating its components (endophenotypes) from each other and by the respective manipulation of its experimental counterparts, made by specific interventions (e.g. pharmacological, surgical, genetic), in the search of a common mechanism leading to these endophenotypes. For integrating these findings with symptoms a global explanatory theory is required. So far, the disease seems to result from a diffuse neuronal disconnection as a consequence of minor brain abnormalities with a genetic and/or environmental cause. CONCLUSIONS: An integrative approach of the diversity of models presently used may improve our understanding of schizophrenia.

We describe a case that illustrates the particularities of DPD and proposals for treatment.M., 27, single, with a university degree, sought psychi -atric treatment with complaints that she "did not feel her body". She reported that she felt strange and empty, that her body seemed to be somewhere else and hollow, with nothing but the skin, and it seemed to be someone else's body. She had come to the point of wearing numerous brace -lets to mark the boundaries of her own limbs. She also suf -fered from affective detachment, frequently stating “I feel like I was dead” or “I feel nothing”, but complained of in -tense anxiety in social situations. Reality testing was intact. Slightly depressed mood and mitigated panic-like symp-toms were also identified; however, she did not fulfill the criteria for any other DSM axis I disorder, as confirmed by the MINI-plus. There were no comorbid conditions or history of drug abuse. She had a normal neurological examination, and an EEG showed no abnormalities.As the patient did not respond to risperidone 2 mg/day, motrigine may also be beneficial, albeit partially, in female it was replaced with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which led to anxiety improvement, but the specific symptoms of DPD grew worse. A subsequent change to ven -lafaxine 225 mg/day led to a significant mood improvement and a reduction in panic-like episodes; however, deperson -alization and derealization remained unchanged. Lamotrigine was then added at an initial dose of 25 mg/day, with a gradual increase to up to 200 mg/day. The patient had significant improvement in different aspects, such as affect, interpersonal contact and social interac-tion. The depersonalization symptoms gradually decreased, which made it possible for the patient to go back to work. During that period, a Portuguese version of the Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS) was used.