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Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is linked to the deterioration of cognitive function among individuals suffering from schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to compare the cognitive performance of schizophrenic patients before and after COVID-19., Methods: A longitudinal cohort study involving a sample of 219 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia was enrolled between June 2022 and May 2023. The participants were split into two groups infected with COVID-19 ( n = 165) and not infected with COVID-19 ( n = 54). The data were gathered via a questionnaire on demographic characteristics, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)., Results: The repeated-measures ANOVA showed that Among patients diagnosed with COVID-19, there was a deterioration in global cognitive function (before COVID-19 = -2.45 vs. after COVID-19 = -3.02, p = 0.007), working memory (before COVID-19 = -2.76 vs. after COVID-19 = -3.34, p < 0.00 1), motor speed (before COVID-19 = -1.64 vs. after COVID-19 = -2.12, p < 0.001), attention and speed of information processing (before COVID-19 = -1.93 vs. after COVID-19 = -1.16, p = 0.008). multi-variable analysis showed that several factors as having a secondary grade of education ( β = 0.434), experiencing insomnia ( β = 0.411)and the interaction between COVID-19 diagnosis and cognition at baseline ( β = 0.796) were significantly associated with cognitive deficits. At the same time, no significant associations were found between global cognition and clinical symptoms, autonomy, or depression ( p > 0.05)., Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted various cognitive functions, such as verbal memory, working memory, and global cognition. Insomnia has been identified as the predominant determinant of cognitive impairment, alongside the confirmation of a COVID-19 diagnosis. Additional research is imperative to elucidate the diversification of cognitive functionality observed in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia who have acquired COVID-19., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Mehmood, Almajwal, Addas, Zeb, Alam and Sehar.)

Cognitive deficits are predictors of social functioning but remain an unmet therapeutic challenge. While lowering the antipsychotics carries a risk of relapse, it possibly has a beneficial effect on cognitive function. However, this has not been examined in a real-world setting. A prospective naturalistic 6-month follow-up study (n = 71) was conducted with patients between 18 and 45 years in their first five years of illness and the maintenance phase of the treatment. Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) was administered to assess cognitive functions. Patients were divided into three groups based on the change in dose of antipsychotics. The data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects modeling (LMEM) to examine the group differences. At the end of six months, those with decreased antipsychotic dose had significant improvement in BACS total score, token test, and symbol coding compared to those with no change in the dose of antipsychotic. Reducing the dose of antipsychotics during the maintenance phase was associated with improved cognitive functions without an increased risk of relapse. Antipsychotic dose reduction may be better than discontinuation as the relapse risk is higher with the discontinuation strategy. Clinicians must balance the improvements in cognitive functions and relapse risk., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Assessment of cognitive disorders in schizophrenia is becoming a part of clinical and research practice by using batteries that differ widely in their content. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) was developed to cover the main cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. The objective of this study was to assess concurrent validity of the Arabic version of the BACS with a standard neurocognitive battery of tests in Lebanese patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls., Methods: A sample of 120 stable inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 60 healthy controls received the Arabic version of the BACS in a first session, and a standard battery in a second session., Results: Mean duration of completion for the BACS was 31.2 ± 5.4 min in patients with schizophrenia. All tests demonstrated significant differences between controls and patients (p < .01). Principal components analysis demonstrated that a one-factor solution best fits our dataset (64.8% of the variance). High Cronbach alpha was found (.85). The BACS composite scores were significantly correlated with the standard battery composite scores in patients (r = .73, p < .001) and healthy controls (r = .78, p < .001). Also, correlation analysis between the BACS sub-scores and the standard battery sub-scores showed significant results (p < .05)., Conclusion: Results showed that the Arabic version of the BACS demonstrated high ability to discriminate patients with schizophrenia from healthy controls and it is a useful tool for assessing cognition in patients with schizophrenia and could be used in clinical practice in Lebanon.

The Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS) is an interview-based assessment of cognition that involves interviews with patients and informants. The SCoRS has shown good reliability, validity, and sensitivity to cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, with the advantage of brief administration and scoring time. The present study aimed to test the concurrent validity of the Persian version of the SCoRS. A group of 35 patients with schizophrenia and a group of 35 healthy controls received the Persian-SCoRS in the first session, and a standardized performance-based cognitive battery, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), in the second session.Our results indicated that the Persian version of the SCoRS was sensitive to cognitive impairment in the patients. The Persian SCoRS global rating was significantly associated with the composite score generated from the Persian version of the BACS and predicted functional outcomes as measured by Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHO QOL). A Persian version of the SCoRS, an interview based measure of cognition that included informants, is related to cognitive performance and global functioning., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Computerized tests benefit from automated scoring procedures and standardized administration instructions. These methods can reduce the potential for rater error. However, especially in patients with severe mental illnesses, the equivalency of traditional and tablet-based tests cannot be assumed. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) is a pen-and-paper cognitive assessment tool that has been used in hundreds of research studies and clinical trials, and has normative data available for generating age- and gender-corrected standardized scores. A tablet-based version of the BACS called the BAC App has been developed. This study compared performance on the BACS and the BAC App in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Test equivalency was assessed, and the applicability of paper-based normative data was evaluated. Results demonstrated the distributions of standardized composite scores for the tablet-based BAC App and the pen-and-paper BACS were indistinguishable, and the between-methods mean differences were not statistically significant. The discrimination between patients and controls was similarly robust. The between-methods correlations for individual measures in patients were r>0.70 for most subtests. When data from the Token Motor Test was omitted, the between-methods correlation of composite scores was r=0.88 (df=48; p<0.001) in healthy controls and r=0.89 (df=46; p<0.001) in patients, consistent with the test-retest reliability of each measure. Taken together, results indicate that the tablet-based BAC App generates results consistent with the traditional pen-and-paper BACS, and support the notion that the BAC App is appropriate for use in clinical trials and clinical practice., (Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Despite possessing considerable relevance for planning and delivery of effective rehabilitation interventions, systematic evaluation of cognitive function is often ignored in clinical practice. This paper describes a successful method for measuring cognitive function and the nature of cognitive deficits (CD) in people with schizophrenia admitted to psychiatric rehabilitation services., Methods: Data on the cognitive functioning of consecutive patients with schizophrenia / schizoaffective disorder admitted during a 5-year period to a public in-patient rehabilitation facility was collated retrospectively and analysed. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) was used to evaluate cognitive function., Results: It was possible to administer the BACS to 122 of 135 consecutive admissions. The mean composite score on the BACS was 1.8 standard deviations below the norm, and 43% had moderate or severe CD. The BACS sub-tests of list learning and symbol coding revealed more severe deficits., Conclusions: The study indicates that evaluation of cognitive function using brief instruments is feasible in psychiatric rehabilitation settings. Global and domain-specific CD were prevalent among people with schizophrenia. In view of the strong association of cognitive functioning with community functioning and rehabilitation outcomes, further studies exploring the feasibility and utility of routinely evaluating cognitive function are warranted., (© The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2016.)

Objectives: A growing body of evidence suggests that impairment in cognitive functioning is an important clinical feature of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and that these cognitive alterations worsen with age. Although cognitive assessments are increasingly becoming a part of research and clinical practice in schizophrenia, a standardized and easily administered test battery for elderly patients with bipolar disorder is still lacking. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) captures those domains of cognition that are the most severely affected in patients with schizophrenia and the most strongly correlated with functional outcome. The primary aim of our study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of the BACS in assessing cognitive functioning in elderly euthymic patients with bipolar disorder, and to compare their cognitive profile to that of elderly patients with schizophrenia., Methods: Elderly euthymic patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia were assessed using the BACS and a standard cognitive test battery., Results: Fifty-seven elderly patients (aged 60 years and older) with bipolar disorder (n = 42) or schizophrenia (n = 15) were invited to participate. All of the patients were assessed by the BACS as being cognitively impaired. The patients with bipolar disorder scored significantly higher on the global scale and the verbal memory and attention sub-scores of the BACS than the patients with schizophrenia., Discussion: The BACS appears to be a feasible and informative cognitive assessment tool for elderly patients with bipolar disorder. We believe that these preliminary results merit further investigation., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Two types of verbal fluency tasks (letter fluency task; LFT, category fluency task; CFT) have been widely used to assess cognitive function in people with psychiatric diseases including schizophrenia. The task demand of the LFT is considered to vary across languages, as the cognitive process largely relies on sound and writing systems. Specifically, a sound unit for a letter (s) and a manner of association between them are assumed to be related with the performance. In the current study, three analyses have been conducted to examine this issue, using Japanese, Turkish, and English-speaking patients with schizophrenia. It was hypothesized that severity of letter fluency impairment would be in the order of Japanese, Turkish, and English speaking patients according to the inflexibility of a word search. First, performance on the LFT and the CFT was compared among Japanese (N=40), Turkish (N=30), and the US (N=31) patients (Analysis 1). A significant difference was found between the US and other two groups only in the LFT. Second, verbal fluency performance was compared between Japanese and Turkish patients by contrasting the degree of disassociations from normal controls (Japanese: N=20, Turkish: N=30) (Analysis 2). In Japanese patients, performance on the LFT was more severely impaired compared to that on the CFT while the opposite trend was found in the Turkish counterpart, suggesting that letter fluency performance was more degraded in Japanese patients. Finally, Analysis 3 was conducted to examine the relative order of letter fluency impairment among Japanese, Turkish and English-speaking patients. Disassociation in English users with schizophrenia was estimated based on previous meta-analytic reviews. The effect size (ES) for the letter fluency deficit was the largest in the Japanese sample, while the other two groups share similar ESs. The results from the three analyses partially supported the hypothesis for the severity of the letter fluency impairment in patients with schizophrenia. The language-dependency of letter fluency impairment was thought to be explained by the theoretical model built on unique properties of sound and writing systems. The considerations presented here would provide useful information for optimizing the portability of cognitive tasks across languages., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Mismatch negativity (MMN) is known to be associated with neurocognition, social cognition, and functional outcomes. The present study explored the relationships of MMN with neurocognition, theory of mind, and functional outcomes in patients with schizophrenia, first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia, and healthy controls., Methods: Twenty-five patients with schizophrenia, 21 first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia, and 29 healthy controls were recruited. We examined symptom severity, neurocognition, theory of mind, functional outcomes, and MMN., Results: MMN amplitudes decreased in order of patients with schizophrenia, then first-degree relatives, then healthy controls. MMN amplitude was significantly correlated with measures of neurocognition, theory of mind, and functional outcome measurements in patients with schizophrenia. However, the most powerful correlations were those between MMN in the frontal region and measures of functional outcomes. The power and frequency of the correlations were weaker in first-degree relatives and healthy controls than in patients with schizophrenia. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that functional outcomes (relative to measures of neurocognition and theory of mind) constituted the most powerful predictor of MMN., Conclusions: Our results suggest that MMN reflects functional outcomes more efficiently than do measures of neurocognition and theory of mind in patients with schizophrenia., (© 2013.)

BackgroundThe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is linked to the deterioration of cognitive function among individuals suffering from schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to compare the cognitive performance of schizophrenic patients before and after COVID-19.MethodsA longitudinal cohort study involving a sample of 219 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia was enrolled between June 2022 and May 2023. The participants were split into two groups infected with COVID-19 (n = 165) and not infected with COVID-19 (n = 54). The data were gathered via a questionnaire on demographic characteristics, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).ResultsThe repeated-measures ANOVA showed that Among patients diagnosed with COVID-19, there was a deterioration in global cognitive function (before COVID-19 = −2.45 vs. after COVID-19 = −3.02, p = 0.007), working memory (before COVID-19 = −2.76 vs. after COVID-19 = −3.34, p < 0.00 1), motor speed (before COVID-19 = −1.64 vs. after COVID-19 = −2.12, p < 0.001), attention and speed of information processing (before COVID-19 = −1.93 vs. after COVID-19 = −1.16, p = 0.008). multi-variable analysis showed that several factors as having a secondary grade of education (β = 0.434), experiencing insomnia (β = 0.411)and the interaction between COVID-19 diagnosis and cognition at baseline (β = 0.796) were significantly associated with cognitive deficits. At the same time, no significant associations were found between global cognition and clinical symptoms, autonomy, or depression (p > 0.05).ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted various cognitive functions, such as verbal memory, working memory, and global cognition. Insomnia has been identified as the predominant determinant of cognitive impairment, alongside the confirmation of a COVID-19 diagnosis. Additional research is imperative to elucidate the diversification of cognitive functionality observed in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia who have acquired COVID-19.

Computerized tests benefit from automated scoring procedures and standardized administration instructions. These methods can reduce the potential for rater error. However, especially in patients with severe mental illnesses, the equivalency of traditional and tablet-based tests cannot be assumed. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) is a pen-and-paper cognitive assessment tool that has been used in hundreds of research studies and clinical trials, and has normative data available for generating age- and gender-corrected standardized scores. A tablet-based version of the BACS called the BAC App has been developed. This study compared performance on the BACS and the BAC App in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Test equivalency was assessed, and the applicability of paper-based normative data was evaluated. Results demonstrated the distributions of standardized composite scores for the tablet-based BAC App and the pen-and-paper BACS were indistinguishable, and the between-methods mean differences were not statistically significant. The discrimination between patients and controls was similarly robust. The between-methods correlations for individual measures in patients were r>0.70 for most subtests. When data from the Token Motor Test was omitted, the between-methods correlation of composite scores was r=0.88 (df=48; p

Abstract Background Assessment of cognitive disorders in schizophrenia is becoming a part of clinical and research practice by using batteries that differ widely in their content. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) was developed to cover the main cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. The objective of this study was to assess concurrent validity of the Arabic version of the BACS with a standard neurocognitive battery of tests in Lebanese patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Methods A sample of 120 stable inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 60 healthy controls received the Arabic version of the BACS in a first session, and a standard battery in a second session. Results Mean duration of completion for the BACS was 31.2 ± 5.4 min in patients with schizophrenia. All tests demonstrated significant differences between controls and patients (p

Vitamin D deficiency is a frequent finding in schizophrenia and may contribute to neurocognitive dysfunction, a core element of the disease. However, there is limited knowledge about the neuropsychological profile of vitamin D deficiency-related cognitive deficits and their underlying molecular mechanisms. As an inductor of cytochrome P450 3A4, a lack of vitamin D might aggravate cognitive deficits by increased exposure to anticholinergic antipsychotics. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the relationship between 25-OH-vitamin D-serum concentrations, anticholinergic drug exposure and neurocognitive functioning (Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia, BACS, and Trail Making Test, TMT) in 141 patients with schizophrenia. The anticholinergic drug exposure was estimated by adjusting the concentration of each drug for its individual muscarinic receptor affinity. Using regression analysis, we observed a positive relationship between vitamin D levels and processing speed (TMT-A and BACS Symbol Coding) as well as executive functioning (TMT-B and BACS Tower of London). Moreover, a negative impact of vitamin D on anticholinergic drug exposure emerged, but the latter did not significantly affect cognition. When other cognitive items were included as regressors, the impact of vitamin D remained only significant for the TMT-A. Among the different cognitive impairments in schizophrenia, vitamin D deficiency may most directly affect processing speed, which in turn may aggravate deficits in executive functioning. This finding is not explained by a cytochrome P450-mediated increased exposure to anticholinergic antipsychotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive impairment affects real-world functioning in people with schizophrenia who often face difficulties in their activities of daily living. Subjectively-assessed cognitive impairment can be evaluated through data on the patient's daily difficulties, as reported by the patient. However, the specific neurocognitive functions responsible for these cognitive impairments have not been clarified. We examined cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia using the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale Japanese version (SCoRS-J) and the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia Japanese version (BACS-J). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between subjectively-assessed cognitive impairment and objectively assessed neurocognition in patients with schizophrenia. The results showed that patients' global rating scores of the SCoRS-J were significantly correlated with the BACS-J attention scores (r = −0.376, p

Introduction The assessment of cognitive disorders in schizophrenia is becoming a part of clinical and research practice by using batteries that differ widely in their content. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) was developed to cover the main cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. Objectives The objective of this study was to assess concurrent validity of the Arabic version of the BACS with a standard neurocognitive battery of tests in Lebanese patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Methods A sample of 120 stable inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 60 healthy controls received the Arabic version of the BACS in a first session, and a standard battery in a second session. Results The mean duration of completion for the BACS was 31.2 ± 5.4 min in patients with schizophrenia. All tests demonstrated significant differences between controls and patients (p

Cognitive function is impaired in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, even in their prodromal stages. Specifically, the assessment of cognitive abilities related to daily-living functioning, or functional capacity, is important to predict long-term outcome. In this study, we sought to determine the validity of the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS) Japanese version, an interview-based measure of cognition relevant to functional capacity (i.e. co-primary measure). For this purpose, we examined the relationship of SCoRS scores with performance on the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) Japanese version, a standard neuropsychological test battery, and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS), an interview-based social function scale. Subjects for this study (n = 294) included 38 patients with first episode schizophrenia (FES), 135 with chronic schizophrenia (CS), 102 with at-risk mental state (ARMS) and 19 with other psychiatric disorders with psychosis. SCoRS scores showed a significant relationship with SOFAS scores for the entire subjects. Also, performance on the BACS was significantly correlated with SCoRS scores. These associations were also noted within each diagnosis (FES, CS, ARMS). These results indicate the utility of SCoRS as a measure of functional capacity that is associated both with cognitive function and real-world functional outcome in subjects with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Background: The relationship between violence and neurocognitive function in schizophrenia is unclear. We examined the backgrounds and neurocognitive functions of violent and nonviolent patients with schizophrenia to identify factors associated with serious violence. Methods: Thirty male patients with schizophrenia who were hospitalized after committing serious violent acts were compared with 24 hospitalized male patients with schizophrenia and no history of violence. We evaluated psychiatric symptoms using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and neurocognitive functions using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS)-Japanese version. Results: Repeated-measures analyses of variance on BACS subcomponents z-scores showed that the violent and control groups had different neuropsychological profiles at trend level (p = 0.095). Post hoc analyses of variance indicated that the violent group had significantly better working memory and executive function than the control group. In post hoc ANOVAs also controlling for the effect of the presence of substance abuse on cognitive function, violent or nonviolent group had a significant main effect on executive function but not on working memory. Conclusions: Patient with violent or non-violent schizophrenia have distinct neuropsychological profiles. These results may help develop improved psychosocial treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a dearth of non-Western normative data for neuropsychological batteries designed to measure cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Here, we provide normative data for English-speaking ethnic Chinese on the widely used Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia acquired from 595 healthy community participants between ages 14 and 55. Means and standard deviations of subtests and composite scores were stratified by age group and sex. We also explored linear regression approaches to generate continuous norms adjusted for age, sex, and education. Notable differences in subtest performances were found against a Western comparison sample. Normative data established in the current sample are essential for clinical and research purposes as it serves as a reference source of cognition for ethnic Chinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Hermansky--Pudlak Syndrome Type 4 (HPS4) gene, which encodes a subunit protein of the biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex (BLOC)-3, which is involved in late endosomal trafficking, is associated with schizophrenia; however, its clinical relevance in schizophrenia remains unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether HPS4 is associated with cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls and with the clinical profiles of patients with schizophrenia. Methods We investigated the association of variants of HPS4 with clinical symptoms and cognitive function in Japanese patients with schizophrenia (n = 240) and age-matched healthy control subjects (n = 240) with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)- or haplotype-based linear regression. We analyzed five tagging SNPs (rs4822724, rs61276843, rs9608491, rs713998, and rs2014410) of HPS4 and 2-5 locus haplotypes of these five SNPs. The cognitive functions of patients and healthy subjects were evaluated with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia, Japanese-language version, and the patients were assessed for their symptomatology with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). Results In patients with schizophrenia, rs713998 was significantly associated with executive function under the dominant genetic model (P = 0.0073). In healthy subjects, there was a significant association between working memory and two individual SNPs under the recessive model (rs9608491: P = 0.001; rs713998: P = 0.0065) and two haplotypes (rs9608491-713998: P = 0.0025; rs61276843-9608491-713998: P = 0.0064). No significant association was found between HPS4 SNPs and PANSS scores or premorbid IQ, as measured by the Japanese version of the National Adult Reading Test. Conclusions These findings suggested the involvement of HPS4 in the working memory of healthy subjects and in the executive function deficits in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigated the effects of the atypical antipsychotics risperidone, olanzapine, and aripiprazole on the cognitive functions of Japanese patients with schizophrenia with respect to dosage amounts and dosing schedules. We performed a cross-sectional survey using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia – Japanese Language Version (BACS-J) to evaluate the neurocognitive functions of 101 schizophrenic patients who took the same dose of one of the three aforementioned antipsychotics for at least 3 months. The BACS-J composite score correlated negatively with the prescribed dosages of risperidone and olanzapine. In contrast, we did not find a correlation between the BACS-J composite score and the prescribed dosage of aripiprazole. Moreover, the primary scores for verbal learning, motor function, and attention and processing speed were significantly lower among the patients who were taking the prescribed dosage of risperidone. The scores for verbal learning and motor function were also significantly lower when correlated with the prescribed dosage of olanzapine. We did not find a correlation between any of the primary scores on the BACS-J and the prescribed dosage of aripiprazole. In fact, the results suggest there is no linear relationship between the dose of aripiprazole and cognitive impairment, which may be due to its unique pharmacological profile. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To provide normative values for the Italian population for the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), a recent brief neuropsychological instrument for the assessment of cognition in patients with schizophrenia. Data were collected from 204 healthy adult Italian subjects, stratified by gender, education and age. Tests included in the BACS are the following: list learning, digit sequencing, verbal fluency, token motor task, symbol-coding and Tower of London. Normative values were established using the Equivalent Scores method in order to enable comparison with other neuropsychological tasks commonly used in the assessment of the Italian population. Performance on the BACS was influenced by the commonest demographic variables such as age and education. The availability of normative data for the Italian population will increase the usefulness of this test for both clinical and experimental purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The assessment of cognitive disorders in schizophrenia is becoming a part of clinical and research practice by using batteries that differ widely in their content. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) was developed to cover the main cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess concurrent validity of the Arabic version of the BACS with a standard neurocognitive battery of tests in Lebanese patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Methods: A sample of 120 stable inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 60 healthy controls received the Arabic version of the BACS in a first session, and a standard battery in a second session. Results: The mean duration of completion for the BACS was 31.2 ± 5.4 min in patients with schizophrenia. All tests demonstrated significant differences between controls and patients (p<0.01). A principal components analysis demonstrated that a one-factor solution best fits our dataset (64.8% of the variance). A high Cronbach alpha was found (0.85). The BACS composite scores were significantly correlated with the standard battery composite scores in patients (r=0.78, p < 0.001) and healthy controls (r=0.77, p < 0.001). Also, the correlation analysis between the BACS sub-scores and the standard battery sub-scores showed significant results (p < 0.05). The Arabic-BACS demonstrated high ability to discriminate patients with schizophrenia from healthy controls. Conclusions: The results showed that the Arabic version of the BACS is a useful tool for assessing cognition in patients with schizophrenia and could be used in clinical practice in Lebanon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Schizophrenic patients demonstrate impairments in several key dimensions of cognition. These impairments are correlated with important aspects of functional outcome. While assessment of these cognition disorders is increasingly becoming a part of clinical and research practice in schizophrenia, there is no standard and easily administered test battery. The BACS (Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia) has been validated in English language [Keefe RSE, Golberg TE, Harvey PD, Gold JM, Poe MP, Coughenour L. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia: reliability, sensibility, and comparison with a standard neurocognitive battery. Schizophr. Res 2004;68:283–97], and was found to be as sensitive to cognitive dysfunction as a standard battery of tests, with the advantage of requiring less than 35 min to complete. We developed a French adaptation of the BACS and this study tested its ease of administration and concurrent validity. Correlation analyses between the BACS (version A) and a standard battery were performed. A sample of 50 stable schizophrenic patients received the French Version A of the BACS in a first session, and in a second session a standard battery. All the patients completed each of the subtests of the French BACS . The mean duration of completion for the BACS French version was 36 min (S.D.=5.56). A correlation analysis between the BACS (version A) global score and the standard battery global score showed a significant result (r =0.81, p <0.0001). The correlation analysis between the BACS (version A) sub-scores and the standard battery sub-scores showed significant results for verbal memory, working memory, verbal fluency, attention and speed of information processing and executive functions (p <0.001) and for motor speed (p <0.05). The French Version of the BACS is easier to use in French schizophrenic patients compared to a standard battery (administration shorter and completion rate better) and its good psychometric properties suggest that the French Version of the BACS may be a useful tool for assessing cognition in schizophrenic patients with French as their primary language. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Studies of neurocognitive function in patients with schizophrenia use widely variable assessment techniques. Clinical trials assessing the cognitive enhancing effect of new medications have used neurocognitive assessment batteries that differed in content, length and administration procedures. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) is a newly developed instrument that assesses the aspects of cognition found to be most impaired and most strongly correlated with outcome in patients with schizophrenia. The BACS requires less than 35 min to complete in patients with schizophrenia, yields a high completion rate in these patients, and has high reliability. The BACS was found to be as sensitive to cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia as a standard battery of tests that required over 2 h to administer. Compared to healthy controls matched for age and parental education, patients with schizophrenia performed 1.49 standard deviations lower on a composite score calculated from the BACS and 1.61 standard deviations lower on a composite score calculated from the standard battery. The BACS composite scores were highly correlated with the standard battery composite scores in patients (r=0.76) and healthy controls (r=0.90). These psychometric properties make the BACS a promising tool for assessing cognition repeatedly in patients with schizophrenia, especially in clinical trials of cognitive enhancement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: The assessment of cognitive disorders in schizophrenia is becoming a part of clinical and research practice by using batteries that differ widely in their content. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), validated in English and other languages, was developed to cover the main cognitive deficits of schizophrenia and to be administered briefly and easily. Objectives: To test the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the BACS in a sample of Lebanese patients with schizophrenia. Methods: A sample of 54 stable patients with schizophrenia received the Arabic version of the BACS (version A) in a first session, and a standard battery in a second session. All patients completed each of the subtests of the BACS. Results: The mean duration of completion for the BACS Arabic version was 23.70 ± 5.02 min. A principal components analysis demonstrated that a one-factor solution best fits our dataset (68.29% of the variance). A high reliability analysis of the BACS was found (Cronbach alpha = 0.906). The correlation analysis between the BACS global score and the standard battery global score showed a significant result (r=0.91, p < 0.001). The correlation analysis between the BACS sub-scores and the standard battery sub-scores showed significant results for verbal memory, working memory, verbal fluency, attention and speed of information processing and executive functions and for motor speed (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These preliminary results showed that the Arabic version of the BACS is a useful tool for assessing cognition in patients with schizophrenia and could be used in clinical practice in Lebanon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]