Development of Population Norms of the Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment for Effectiveness of the Antipsychotic Treatment in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia affects cognition, emotion, and behavior. Neuropsychological assessment enables a better understanding of antipsychotic effectiveness and the brain processes, underlying cognitive functioning in schizophrenia. Neurocognitive deficits in schizophrenia patients appears to explain up to 61% of the variance of functional outcome and is an important predictor of social reintegration (Peuskens et al, 2005) and independent living activitiy (Green et al, 2004). Impaired social functioning within schizophrenia population has been associated with increased health-care costs. Since social and occupational disability may generate the largest indirect costs of the illness, treatment of cognitive deficits has an enormous impact on the cost and disability associated with schizophrenia (McGurk and Mueser, 2004). However, the gap between cognitive science and clinical practice limits the implementation of cognitive assessment in the routine evaluation of schizophrenia patients. Pharmaceutical industry initiated numerous large scale, multisite studies on the impact of novel antipsychotics on cognitive deficits in schizophrenia patients. The aim of this research is to develop population norms of the computerized neuropsychological assessment for effectiveness of the antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia.