Efficacy of Personalizing Cognitive Remediation for Schizophrenia by Targeting Impairments in Early Auditory Processing.
Alice Medalia, Alice M Saperstein, Daniel C Javitt et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized controlled trial tested whether personalizing cognitive remediation (CR) by baseline early auditory processing (EAP) status improved outcomes in 184 outpatient adults with schizophrenia. Participants with intact or impaired EAP were assigned to restorative CR that either included EAP training or did not; cognitive and functional outcomes were assessed after treatment and 3 months later. Cognitive gains across treatment conditions were moderate, but adding EAP training did not significantly affect EAP, cognitive, or functional outcomes in either baseline EAP group. EAP improved modestly among participants with baseline impairment across both conditions.
Key findings
- Across CR conditions, cognitive gains had a moderate effect size.
- Including EAP training did not significantly change EAP, cognitive, or functional outcomes in either baseline EAP group.
- EAP improved significantly but modestly among participants with baseline EAP impairment, regardless of treatment condition.
- Cognitive gains did not mediate the relationship between EAP gains and functional capacity.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that cognitive remediation can be associated with cognitive and functional gains in people with schizophrenia, including those with EAP impairment, without requiring EAP-specific exercises. They also indicate that baseline EAP status did not identify a group with a demonstrated differential benefit from adding this training, while EAP itself showed some capacity to improve.
What to keep in mind
The abstract reports outcomes only through 3 months after treatment; longer-term effects are not established.