Differential improvement of negative-symptom subfactors after cognitive remediation in low-functioning individuals with schizophrenia

Abstract Background Negative symptoms and cognitive deficits have a substantial predictive value for functional deficits and recovery in schizophrenia. However, the relationship between negative symptoms and cognitive abnormalities is unclear possibly due to the heterogeneity of negative symptoms. This study used the model of expressive and experiential negative symptoms subfactors to decrease this heterogeneity. It examined these subfactors and cognition before and after treatment with computerized cognitive remediation training (CRT) in chronically-hospitalized individuals with psychosis and predominant negative symptoms. Methods Seventy-eight adult participants with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were enrolled in a 12-week CRT program. Assessments of demographic and illness variables, baseline and endpoint assessments of psychopathology (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) and cognition (MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery - MCCB) were conducted. Results The baseline expressive negative subfactor was associated with Processing Speed (r = −0.352, p ≤ 0.001) and Reasoning/Problem Solving (r = −0.338, p ≤ 0.001). Following CRT, there was a significant decrease in the experiential negative subfactor ( p