Stability of performance on neuropsychological tests in patients with schizophrenia.

This study evaluated the stability of performance on neuropsychological tests in a group of 14 schizophrenic patients. These patients were first tested as inpatients and later on as outpatients. The patients' results are also compared with matched normal controls and with standardized norms. The patients' test results were stable over time and no change in performance was found for the patients as a group, suggesting that these aspects of the patients' functioning were of a trait quality. The patient group had significantly poorer results on a majority of the tests compared with the controls. The variation of the level of cognitive functioning among the patients, however, was great. In clinical practice today, neuropsychological examinations are often included in the diagnostic procedure, and their results also have impact on treatment planning. However, the possibility to generalize the findings is reduced as a consequence of the low number of patients in the study.