Neuropsychological prediction of treatment efficacy and one-year outcome in schizophrenia.

The present study was conducted to establish the degree of interrelationship between neuropsychological functioning in the acute phase of the schizophrenic illness, clinical measures of treatment response (positive and negative symptoms), and 1-year outcome. Nineteen SADS/RDC schizophrenic inpatients were clinically rated during a 2-week drug washout period and again following 4 weeks of neuroleptic treatment. The findings revealed that reduced attentional ability in the baseline phase significantly predicted the presence of higher residual negative symptoms following 4 weeks of treatment, while neurocognitive status was unrelated to positive symptom response. With respect to prediction of the 1-year outcome, poor functional status of this schizophrenic population was significantly associated with the presence of baseline memory dysfunction.