Perlick D, Mattis S, Stastny P, Teresi J
Department of Psychiatry, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, White Plains 10605.
J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1992 Fall;4(4):428-34. doi: 10.1176/jnp.4.4.428.
This study investigates specific neuropsychological functions discriminating schizophrenic patients with hospitalization beyond 18 months from patients residing in the community without rehospitalization beyond 3 years. Twenty-six Research Diagnostic Criteria-diagnosed chronic schizophrenic outpatients and 26 inpatients matched for sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and chronicity completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and responded to an inventory of psychopathology. Discriminant function analyses showed that measures of motor coordination, preservation, memory, and attention discriminated between patient groups. Bilateral simultaneous fine motor coordination was the most potent discriminator between patient groups, independent of psychopathology. Implications for treatment and research on course and outcome in schizophrenia are discussed.
