Cognitive remediation (CR), a therapy that encompasses nonpharmacologic approaches to improving cognitive function for patients with severe mental illness, may lead to significant improvement for patients with schizophrenia, new research suggests.
A systematic review of 130 worldwide studies that included almost 9000 participants showed that CR significantly improved global cognition and global functioning. In addition, investigators identified key patient characteristics that flagged ideal candidates for the therapy.
"Because pharmacological treatment exerts limited effects on cognitive deficits, and clinical remission does not necessarily result in functional recovery, widespread implementation of CR could be a game-changer for achieving the patient's personal recovery goals," the researchers write.
"We hope that this systematic review could help clinicians understand how to make CR even more effective and even more personalized," lead author Antonio Vita, MD, PhD, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy, told Medscape Medical News.
Vita noted that he would also encourage clinicians to consider "proposing it for clinical practice."
The findings were presented at the virtual Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) 2021 and were published simultaneously in JAMA Psychiatry.
Resistance Continues
Cognition "should be a focus of treatment because most of the disability and functional consequences of the disease are related to...neurocognitive impairment and impairment of social cognition," Vita said.
