iPad Intervention Boosts Cognition in Schizophrenia

In a previous post, I summarized some of the current thinking on the use of cognitive enhancement drugs in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ADHD and schizophrenia.

This summary was based on a review by Gabe Howard and colleagues. The review also included a summary of a clinical trial using an iPad cognitive training app for the treatment of cognition in schizophrenia.

Here are the key elements of the study and the results.

Study sample: 22 adults with a diagnosis of DSM-5 schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or schizophreniform disorder. Most subjects were receiving antipsychotic drug treatment during the course of the study.

Intervention design: Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. One completed 8 hours of training on an iPad cognitive training app over 4 weeks while the remaining group continued as a treatment as usual control group

iPad app details: A study-designed app that used a paired associative learning task into a narrative game that provided feedback and used visual and music stimulation to keep subjects engage

Outcome measure: Baseline and 4 week neuropsychological testing using the CANTAB PAL task

Results: The CT intervention group showed superior pattern location, fewer errors and improved rating on the Global Assessment of Functioning scale compared to the treatment as usual group

This study has several implications. First, it appears game app design can be effectively used in schizophrenia. Additionally, this type of intervention appears to produce improvement in the types of memory impairment associated with the disorder. The study should stimulate further development and implementation of cognitive training tools in schizophrenia and other neuroscience medicine disorders.

Readers with more interest in this research can access the free full-text manuscript by clicking on the PMID link in the citation below.

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Sahakian BJ, Bruhl AB, Cook J, Killikelly C, Savulich G, Piercy T, Hafizi S, Perez J, Fernandez-Egea E, Suckling J, & Jones PB (2015). The impact of neuroscience on society: cognitive enhancement in neuropsychiatric disorders and in healthy people. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 370 (1677) PMID: 26240429