Aim:
The following study investigated cognitive functioning, using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), in a community-based sample of people with schizophrenia, who are prepared to donate their brain to medical research. Index and total scale scores were examined for prototypical patterns of cognitive dysfunction.
Background:
Existing neuropsychological research shows pervasive cognitive deficits in schizophrenia (Fioravanti et al. Neuropsychology Review 2005; 15:73–95), but there is limited research in Australian community samples that investigates performance on the RBANS: a concise cognitive battery comprising immediate and delayed memory, visuospatial ability, attention and language domains.
Methods:
Forty participants with a history of schizophrenia from the Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders ‘Gift of Hope’ Brain Donor Program were included in the study. The RBANS was completed as part of the initial enrollment process into the program. Scores were compared with normative data from the RBANS manual for people with schizophrenia and healthy controls.
Results:
Preliminary results indicated that group performance across the various cognitive domains was better in the current sample, than in the schizophrenia sample represented in the RBANS manual. Analysis showed higher scores in areas of memory and attention. In fact, all index scores appeared within normal limits for this community sample, compared with the established RBANS normative reference group.
Conclusions:
Cognitive performance on the RBANS may not indicate significant impairment in this community sample of people with schizophrenia. Further analyses will be conducted, comparing performance with an Australian sample without mental illness, matched for age and education.
