Working Memory Deficit as a Risk Factor for Severe Apathy in Schizophrenia: A 1-Year Longitudinal Study.

Apathy, described as impaired motivation and goal-directed behavior, is a common yet often overlooked multidimensional psychopathological state in schizophrenia. Its underlying cognitive processes remain largely unexplored. Data was drawn from a longitudinal hospital study of patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia; 137 (82.

The Lille Apathy Rating Scale (LARS): exploring its psychometric properties in schizophrenia.

Background: Apathy in schizophrenia patients is linked to marked functional impairments and can be defined as a quantitative reduction of voluntary, goal-directed behaviors. If there are now convincing arguments to consider apathy as a multidimensional psychopathological state (cognitive, emotional, and behavioral), there is a lack of validated and standardized instruments for detecting apathy and assessing its multidimensional aspects in schizophrenia. The Lille Apathy Rating Scale (LARS) is a semi-structured interview, yielding a global score and composite subscores for the different domains of apathy and has been validated in several different contexts but not in schizophrenia patients.

Treating patients with schizophrenia deficit with erythropoietin?

This systematic review summarizes and critically appraises the literature on the effect of erythropoietin (EPO) in schizophrenia patients and the pathophysiological mechanisms that may explain the potential of its use in this disease. EPO is mainly known for its regulatory activity in the synthesis of erythrocytes and is frequently used in treatment of chronic anemia. This cytokine, however, has many other properties, some of which may improve the symptoms of psychiatric illness.