Comparative psychometric properties of the BACS and RBANS in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Objectives: There has been a recent impetus to develop short and portable instruments for the cognitive assessment of patients with schizophrenia in clinical settings, but direct comparative data are lacking. The objectives of the present study were to compare the psychometric properties of two such batteries, the BACS (Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia) and the RBANS (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status).

Methods: The French version of the BACS and the RBANS was administered to 36 patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, and 14 healthy controls.

Age-dependent discrepancies between computerized and paper cognitive testing in patients with schizophrenia.

Computer-based cognitive testing is gaining in popularity because of desirable features such as ease of use, standardized administration and online data acquisition. Information technology and computer familiarity are clearly influenced by age in the general population, but the impact of this situation on cognitive testing of patients with schizophrenia has received little attention. In the present paper, participants underwent cognitive testing with computer and paper versions of the same tests.

Assessment of malondialdehyde levels in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis and some methodological considerations.

Oxidative stress has long been suggested to participate in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Most of the published data on the subject rely on malondialdehyde levels assessment through thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), despite significant methodological concerns. The present paper reports on a meta-analysis of studies published up to July 2006.