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Cognitive impairment in late life schizophrenia: a suitable case for treatment?
Author(s) -
Howard Robert
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199806)13:6<400::aid-gps783>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , cognitive impairment , cognition , psychiatry , psychology , cognitive disorder , medicine , clinical psychology
The benign side‐effect profiles of the atypical antipsychotic drugs have earned them an important niche in old age psychiatry. Evidence for a specific improvement in cognitive function associated with the use of these drugs is inconsistent and the definitive studies are still awaited. If these drugs can improve cognitive function in elderly patients with schizophrenia and schizophrenia‐like psychosis, then in terms of patient‐years of effective treatment of cognition, this action may be more significant than the treatment of Alzheimer's disease with cholinergic therapies. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.