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Using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia ( BACS ) to assess cognitive impairment in older patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Author(s) -
Cholet Jennyfer,
Sauvaget Anne,
Vanelle JeanMarie,
Hommet Caroline,
Mondon Karl,
Mamet JeanPhilippe,
Camus Vincent
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
bipolar disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.285
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1399-5618
pISSN - 1398-5647
DOI - 10.1111/bdi.12171
Subject(s) - schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , bipolar disorder , cognition , psychology , psychiatry , clinical psychology , cognitive test
Objectives A growing body of evidence suggests that impairment in cognitive functioning is an important clinical feature of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and that these cognitive alterations worsen with age. Although cognitive assessments are increasingly becoming a part of research and clinical practice in schizophrenia, a standardized and easily administered test battery for elderly patients with bipolar disorder is still lacking. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia ( BACS ) captures those domains of cognition that are the most severely affected in patients with schizophrenia and the most strongly correlated with functional outcome. The primary aim of our study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of the BACS in assessing cognitive functioning in elderly euthymic patients with bipolar disorder, and to compare their cognitive profile to that of elderly patients with schizophrenia. Methods Elderly euthymic patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia were assessed using the BACS and a standard cognitive test battery. Results Fifty‐seven elderly patients (aged 60 years and older) with bipolar disorder (n = 42) or schizophrenia (n = 15) were invited to participate. All of the patients were assessed by the BACS as being cognitively impaired. The patients with bipolar disorder scored significantly higher on the global scale and the verbal memory and attention sub‐scores of the BACS than the patients with schizophrenia. Discussion The BACS appears to be a feasible and informative cognitive assessment tool for elderly patients with bipolar disorder. We believe that these preliminary results merit further investigation.