Efficacy Of Cognitive Remediation Therapy In Enhancing Verbal Memory In Patients With Schizophrenia: A Baseline, Post-Intervention, And Follow-Up Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/ajpr.v28i1.463Keywords:
Schizophrenia, Verbal Memory, Cognitive Remediation Therapy, Brainwave – R Module, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning TestAbstract
Verbal memory deficits in schizophrenia have a considerable impact on cognitive function, mostly due to impaired encoding ability and increased forgetting rates. Cognitive remediation is the most effective cognitive rehabilitation intervention for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia.
Objective: This study assessed the efficacy of a structured cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) intervention using the Brainwave-R module to improve verbal memory in individuals with schizophrenia.
Method: A cross-sectional design involved 20 inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia, divided equally into intervention and treatment-as-usual groups. The intervention group participated in a four-week CRT program focused on verbal memory. Verbal memory outcomes were assessed using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) at baseline, post-intervention, and two-month follow-up for both groups.
Results: The intervention group showed significant improvements in RAVLT performance after the intervention and at follow-up, compared to the treatment as usual group (p < .05 and p < .01).
Conclusion: CRT using the Brainwave-R module is an effective and sustainable intervention to enhance verbal memory in patients with schizophrenia.
References
1. Bell, M., Bryson, G., & Wexler, B. E. (2003). Cognitive remediation of working memory deficits: Durability of training effects in severely impaired and less severely impaired schizophrenia. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 108(2), 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1034/ j.1600-0447.2003.00110.x
2. Bocchi, A., Vita, A., Barlati, S., Ceraso, A., Deste, G., & Nibbio, G. (2022). Long-term effects of cognitive remediation in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 48(1), 7–21. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbab090
3. Bogie, B. J., Noël, C., Gu, F., Nadeau, S., Shvetz, C., Khan, H., ... & Guimond, S. (2024). Using virtual reality to improve verbal episodic memory in schizophrenia: A proof-of-concept trial. Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, 36, 100305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scog.2024.100305
4. Botero, S., Muñoz, C. C., Ocampo, M. V., Escobar, M., Rangel, A., Quintero, C., ... & García, J. (2013). Verbal working memory in individuals with schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives: Relationship with negative and disorganized symptoms. Actas Españolas de Psiquiatría, 41(2), 106–114.
5. Delahunty, A., & Morice, R. (1996). Effect of risperidone on the cognitive functioning of schizophrenia patients. Psychiatry Research, 65(2), 127–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/ S0165-1781(96)02835-1
6. Eack, S. M., Greenwald, D. P., Hogarty, S. S., Cooley, S. J., DiBarry, A. L., Montrose, D. M., & Keshavan, M. S. (2010). Cognitive enhancement therapy for early-course schizophrenia: Effects of a two-year randomized controlled trial. Psychiatry Services, 60(11), 1468–1476. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2009.60.11.1468
7. Harvey, P. D., & Bowie, C. R. (2019). Cognitive enhancement in schizophrenia: Pharmacological and cognitive remediation approaches. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 42(2), 347–362. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.psc.2019.01.004
8. Keefe, R. S. E., Bilder, R. M., Davis, S. M., Harvey, P. D., Palmer, B. W., Gold, J. M., ... & Lieberman, J. A. (2007). Neurocognitive effects of antipsychotic medications in patients with chronic schizophrenia in the CATIE Trial. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64(6), 633–647. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.64.6.633
9. Li, C., Yang, X., & Wang, Y. (2015). Long-term effects of cognitive remediation therapy on patients with schizophrenia: A two-year follow-up study. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 11, 1437–1445. https://doi.org/10. 2147/NDT.S83460
10. Liu, P., Jin, Y., Ma, J., & Wu, C. (2017). Verbal working memory deficits in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, 8, 25–32. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.scog.2017.03.001
11. Medalia, A., & Choi, J. (2009). Cognitive remediation in schizophrenia. Neuropsychology Review, 19, 353–364. https://doi.org/10. 1007/s11065-009-9107-0
12. Molina, V., & Tsuang, M. T. (2020). Verbal memory deficits in schizophrenia and related disorders: Current status and new perspectives. CNS Spectrums, 25(2), 192–198. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852918001134
13. Mueller, D. R., Schmidt, S. J., & Roder, V. (2013). Integrated psychological therapy: Effectiveness in schizophrenia inpatient settings related to patients’ age. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 21(3), 231–241. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.jagp.2012.10.019
14. Raffard, S. (2023). Cognitive functioning in schizophrenia: A lifespan perspective. Gériatrie et Psychologie Neuropsychiatrie du Vieillissement, 21(4), 477–485. https://doi.org/ 10.1684/pnv.2023.1142
15. Tsapakis, E. M., Dimopoulou, T., & Tarazi, F. I. (2015). Clinical management of negative symptoms of schizophrenia: An update. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 153, 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2015.06.008
16. Vita, A., Barlati, S., Ceraso, A., Nibbio, G., Ariu, C., Deste, G., ... & Wykes, T. (2021). Effectiveness, core elements, and moderators of response of cognitive remediation for schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(9), 848–858. https://doi.org/10.1001/ jamapsychiatry.2021.0620.
17. Wykes, T., Huddy, V., Cellard, C., McGurk, S. R., & Czobor, P. (2011). A meta-analysis of cognitive remediation for schizophrenia: Methodology and effect sizes. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(5), 472–485. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2010.10060855
18. Yamanushi, A., Shimada, T., Koizumi, A., & Kobayashi, M. (2024). Effect of computer-assisted cognitive remediation therapy on cognition among patients with schizophrenia: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Biomedicines, 12(7), 1498. https://doi.org/10. 3390/biomedicines12071498
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License permitting all use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.