Brain response correlates of decisional capacity in schizophrenia: a preliminary FMRI study.

The capacity of schizophrenia patients to make decisions regarding research consent relates to neurocognition, but the exact nature of the relationship is unclear. The authors examined the correlation of scores on the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research with functional magnetic resonance imaging brain response during a verbal learning task. Understanding of a consent form correlated with activation of the right hippocampus during verbal learning and with brain response in a large area that included the bilateral parahippocampus, cerebellum, and thalamus. Reasoning scores were not significantly related to brain activation. Understanding deficits during informed consent relates to particular brain abnormalities among schizophrenia patients.

Atypical antipsychotics in elderly patients with dementia or schizophrenia: review of recent literature.

Atypical antipsychotics have become a common pharmacologic option for the treatment of various psychiatric and behavioral symptoms in older adults, although these medications have been officially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use only in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Despite the widespread use of these agents, there is a relative shortage of rigorously conducted trials. This review focuses on recently published randomized, blinded, controlled trials involving the use of atypical antipsychotics in elderly patients with dementia (n = 9) or schizophrenia (n = 3), with some discussion of published large, open-label studies and a few unpublished controlled trials. In general, the studies of patients with dementia reported modest efficacy of atypical antipsychotics when compared to placebo and conventional antipsychotics. In addition, an advantage in terms of motor side effects was consistently noted with atypical antipsychotics when compared to conventional antipsychotics. The studies have also shown, however, a greater risk of mortality and adverse cerebrovascular events with several of these agents than with placebo in individuals with dementia. There are insufficient data comparing atypical antipsychotics to one another. In the trials involving elderly persons with schizophrenia, atypical antipsychotics were associated with significant improvements in psychopathology; differences in efficacy among atypical antipsychotics were unclear. A careful consideration of the risk-benefit ratio of atypical antipsychotics, as well as that of available alternative treatments, is needed for each individual elderly patient. Clinical judgment, caution, and consent should be the watchwords in this area of psychopharmacology.

Generalized cognitive impairments, ability to perform everyday tasks, and level of independence in community living situations of older patients with psychosis.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between performance of instrumental activities of daily living, as measured with the University of California, San Diego, Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA), and measures of cognitive functioning and independence in the community living situation of older outpatients with psychotic disorders. METHOD: One hundred eleven middle-aged and elderly outpatients with primary psychotic disorders were administered the UPSA, the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, and standardized measures of psychopathology. Independence in the community living situation was rated on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest level of independence, such as living alone in an apartment or house. Ability in seven domains of neuropsychological functioning was assessed in 67 participants. RESULTS: Total scores on the University of California, San Diego, Performance-Based Skills Assessment were significantly correlated with total and subscale scores on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, level of independence in the community living situation, and scores on the neuropsychological measures in the subset of patients who underwent neuropsychological testing. Lower scores on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale memory subscale and more severe negative symptoms were significantly associated with worse performance on the skills assessment. Performance on the skills assessment contributed uniquely to prediction of independence in the community living situation. CONCLUSIONS: Generalized cognitive abilities are associated with everyday functioning capacity in older patients with psychosis. Reduction of cognitive deficits and negative symptoms may improve patients' ability to function independently in the community.

Treatment-related decision-making capacity in middle-aged and older patients with psychosis: a preliminary study using the MacCAT-T and HCAT.

The authors conducted a preliminary examination of treatment-related decision-making capacity (DMC) in middle-aged and older psychosis patients. The MacArthur Competency Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) was administered to measure DMC among 16 patients with psychotic disorders and without dementia (mean age: 54.6 [SD 7.2] years). The impact of repeated learning trials on patients' understanding was assessed with the Hopkins Competency Assessment Test (HCAT). Subjects were also assessed with the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale and Mattis' Dementia Rating Scale. There was a wide range of performance on the MacCAT-T; the levels and range of MacCAT-T scores were similar to those previously reported among younger acutely hospitalized patients in the MacCAT-T validation study. Patients' understanding of disclosed material on the HCAT improved significantly over repeated presentations. Although there were no statistically significant correlations observed between DMC and demographic characteristics, severity of symptoms, or global cognitive deficits, the sample size provided limited power to detect such associations. Results point to the importance of assessing DMC and to the potential modifiability of initial difficulties in understanding.

The California Scale of Appreciation: a new instrument to measure the appreciation component of capacity to consent to research.

Capacity to consent is one of the linchpins of the ethical conduct of clinical care and research, and it needs to be reliably measured. The authors describe the development of a new measure of the "appreciation" component of capacity, the California Scale of Appreciation (CSA), 18 items rated according to the concept of "patently false belief" (a belief that is grossly improbable); 39 patients with schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder (27 outpatients and 12 inpatients) and 15 normal-comparison subjects participated. Each subject's audiotaped interview was rated by three evaluators. Answers to each item were scored as "capable," "incapable," or "uncertain capacity." Also, each subject was given an overall rating of one of these three categories by each rater. Total scores on the CSA were calculated and correlated with scores on standardized instruments for assessing psychopathology and cognitive impairment. The mean total CSA score was significantly lower in the patients than in the normal-comparison subjects; however, a majority of the patients were found to be fully "capable" on the CSA. The CSA is a potentially useful instrument for measuring the appreciation component of capacity in persons with psychotic disorders. Its generalizability to other patient populations and to other types of protocols needs to be determined.