A comparison between the Mini - Mental State Examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test in schizophrenia

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia1 that is less amenable to treatment than its two other core features: psychotic symptoms (especially) and negative symptoms.2 Schaefer et al. described substantial, generalised cognitive impairment in schizophrenia across multiple domains.3 The American Psychiatric Association describes deficits in declarative memory, working memory, language function, executive functions, and slower processing speed.4 Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are significant, because they are common (in up to 75% of patients suffering from schizophrenia5,6) and are strongly associated with clinical7,8 and functional outcomes.9,10,11 The importance of measuring cognitive deficits in schizophrenia is well recognised in that cognitive deficits have become a target for research in clinical trials10,12 and furthermore, in 2002, the National Institute of Mental Health established the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) initiative to ascertain standards for evaluating outcomes in the treatment of schizophrenia.13 Because cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are of such clinical importance, it would be useful to detect them in a clinical setting.