F25. EVALUATION OF A VISUAL REMEDIATION INTERVENTION FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA

• Published in: Schizophrenia bulletin 2019-04, Vol.45 (Supplement_2), p.S264-S264
• Main Authors: Thompson, Judy, Cherneski, Lindsay, Menon, Aaina, Lebeaut, Antoine, Seitz, Aaron, Butler, Pamela, Silverstein, Steven
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Poster Session II
• ISSN: 0586-7614; 1745-1701
• DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbz018.437

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is associated with visual-processing abnormalities, including impairments in visual acuity, low-contrast stimulus detection, and perceptual organization (i.e., perceiving visual information in an organized “perceptual whole”). These visual impairments are clinically significant, with research indicating that specific visual-processing alterations are significantly related to poorer performance on higher-level cognitive tasks, impaired facial emotion recognition, impaired reading ability, and worse functional outcomes. Despite such findings, very few studies have evaluated the therapeutic potential of interventions that are specifically designed to improve visual processing (“visual remediation”) in schizophrenia. Methods Therefore, we conducted a small pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a computerized visual perceptual training program to improve visual, cognitive, and emotion-recognition functions in outpatients with schizophrenia who were attending a partial hospital treatment program. Eighteen participants with a mean age of 39.1 (SD=10.1) who met DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder as confirmed with the SCID-5 were randomized to either: 1) attend a visual training group 3 times a week over a period of 12–14 weeks (for a total of 30–35 sessions); or 2) receive treatment as usual. Visual training was provided in a small group setting, and involved participants completing approximately 40 minutes of computerized training using programs that targeted low- and mid-level visual processes. All participants were assessed at baseline, midpoint, and post-training on measures of visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, contour integration, and symptom severity, as well as with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Results Seventeen participants completed the study through the midpoint whereas 12 were retained through post-training assessments. The visual training sessions were well-tolerated by the participants in the training group. Preliminary analyses indicate significant treatment-related gains in low-contrast letter acuity (p=.030, Cohen’s d effect size=2.04, n=12), and a non-significant treatment-related improvement of strong effect in contour integration (p=.181, effect size=1.10, n=10). There were no significant treatment effects or any indication of greater improvement in the visual training group on facial emotion recognition or discrimination. Analyse