The use of a simple test of attention as a measure of drug effects in schizophrenic patients

This is a brief review of the use of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), a simple test of attention, in assessing drug effects in schizophrenic patients. Results of experiments are reviewed showing the sensitivity of the procedure to both acute and chronic administration of phenothiazine drugs. In single doses the drug impairs performance while after chronic administration of medication performance improves. Impairment in performance on the CPT is found in approximately 40–45 per cent of testable patients who show no deficit in performance on a simple cognitive test. In patients with a deficit on the CPT their performance after chronic drug therapy covaries with rating scales of clinical state. Patients who perform poorly on the CPT are more likely to have a history of mental illness in the family than those patients whose performance is indistinguishable from that of normal subjects.Paper presented at the meetings of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, December 10–11, 1970, San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of a symposium, Behavioral Mechanisms of Drug Action in Schizophrenia, Solomon C. Goldberg, Chairman.Many of the experiments described in this paper were supported by Grants MH 03312 & MH 12568 from the National Institute of Mental Health.Career Scientist Awardee MH 1759 from the National Institute of Mental Health.