Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task (SAT) for Rats
Published on: September 15, 2017
The crucial role of sustained attention in community functioning in outpatients with schizophrenia
Antoinette Prouteau1, Hélène Verdoux, Catherine Briand
1EA 3676 and JE 2358, IFR of Public Health, University Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, 146 rue Leo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France.
Abstract:
The aim was to explore the pattern of associations between visual cognitive performance and community functioning in a sample of outpatients with schizophrenia participating in a rehabilitation program. Visuo-spatial tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were administered to assess cognitive performances in 88 subjects. The Multnomah Community Ability Scale (MCAS) was used to measure dimensions of community functioning. Our results showed that the sustained attention score was significantly associated with the global community functioning score and with two specific dimensions: "adjustment to living" and "behavioral problems". No association was found between other cognitive indices and MCAS scores. Since the sustained attention task mainly involves the executive component of working memory, these findings suggest that attentional control processes are limiting factors for community functioning in schizophrenia outpatients. Measures of such processes could serve as key indices of disability in clinical practice. Attention and working memory training may be helpful to improve community functioning in subjects with schizophrenia.
Related Concept Videos
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes loosely...
Personality Disorders: Paranoid and Schizoid
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Paranoid personality disorder is...
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings.
