[Essentials of neurocognitive assessment in clinical research]

Schizophrenia and mood disorders are characterized by deficits of various domains of cognition, e.g. learning memory, working memory, executive function, attention, verbal fluency, and information processing. Cognitive disturbances are considered a major determinant of social outcome. Therefore, the development of pharmacotherapy to treat impaired cognition in psychiatric diseases remains one of the major unmet needs. This paper provides some of the essentials in conducting clinical research. Emphasis is placed on 1) assessments with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia and the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognition Battery, as well as their selection; 2) interpretation of the repeated measure effect, or so-called "practice effect"; and 3) sensitivity of cognitive assessment for predicting outcome, with a reference to measures of daily living skills and social function.