General description of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and assessment tools in Lebanon: A scoping review

Many cognitive functions are affected in schizophrenia patients, particularly memory, attention, motor skills, executive function, and social cognition. Cognitive assessment is one of the best indicators of the functional and social prognosis of schizophrenic patients. In Lebanon, no study has yet examined the assessment of cognitive functions in patients with neurological or psychiatric diseases. This review aims to provide an overview of the cognitive profiles of schizophrenia and describe the different cognitive tests used in Lebanon. The MEDLINE/PubMed database was used to conduct a literature review covering all studies related to cognition in psychosis patients from 1990 until March 2021. This screening resulted in 97 articles focused on cognition in psychiatric patients or cognitive tests in schizophrenia and required an in-depth analysis. The majority of measures developed to evaluate cognition in patients with schizophrenia were from Western countries, most of which are long and complex and may require several hours to administer. The number of neuropsychological tests available in Arab countries is unknown, although it is likely to be limited compared to what is available in Western countries. In Lebanon, some neuropsychological batteries have been locally used to assess cognition without being translated and validated to be adapted to the Lebanese sociocultural context. Clinicians in Lebanon underestimate the extent of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia patients as they have limited options, using untranslated tests or using translations that have not been validated. Future studies should target the development and adaptation of instruments that predict and measure cognition and functional ability.