T45. THE NEW YORK ASSESSMENT OF ADVERSE COGNITIVE EFFECTS OF NEUROPSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT (NY-AACENT): INITIAL VALIDATION FINDINGS

Abstract

Background Adverse cognitive side effects of medications impact the functioning of patients with schizophrenia. There is a lack of scales that focus on drug-induced effects on cognition, particularly in adolescents with schizophrenia. The New York Assessment for Adverse Cognitive Effects of Neuropsychiatric Treatment (NY-AACENT) was developed in response to concerns about potential drug-induced cognitive impairment in adolescents participating in psychiatric clinical trials. Methods This study consisted of 146 randomized adolescent outpatients ages 13–17 years old, currently diagnosed with schizophrenia (Tx=98, Pl=48). The NY-AACENT consists of seven items, Working Memory, Attention/Vigilance, Verbal Learning/Memory, Visual Learning/Memory, Reasoning & Problem Solving, Speed of Processing, and Social Cognition, derived from domains identified by the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia: It measures presence/absence of symptoms, drug-relationship, and symptom severity. It has three components: a patient form, caregiver form, and clinician form. For this analysis, the summary scores from the clinician form were used. A 2x2 analysis of covariance was conducted to examine the effect of visit and treatment on severity scores when controlling for the scale items. Convergent validity was tested using Pearson's correlation coefficients (r) between selected NY-AACENT items and conceptually-related items of the UKU side effect rating scale. Discriminant validity was assessed using the PANSS. Additionally, correlations between cognitive side effects and quality of life (QoL) were measured with the PQ-LES-Q. Results The two-way ANCOVA indicates a significant main effect for treatment, p