A Preliminary Validity Study of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery for the Assessment of Executive Function in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

OBJECTIVE: Although the executive function subtests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) have been used to assess cognitive function in diverse psychiatric illnesses, few studies have verified the validity of this battery for Korean psychiatric patients. Therefore, this preliminary study evaluated the construct and concurrent validity of the executive function subtests of the CANTAB for Korean psychiatric patients by comparing it with subtests of the Computerized Neuropsychological Test (CNT). METHODS: Three subtests of the CANTAB and three subtests of the CNT were administered to 36 patients diagnosed with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Subtests of the CANTAB included the Intra/Extra-Dimensional Set Shift (IED), Stockings of Cambridge (SOC), and Spatial Working Memory (SWM). Differences between groups on each subtest as well as correlations between the subtests of the CANTAB and the CNT were assessed. RESULTS: The schizophrenia group performed significantly more poorly on the IED and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) compared with the bipolar disorder group. Additionally, correlation analyses revealed a significant correlation between the IED and the WCST; a positive correlation between the SOC and the Trail Making Test, Part B and the Stroop test; and a significant correlation between the SWM and the Stroop test. CONCLUSION: This study verified the construct and concurrent validity of the executive function subtests of the CANTAB for Korean psychiatric patients and suggests that the subtests of this battery would be useful and appropriate for assessing deficits in executive function in Korean clinical settings.

A Preliminary Comparative Study of Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery and Computerized Neuropsychological Test in Patients with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of attention and memory subtests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) through their correlations with the subtests of the Computerized Neuropsychological Test (CNT). METHODS: Three subtests of the CANTAB and three subtests of the CNT assessing attention and memory functions were administered to 33 inpatients and outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The subtests of the CANTAB include Rapid Visual information Processing (RVP), Spatial SPan (SSP), and Pattern Recognition Memory (PRM). This study investigated the differences of each subtest score between the two patient groups and the correlations between subtest scores of the CANTAB and CNT that were related to attention and memory functions. RESULTS: Significant difference in the two groups was found only in the Verbal Learning Test (VLT) of the CNT. In both groups, the PRM subtest of the CANTAB showed significant correlation with the VST and the VLT of the CNT. Also, the SSP subtest of the CANTAB and the VST of the CNT showed significant positive correlation. In addition, the RVP subtest of the CANTAB and the visual continuous performance test of the CNT, which measure the sustained attention in common, showed significant correlation. CONCLUSION: The concurrent validity of the attention and memory subtests of the CANTAB for patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder was verified. Results of this study suggest that the CANTAB would be widely used for assessment of neuro-cognitive impairments of patients with psychiatric disorders.