title: Differentiating the cognitive profile of schizophrenia from that of Alzheimer disease and depression in late life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To compare the cognitive profile of older patients with schizophrenia to those with other neuropsychiatric disorders assessed in a hospital-based memory clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic, clinical, and cognitive data of all patients referred to the memory clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health between April 1, 2006 and August 15, 2008 were reviewed. We then identified four groups of older patients with: (1) late-life schizophrenia (LLS) and no dementia or depression (DEP); (2) Alzheimer's disease (AD); (3) DEP and no dementia or LLS; (4) normal cognition (NC) and no DEP or LLS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The four groups did not differ in demographic data except that patients with AD were about 12 years older than those with LLS. However, they differed on cognitive tests even after controlling for age. Patients with LLS were impaired on most cognitive tests in comparison with patients with NC but not on recalling newly learned verbal information at a short delay. They experienced equivalent performance on learning new verbal information in comparison with patients with AD, but better performance on all other tests of memory, including the ability to recall newly learned verbal information. Finally, they were more impaired than patients with DEP in overall memory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with LLS have a different cognitive profile than patients with AD or DEP. Particularly, memory impairment in LLS seems to be more pronounced in learning than recall. These findings suggest that cognitive and psychosocial interventions designed to compensate for learning deficits may be beneficial in LLS.
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Mental Health Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.forename: Tarek K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Rajji
authors.forename: Zahinoor
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Tang-Wai
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Apanasiewicz
authors.forename: Dielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mamo
authors.forename: Benoit H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Mulsant
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*
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