The relationship between degree of schizophrenia and neuropsychological impairment was investigated in 24 adolescent and adult hospitalized and non-hospitalized psychiatric patients with diagnoses of depressive disorder, conduct disorder, and schizophrenia. Schizophrenic adults and conduct disordered adolescents showed greater cognitive impairment than depressed patients on a neuropsychological test of rhythm perception and attention and showed greater frequency of EEG abnormality. Schizophrenics were differentiated from other groups by their impaired abstraction ability on the Halstead-Reitan Category Test. Use of these tests for prediction of adolescents at high risk for schizophrenia was discussed.
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