Ecologically Valid Virtual Tasks vs Paper-pencil Methods in Cognitive Rehabilitation in Patients With Schizophrenia and Depression

The participants attended 10-15 computer sessions during 6-12 weeks. Each session lasted 30 minutes and consisted of the set of virtual environment tasks (Shooting Range,Virtual Supermarket Shopping Task and Objects). Shooting range demands differentiation of targets from non-targets and focuses on training of selective attention, psychomotor speed and inhibition control. Virtual Supermarket Shopping requires memorizing the shopping list and searching for products in the supermarket area. Objects requires memorizing of the spatial and temporal context while searching for objects.

The participants in the paper-pencil rehabilitation attended 10-15 paper pencil sessions for 6-12 weeks. Each session lasted 45 minutes. Each paper-pencil session starts with a warm-up game. The session continues with a set of paper-pencil tasks focused on attention, fine motor skills, recall, short-term and long-term memory, verbal fluency, visual search, cognitive flexibility, abstraction and executive functions, numerical abilities. The tasks are adapted according to the participant´s abilities.