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Negative Symptoms in Late-Life Schizophrenia

The authors assessed the relationship of negative symptoms to demographic, other clinical, and neuropsychological variables to investigate and, to an extent, validate the assessment of individual negative symptoms in older schizophrenic patients. Sixty-four subjects meeting DSM-III-R criteria for schizophrenia, including 39 with onset before age 45 (early-onset schizophrenia, or EOS) and 25 diagnosed with late-onset schizophrenia (LOS) were recruited, along with 35 normal comparison (NC) subjects. All the subjects were assessed, using Scales for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, other psychiatric rating scales, and a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. The prevalence of alogia and anhedonia/asociality was comparable in EOS and LOS groups. The prevalence of affective blunting and avolition/apathy was greater in EOS than in LOS. The authors propose a three-factor model of negative symptoms in older, ambulatory, neuroleptic-treated schizophrenic patients. Limitations of the study, as well as possible implications of findings are discussed.