Cognitive and functional impairments in elderly patients with schizophrenia: a review of the recent literature.

Although cognitive and functional impairments are very common in patients with schizophrenia, little is known about the characteristics of these impairments in older patients with the illness. Even less is known about the longitudinal course of these impairments. This article reviews the current knowledge with regard to cognitive and functional aspects of schizophrenia in late life, with a focus on the course of cognitive and functional deficits. Although the common belief has been that schizophrenia is static over the lifespan, recent evidence suggests that some patients may experience declines in their functioning over time. The predictors and course of these declines, as well as their potential underlying causes, are described in detail. Evidence regarding schizophrenia as a lifelong, dynamic brain disease is also reviewed.