Improvement in social competence in patients with schizophrenia: a pilot study using a performance-based measure using virtual reality.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to explore the possibility of the use of Virtual Reality Functional Skills Assessment (VRFSA) in a future regular clinical trial, as well as to report a preliminary result about effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics to social competence in schizophrenia.

METHODS

We developed the VRFSA that measured subjects' performances automatically and used analogue scale rather than Likert scale. Twenty-four female patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 15 healthy females were recruited. This was a 6-week, randomized, open-label, and flexible dose study, and 2 treatments (baseline versus post-treatment) x 2 skills phases (receptive versus expressive) x 2 patient groups (aripiprazole versus risperidone) analysis of variance was used in the final analysis.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference in the VRFAS between the patients and the healthy subjects (p < 0.05). Eighteen patients were included in the final analysis. We found larger treatment effect than those found in previous studies, and significant treatment x skills phase x group interaction effect on the VRFAS.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the VRFAS is strongly sensitive to changes in social competence and thus especially beneficial in short-term clinical trials. In addition, atypical antipsychotics can improve social competence and differentially improve receptive skills and expressive skills in schizophrenia.