The number of separable cognitive dimensions in schizophrenia has been debated. Guided by the extant factor analytic literature, the NIMH Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) initiative selected seven cognitive domains relevant to treatment studies in schizophrenia: speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning, reasoning and problem solving, and social cognition. These domains are assessed in the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). The aim of this study was to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the beta battery of the MCCB to compare the fit of the MATRICS consensus seven-domain model to other models in the current literature on cognition in schizophrenia.
McCleery A, Green MF, Hellemann GS, Baade LE, Gold JM, Keefe RS, Kern RS, Mesholam-Gately RI, Seidman LJ, Subotnik KL, Ventura J, Nuechterlein KH. Latent structure of cognition in schizophrenia: A confirmatory factor analysis of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Psychological Medicine, 2015; 45(12): 2657-2666. (PMCID: PMC4523424).