title: Pharmacological cognitive enhancement in schizophrenia.
abstract: Cognitive impairments in schizophrenia are common and severe. These impairments are also related to functional disability in schizophrenia. As a result, efforts are underway to enhance cognition in schizophrenia through a variety of pharmacological mechanisms. As part of this effort, a designated research design has been developed for this process, through an extensive consensus and validation effort. This paper reviews the methods for pharmacological cognitive enhancement, as well as previous results of efforts in the pharmacological domains. These domains include cholinergic, noradrenergic, serotonergic, glutamatergic, and GABA-ergic mechanisms. While previous results have not been particularly encouraging, there are many challenges that need to be overcome and many of the reasons for past failures may be due to resolvable issues. It is likely that this will be an area of research that will be developing extensively over the next decade and expanding to other conditions as well.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Building, 101 Woodruff Circle, Suite 4000, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. Philip.Harvey@Emory.edu
authors.forename: Philip D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Harvey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D018697:Nootropic Agents