title: Cholinergic contributions to the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia and the viability of cholinergic treatments.
abstract: Effective treatment of the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia has remained an elusive goal. Despite the intense focus on treatments acting at or via cholinergic mechanisms, little remains known about the dynamic cholinergic abnormalities that contribute to the manifestation of the cognitive symptoms in patients. Evidence from basic neuroscientific and psychopharmacological investigations assists in proposing detailed cholinergic mechanisms and treatment targets for enhancement of attentional performance. Dynamic, cognitive performance-dependent abnormalities in cholinergic activity have been observed in animal models of the disorder and serve to further refine such proposals. Finally, the potential usefulness of individual groups of cholinergic drugs and important issues concerning the interactions between pro-cholinergic and antipsychotic treatments are addressed. The limited evidence available from patient studies and animal models indicates pressing research needs in order to guide the development of cholinergic treatments of the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, 4032 East Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. msarter@umich.edu
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarter
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lustig
authors.forename: Stephan F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D018678:Cholinergic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018678:Cholinergic Agents