title: Targeting cognitive deficits in schizophrenia: a review of the development of a new class of medicines from the perspective of community mental health researchers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder associated with positive and negative symptoms and wide-ranging deficits in neurocognitive function. Neurocognitive deficits are considered to be the core pathophysiological symptoms of the illness. Neurocognitive deficits are also closely associated with functional outcome. At present, cognitive deficits remain one of the most important unmet therapeutic needs in schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neuroscientific discoveries over the past decades have enriched our understanding of the neurobiological mechanism underlying cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. This research has identified new molecular mechanisms and processes as promising pharmacological targets. However, in spite of extensive efforts to develop a new class of cognitive-enhancing medicines for the treatment of schizophrenia over the past 5 years, no novel pharmacological agents have received the regulatory approvals required by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy and safety outcomes from selective Phase II clinical trials are reviewed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evolving concept of neurocognition and the current guidelines for the design and methodology of clinical trials of cognitive-enhancing drugs for the treatment of individuals with schizophrenia are critically examined. The future directions in the development of cognitive-enhancing medicines for the treatment of schizophrenia from the perspective of clinicians and researchers from community mental health settings are discussed.
authors: Carolinas HealthCare System-Behavioral Health Center, Department of Psychiatry, 501 Billingsley Road, Charlotte, NC, USA. Oleg.Tcheremissine@carolinas.org
authors: Oleg V
authors: OV
authors: Tcheremissine
authors: Manuel A
authors: MA
authors: Castro
authors: Dineen R
authors: DR
authors: Gardner
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D017277:Drug Approval; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012107:Research Design; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D018697:Nootropic Agents