Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment

Cognitive Enhancement in Psychiatric Disorders

Cognitive impairment (CI) is prevalent in patients with various psychiatric conditions, e.g., schizophrenia, mood disorders, developmental disorders, and substance abuse.  As CI is a major determinant of functional outcome, many years have been devoted to identifying treatment methods, including pharmacotherapy, rehabilitation and neuromodulation, that would effectively alleviate CI. While the evidence for the benefits of cognitive rehabilitation (remediation) therapy is relatively abundant, limited information has been available on cognition enhancing drugs (i.e., cognitive enhancers) that produce substantial effects on CI in psychiatric disorders.

Further efforts are needed to increase the chance of success of clinical trials evaluating cognitive enhancers, non-invasive brain stimulation methods, psycho-social intervention (cognitive rehabilitation/remediation). Importantly, such efforts should include the development of novel compounds or neuromodulation methods that show a greater ability to enhance cognitive function. Considerations should also be directed to the refinement of the study design, e.g., rational patient stratification and optimization of outcome measures. To effectively attain these goals, cutting-edge knowledge of the neurobiology of CI associated with psychiatric illnesses is required.

Prospective papers will deal with genetic, molecular, imaging, physiological, psychological, and/or behavioral issues regarding the mechanisms, assessment, and treatment of CI in psychiatric illnesses. Types of articles include Original Research, Reviews, Study Protocols, and Letter to the Editor. Also, Expert Opinion and Perspectives may be requested by Guest Advisor with an invitation basis.  Overall, this Topic will provide the up-to-date knowledge on the mechanisms of CI associated with psychiatric illnesses and its treatment strategies, which will help facilitate social inclusion of patients and caregivers.

Prof. Tomiki Sumiyoshi was trained at the Department of Psychiatry Case Western Reserve University as Research Associate from 1993 to 1995. He was appointed Visiting Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University from 2000 to 2002. Dr. Sumiyoshi is the founder of the augmentation pharmacotherapy to ameliorate cognitive impairment of schizophrenia. As Former Chairman of Psychoneurobiology Section of World Psychiatric Association, he is promoting worldwide collaborations among psychiatrists, researchers and other specialists who work for patients.

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo desk assessment and peer review as part of our standard editorial process. Guest Advisor for this collection will not be involved in peer-reviewing manuscripts unless they are existing members of the Editorial Board. Please review the journal Aims and Scope and Author Submission Instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

Please submit your manuscript on our website, quoting the promo code 3A5AF to indicate that your submission is for consideration in this Article Collection.

Please contact our Commissioning Editor Rebecca Kearns at [email protected] with any queries and promo codes regarding this Article Collection.