oa Editorial: Current Pro-Cognitive Therapeutic Strategies for Improved Pharmacological Treatment in Schizophrenia

Cognitive impairment influencing memory, attentional focus and executive functions in schizophrenia have a significant impact on social functioning and quality of life. Cognitive functions depend on normal functioning of brain prefrontal cortex. Attempts to explain cognitive impairment in schizophrenia include hypotheses (based on among others post-mortem, genetic and imaging data) of dysfunctions involving dopamine, glutamate, GABA as well as acetylcholine neural transmission. Current antipsychotic drugs are not sufficiently effective against cognitive symptoms. Thus, while pharmacological treatment strategies earlier primarily focused on managing psychotic (so called positive) symptoms, current pharmacological strategies aim at identifying compounds with pro-cognitive properties, suitable for treatment of cognitive symptoms as manifested in schizophrenia. To this end, scientists are primarily working along two lines: i) developing animal models/tests in rodents with relevance either to cognitive symptoms as presented in schizophrenia and/or to brain abnormalities in schizophrenia believed to be causing these symptoms; ii) identifying pro-cognitive compounds with pharmacological properties acting on brain neurotransmitter functions believed to be involved in cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. The present special issue on ‘Current pro-cognitive therapeutic strategies for improved pharmacological treatment in schizophrenia’ includes presentation and discussion of the use of the attentional set-shifting test as a relevant model for attentional/executive functioning in schizophrenia as well as for the identification of pro-cognitive compounds with relevance to schizophrenia treatment Tait et al. [1] and Goetghebeur and Dias [2], presentation of the neurodevelopmental prenatal methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) model of schizophrenia by Gill and Grace [3], and discussion of the novel object recognition (NOR) task for memory functions by Rajagopal et al. [6]. In addition, putative procognitive treatment strategies for schizophrenia treatment such as the use of GABAA receptor agonists [3], the use of compounds acting at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors from a clinical perspective Boggs et al. [4], as well as the therapeutic significance of compounds (phosphodiesterase, PDE, inhibitors) influencing intracellular signaling Snyder and Vanover [5] are presented and discussed. Finally, data on the effects of atypical antipsychotics, as well as 5-HT1A partial agonists, 5-HT7 antagonists, and D1 agonists in the NOR test are reviewed by Rajagopal et al. [6]. The contributors are all distinguished scientists, and issues discussed in the articles are timely and of great importance for the advancement of effective schizophrenia treatment strategies. Therefore, this special issue will hopefully be well received and appreciated in the scientific community dealing with these issues.