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A Computerized Test Battery to Study Pharmacodynamic Effects on the Central Nervous System of Cholinergic Drugs in Early Phase Drug Development
Published on: February 11, 2019
Neuropharmacological modulation of cognition
Samuel R Chamberlain1, Ulrich Müller, Trevor W Robbins
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK. src33@cam.ac.uk
Current Opinion in Neurology
|November 15, 2006
Summary
Neuropharmacological studies show serotonin affects emotional impulsivity, while noradrenergic drugs improve attention. Dopamine impacts working memory, offering new treatment avenues for neuropsychiatric disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Impulsivity, attention, and working memory deficits are common in neuropsychiatric disorders.
- These cognitive domains are crucial targets for pharmacological interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent human studies on neuropharmacological manipulation of impulsivity, attention, and working memory.
- To explore the role of neurochemicals in these cognitive functions.
Main Methods:
- Review of human studies involving neurochemical manipulations.
- Assessment of cognitive performance, including response inhibition, attention, and working memory.
- Exploration of neurochemical effects on emotional and affective aspects of cognition.
Main Results:
- Serotonin manipulation did not impact response inhibition but affected performance on tasks with emotional salience.
- Noradrenergic drugs ameliorated attentional deficits in conditions like ADHD and visuospatial neglect.
- Noradrenergic beta-blockade influenced emotional memory encoding and amygdala activation.
- Dopaminergic manipulation showed bidirectional effects on working memory in healthy volunteers and Parkinson's disease patients.
Conclusions:
- Neuropharmacological interventions show promise for modulating cognition in neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Future research should integrate computerized cognitive testing, genetic analysis, and neuroimaging.
- Optimizing treatment for cognitive deficits requires a deeper understanding of neurochemical substrates.
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