Cognition

Abstract

Therapeutic approaches to ameliorating cognitive dysfunction can be viewed as ends of a continuum, from the prophylactic enhancement of cognitive function to the restoration of function and/or arrest of the decline of cognition that occurs in the aging or traumatized brain. Research in the field of cognition is a high priority as the elderly population increases, with a great need to discover and develop drugs to treat age‐related cognitive disorders, including dementias, as well as cognitive impairments associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. Aspects of cognitive dysfunction also occur in association with several CNS disorders, including Parkinson's disease, AIDS‐associated dementia, stroke, stress, sleep deprivation, depression, and anxiety, as well as with recreational and prescription drug usage and surgical procedures. Cognition is a complex set of processes, including attention, perception, emotion, learning and memory, action, and problem solving. Drugs currently approved for use in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as AD include the cholinesterase inhibitors donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine, and memantine, a partial agonist at glutamate receptors. Since none of these drugs works especially well in treating the symptoms of AD, a variety of new chemical entities are currently being explored to identify new cognitive enhancers. This chapter covers the biological aspects of cognition and memory and the medicinal chemistry approaches to targeting cognitive deficits in disease.