Provides state-of-the-art information about cognition in schizophrenia with a wide ranging focus on measuring and treating cognitive deficits.

A practical guide on how to assess and treat schizophrenia and related disorders using cognitive rehabilitation.

This volume covers the dramatic developments that have occurred in basic neuroscience and clinical research in cognitive neurology and dementia. It is based on the clinical approach to the patient, and provides essential knowledge that is fundamental to clinical practice.

Although it has been known for 100 years that cognitive functioning is impaired in schizophrenia, the implications of this impairment have only recently been clearly understood. While in the past, cognitive deficits were thought to be the result of other aspects of the illness, such as poor co-operation, or as a result of the treatment of the illness, it is now known that these factors exert only a very minor influence on cognitive deficit. This book, with contributions from the major international names in the field, reviews the most recent research on the impairment of cognitive functioning in schizophrenia, covering: what it is, how wide-ranging it can be, what the clinical implications are, and how it can be treated? A detailed insight into cognitive deficit is the key to understanding why previous treatments have failed, and the key by which new treatments may change this terrible illness, treatments significantly more effective than earlier interventions.

This volume tries to put current therapy - achievements, shortcomings, remaining medical needs - and emerging new targets into the context of increasing knowledge regarding the genetic and neurodevelopmental contributions to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Some of the chapters also deal with respective experimental and clinical methodology, biomarkers, and translational aspects of drug development. The volume concentrates on reviewing the ongoing research attempting to identify novel treatments for the cognitive deficits and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which are not treated adequately by current antipsychotic medications.

Neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and etc., represent a serious medical and socioeconomic problems. These diseases are often accompanied by impairments of cognitive function, e.g., abstract thinking, decision-making, attention, and several types of memory. Such deficits significantly disrupt quality of life and daily functioning of patients. Cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric diseases are associated with alterations of brain morphology and function, and are often resistant to therapeutic interventions. In schizophrenia and related disorders, cognitive deficits are also defined as endophenotypes, i.e. measurable phenotypes linking these disaeses with discrete heritable and reproducible traits. This points to the importance of elucidating these endophenotypes in translational studies. Animal models may not mimic the full spectrum of clinical symptoms, but may act as analogies of particular behaviors or other pathological outcomes. They are useful to search for the etiology of particular psychiatric illnesses and novel therapeutics. Moreover, several behavioral tests to measure cognitive performance in rodents and other species have been implemented. The primary focus of the present topic is to provide up-to-date information on cognitive deficits of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. This Research Topic also delineates future directions for translational studies aimed at developing novel treatments/interventions of cognitive disturbances.

Social Cognition in Psychosis combines current research on phenotypes, neurobiology, and existing evidence on the assessment and treatment of various forms of psychoses. The book presents various treatment options, including assessment approaches, tools and training methods that aid in the rehabilitation of patients with psychotic disorders. Social cognition is a set of psychological processes related to understanding, recognizing, processing and appropriately using social stimuli in one's environment. Individuals with psychotic disorders consistently exhibit impairments in social cognition. As a result, social cognition has been an important target for intervention, with recent efforts trying to enhance early recovery among individuals with psychotic disorders.

This is a classic edition of Christopher Frith’s award winning book on cognitive neuropsychology and schizophrenia, which now includes a new introduction from the author. The book explores the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia using the framework of cognitive neuropsychology, looking specifically at the cognitive abnormalities that underlie these symptoms. The book won the British Psychological Society book award in 1996, and is now widely seen as a classic in the field of brain disorders. The new introduction sees the author reflect on the influence of his research and the subsequent developments in the field, more than 20 years since the book was first published.

This important book describes the effects of a range of medical, psychological, and neurological conditions on brain functioning, specifically cognition. After a brief introduction of brain anatomy and function focusing on neural systems and their complex role in cognition, this book covers common disorders across several medical specialties, as well as injuries that can damage a variety of neural networks. The authors review findings on associations between these conditions and cognitive domains such as executive function, memory, attention, and learning, and describe possible causal pathways between diseases and cognitive impairment. Later chapters describe potential strategies for prevention, improvement, and treatment. The book’s topics include Cognition in affective disorders Cerebrovascular disease and cognition Cognitive sequelae of sepsis Traumatic brain injury and cognition Cognitive deficits associated with drug use Obstructive sleep apnea and cognition Cognitive function in pulmonary disease The Brain at Risk reflects the current interest in the links between body, mind, and brain, and will be of great value to researchers and practitioners interested in neuroscience, neuropsychology, and clinical research in the cognitive and behavioral consequences of brain injury and disease.

Deconstructing Psychosis: Refining the Research Agenda for DSM-V provides an all-important summary of the latest research about the diagnosis and pathophysiology of psychosis. This volume gives the reader an inside look at how psychotic phenomena are represented in the current diagnostic system and how DSM-V might better address the needs of patients with such disorders. The book presents a selection of papers reporting the proceedings of a conference titled "Deconstructing Psychosis" convened by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The conference was designed to be a key element in the multiphase research review process for the fifth revision of DSM. This book is one in a series of ten that reflects some of the most current and critical examinations of psychiatric disorders and psychotic syndromes. APA published the fourth edition of DSM in 1994 and a text revision in 2000. DSM-V is scheduled for publication in 2013. Deconstructing Psychosis: Refining the Research Agenda for DSM-V examines the current evidence regarding the diagnosis and pathophysiology of common psychotic syndromes including: Schizophrenia Bipolar disorder Major depressive psychosis Substance-induced psychosis It also addresses broad issues relating to diagnosis such as the ways in which psychosis cuts across multiple diagnostic categories. Beyond merely summarizing the current state of the science, the authors of these papers critique the current research and clinical evidence, and raise questions about gaps in our knowledge. The book provides recommendations for the most promising areas of research in psychosis, which may lead to more refined treatments based on a better understanding of what biological and environmental factors contribute to its development and symptoms. In the learned editors' selection of papers for inclusion in this volume, they have exhibited their conviction that DSM-V is a "living document" that will reflect the pace of progress in multiple areas, ranging from molecular genetics and brain imaging to social, behavioral, and anthropological science. As a book on the narrowly defined topic of linking the classification of psychotic syndromes with their underlying pathophysiology and potential etiology, there is no other writing of comparable content available today.