Many mental disorders and neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases involve cognitive deficits. Remarkable advances and new technologies are providing a clearer picture of the molecular basis of cognition. In conjunction with an SFN2010 symposium, we provided here a brief overview of the molecular mechanisms of cognition, with emphasis on the development of treatments for cognitive diso...

UNLABELLED Neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g., autism, schizophrenia) are partially characterized by social cognitive deficits, including impairments in the ability to perceive others' emotional states, which is an aspect of social cognition known as theory of mind (ToM). There is also evidence that inflammation may be implicated in the etiology of these disorders, but experimental data linking i...

Social cognition impairments are well described in both autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger syndrome (AS), and in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. However, little is known about whether there are differences between the two groups of disorders regarding this ability. The aim of this study was to compare social cognition abilities in AS and schizophrenia. Fifty-three individuals (26 m...

Several recent studies examining different aspects of residual cognitive function in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) have shown that multiple tasks and modalities provide the best opportunity for patients to demonstrate covert awareness where it exists. With a wide range of etiologies and comorbidities, this is a very diverse population with variable cognitive and behavioral abil...

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia1 that is less amenable to treatment than its two other core features: psychotic symptoms (especially) and negative symptoms.2 Schaefer et al. described substantial, generalised cognitive impairment in schizophrenia across multiple domains.3 The American Psychiatric Association describes deficits in declarative memory, working memory, langu...

BACKGROUND People with a diagnosis of schizophrenia have limited metacognitive awareness of their symptoms. This is also evident for cognitive difficulties when neuropsychological assessments and self-reports are compared. Unlike for delusions and hallucinations, little attention has been given to factors that may influence the mismatch between objective and subjectively reported cognitive prob...

Cognitive impairment, particularly in attention, memory and executive function domains, is commonly present and associated with poor functional outcomes in schizophrenia. In healthy adults, environmental noise adversely affects many cognitive domains, including those known to be compromised in schizophrenia. This pilot study examined whether environmental noise causes further cognitive deterior...

Individuals who develop schizophrenia in adulthood exhibit, on average, deficits in childhood cognition relative to healthy controls. However, it remains unclear when in childhood such deficits emerge and whether they are stable across childhood or change (increase or decrease) across development. Importantly, whether the trajectory of childhood cognition differs among youth who later develop a...

In some neuro-developmental disorders, the combined effect of intellectual disability and atypicalities of social cognition may put individuals at increased vulnerability in their social environment. The neuro-developmental disorders Williams syndrome, characterised by 'hypersociability', and autism spectrum disorders, characterised by 'social withdrawal', are at two extremes of atypical social...