New cognitive disorder treatment possible

U.S. scientists have identified a new class of compounds that could be used in drugs to treat various cognitive disorders.

University of California-Irvine researchers said the compounds target receptors in the brain that are activated by nicotine, imparting the beneficial effects of nicotine -- specifically enhanced cognition -- but without health threats associated with smoking.

"We'd like to see this lead to a drug that would address specifically the cognitive deficits found in schizophrenia," said Profesor Kelvin Gee. "We could probably treat more schizophrenics on an outpatient basis and allow them to re-enter mainstream society if we could address cognition."

The three-year animal study showed activating a certain nicotinic receptor in the brain improved working memory and made it easier to filter sensory input.

The study -- which also involved researchers Herman Ng, Edward Whittemore, Minhtam Tran, Derk Hogenkamp, Ron Broide and Timothy Johnstone, all of UCI; and Lijun Zhang and Karen Stevens at the University of Colorado -- appears in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International