Translational Medicine: Functional Biomarkers for Drug Development of “Cognitive Enhancers” in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Abstract Biomarkers are the bridge between basic and clinical research and enable us to speed up the pro- cess of drug development. In the process of drug devel- opment of “cognitive enhancers” for the treatment of schizophrenia, the usefulness of biomarkers is increas- ingly realized. In this chapter, we will introduce the concept of biomarkers and discuss its application with regard to drugs that are developed for the purpose of cognitive enhancement in schizophrenia. While focus- sing on functional biomarkers, i.e., functional mag- netic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electrophysiology (EEG), it will be clearly delineated what is currently feasible, what kind of limitations still exist and what needs to be done in the future to optimise the available functional biomarkers. In addition, those functional biomarkers are listed which are thought to qualify as biomarkers for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia or which are at least close to what one may call a valid biomarker for drug development.