Intestinal Drug Shown to Boost Memory and Cognition
14th December 2021
The development of drugs to treat cognitive problems in patients with mental illness may be a step closer after a team of researchers discovered that an existing drug – used to treat constipation – may be able to boost our ability to think more clearly.
Severe psychiatric disorders can have a devastating impact on a patient’s life. Cognitive impairments – ranging from decreased attention and working memory to disrupted social cognition and language – are widespread in psychiatric disorders such as major depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. These common problems are poorly treated with current medications and often have a large impact on people’s lives, and so scientists are searching for ways of improving or restoring these functions.