Research Methods Core: Cognitive Neuroscience

认知神经科学的革命性发展为理解抗精神病药物干预的潜在机制提供了巨大的希望。研究方法核心的总体目标是支持最先进的神经认知和神经成像方法的应用，这些方法可能有助于澄清精神分裂症有效干预的潜在机制，例如预测治疗反应、功能结果和在首次发病患者中出现的不良事件，这些患者以前只有很少或没有接触过抗精神病药物。与传统的治疗目标相比，如临床 从症状学角度来看，认知神经科学方法在理论上更能代表大脑功能障碍，并且最终应该更优越：(1)在对将从特定治疗中获得不同好处的个人进行分类，并在治疗的选择、剂量和滴定方面有所改进；(2)在确定最有可能预测独特结果、影响处置和康复努力的稳定、持久的病理特征方面；(3)在确定与当前第二代抗精神病药物一起调节治疗反应的神经生物学机制方面；以及最后，(4)自己作为治疗靶点，可能导致下一代合理派生的治疗。此外，在受控良好的临床试验中，从认知神经科学方法中获得的信息将进一步为基础神经科学研究提供关于有效治疗机制的关键反馈。研究方法核心为个别研究项目提供基础设施支持，这些项目包括神经认知功能评估、感兴趣区域体积方法、扩散张量成像、皮质表面成像和正电子发射断层扫描，以预测治疗反应和多维结果衡量标准。该中心的具体目标包括：(1)整合中心内的个别项目；(2)开发数据分析和图像处理的创新方法；(3)交流研究结果，并就神经心理学和神经成像方法对调查人员进行培训；(4)保持个别研究项目的高标准可靠性。在简要概述了ZHH CIDAR内认知神经科学研究的三个主要平台后，Core实现这些目标的机制将依次得到阐述。

The revolutionary growth of the cognitive neurosciences offers enormous promise for understanding the mechanisms underlying antipsychotic interventions. The overarching goal of the Research Methods Core is to support the application of state-of-the-art neurocognitive and neuroimaging methodologies that may help clarify the mechanisms underlying effective intervention in schizophrenia such as the prediction of treatment response, functional outcome, and adverse events in a unique cohort of first episode patients with minimal or no prior antipsychotic drug exposure. Compared to conventional treatment targets such as clinical symptomatology, cognitive neuroscience methods theoretically are more closely representative of brain dysfunction, and should ultimately be superior: (1) in classifying individuals who will benefit differentially from specific treatments, and some day, in the selection, dosing and titration of treatments; (2) in identifying the stable, enduring features of pathology that are most likely to predict distinctive outcomes, with implications for disposition and rehabilitative efforts; (3) in identifying neurobiological mechanisms that mediate treatment response with current, second-generation antipsychotics; and finally, (4) in serving as treatment targets themselves, possibly leading to the next generation of rationally-derived treatments. Moreover, information derived from cognitive neuroscience methods in well-controlled clinical trials will further provide crucial feedback to basic neuroscience research about the mechanisms underlying effective treatment. The Research Methods Core provides infrastructure support for the individual research projects, which include assessment of neurocognitive functioning, region-of-interest volumetric approaches, diffusion tensor imaging, cortical surface mapping and positron emission tomography to predict treatment response and multidimensional outcome measures. The specific aims of the Core include: (1) to integrate individual projects within the Center; (2) to develop innovative methods for data analysis and image processing; (3) to communicate findings and train investigators in neuropsychological and neuroimaging methods and (4) to maintain high standards of reliability for individual research projects. Mechanisms by which the Core accomplishes these aims will be addressed in turn, after a brief overview of the three major platforms for cognitive neuroscience research within the ZHH CIDAR.