Topic: executive dysfunction

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder known for its positive symptoms: delusions and hallucinations. However, the impact of schizophrenia on function is mostly due to its executive dysfunction. Mechanistically, it is known that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is dysfunctional in this disorder and that there is a general excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) imbalance in the schizophrenia brain. However, whether schizophrenia executive dysfunction can be specifically attributed to prefrontal E/I imbalance is unknown. Here, through a series of experiments across schizophrenia-relevant mouse models, we show the

Executive dysfunction encompasses altered decision-making, excessive risk-taking behaviours and inefficient planning. Alongside memory loss, these cognitive deficits are amongst the most frequently reported symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Normal executive function depends on connectivity between the ventral hippocampus (vHIP) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), yet how abnormalities in this pathway lead to cognitive dysfunction in AD has yet to be elucidated. As the Iowa Gambling task effectively measures executive function in the clinic, the rodent 4-Choice Gambling task (4CGT) touchsc