Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia: NIMH MATRICS initiative to support the development of agents for improving cognition in schizophrenia

The impairments in social and vocational outcome that are common in schizophrenia are strongly related to the severity of impaired neurocognition. This observation led to the initiation of The NIMH's Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) initiative, which supports the development of pharmacological agents to improve cognition in schizophrenia. MATRICS addresses barriers to drug development through a number of activities, including the development of a consensus battery for measuring cognition in schizophrenia; the development of a consensus regarding the most promising molecular targets that should be the focus of drug development; the use of a joint meeting with representatives from the industry, academia, NIMH, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to clarify guidelines for the design of clinical trials for cognition enhancing agents; and finally, to assist NIMH in developing its research agenda in this area.