Thinking about Cognition: Concepts, Targets and Therapeutics


Book Description

100 Years after the discovery of Alzheimer’s disease, neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders represent the largest and fastest growing unmet medical market with 2 billion affected people worldwide. Life expectancy of humans continues to increase, and the world population is aging. Advanced age may lead to deterioration of cognitive functions of the brain. There seems to be consensus that on the background of aging, several factors may render humans prone to dementia. Psychiatric and neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or Parkinson’s disease may contribute to development of dementia. More people today are looking for help regarding their learning and memory capabilities. Although increasing knowledge on neuronal networks is transforming our view of the human brain and its function and we understand psychiatric and neurological diseases better today than ever before, novel therapies are needed to respond to the growing demand of patients for assistance with memory loss and learning impairment. In fact, it is expected that novel therapies aiming at the processing of amyloid, or at activation of glutamatergic or nicotinergic systems will demonstrate adequate efficacy in improving learning and memory disturbances. This publication stands as a comprehensive overview of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of cognitive impairment. It integrates discoveries concerning dementia, such as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease associated dementia, vascular dementia, retardation syndromes, and psychiatric and neurological disorders related cognitive impairments. This book will be useful to physicians, biologists, and those pursuing an interest or concerned with memory impairment. 100 Years after the discovery of Alzheimer’s disease, neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders represent the largest and fastest growing unmet medical market with 2 billion affected people worldwide. Life expectancy of humans continues to increase, and the world population is aging. Advanced age may lead to deterioration of cognitive functions of the brain. There seems to be consensus that on the background of aging, several factors may render humans prone to dementia. Psychiatric and neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or Parkinson’s disease may contribute to development of dementia. More people today are looking for help regarding their learning and memory capabilities. Although increasing knowledge on neuronal networks is transforming our view of the human brain and its function and we understand psychiatric and neurological diseases better today than ever before, novel therapies are needed to respond to the growing demand of patients for assistance with memory loss and learning impairment. In fact, it is expected that novel therapies aiming at the processing of amyloid, or at activation of glutamatergic or nicotinergic systems will demonstrate adequate efficacy in improving learning and memory disturbances. This publication stands as a comprehensive overview of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of cognitive impairment. It integrates discoveries concerning dementia, such as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease associated dementia, vascular dementia, retardation syndromes, and psychiatric and neurological disorders related cognitive impairments. This book will be useful to physicians, biologists, and those pursuing an interest or concerned with memory impairment.




Thinking about Cognition


Book Description

Presents an overview of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of cognitive impairment. This book integrates discoveries concerning dementia, such as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease associated dementia, retardation syndromes, and psychiatric and neurological disorders related cognitive impairments.







Nuclear Receptors as Molecular Targets for Cardiometabolic and Central Nervous System Diseases


Book Description

"Nuclear receptors are a family of transcription factors consisting of 49 members identified in the human genome. Nuclear receptors regulate transcription by binding to response elements in the regulatory regions of target genes and thereby affect expression of genes involved in differentiation, growth, lipid homeostasis, inflammation and immunity. This volume reviews recent progress on nuclear receptors critically and will intrigue those pursuing interest in physiology, pathology and medicine."--BOOK JACKET.




How and Why Thoughts Change


Book Description

Cognitive therapy, a core approach within a collection of psychotherapeutic techniques known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is fundamentally about changing peoples' thoughts-helping them overcome difficulties by recognizing and changing dysfunctional thinking styles. Among other strategies, it requires encouraging the development of skills for rehearsing new habits of thought, modifying biases in judging and interpreting social and emotional information, and for testing assumptions underlying dysfunctional and negative, distorted thinking. In How and Why Thoughts Change, Dr. Ian Evans deconstructs the nature of cognitive therapy by examining the cognitive element of CBT, that is, how and why thoughts change behavior and emotion. There are a number of different approaches to cognitive therapy, including the classic Beck approach, the late Albert Ellis's rational-emotive psychotherapy, Young's schema-focused therapy, and newer varieties such as mindfulness training, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and problem-solving strategies. Evans identifies the common principles underlying these methods, attempts to integrate them, and makes suggestions as to how our current cognitive therapies might be improved. He draws on a broad survey of contemporary research on basic cognitive processes and integrates these with therapeutic approaches. While it may seem obvious that how and what we think determines how and in what manner we behave, the relationship between thought and action is not a simple one. Evans addresses questions such as: What is the difference between a thought and a belief? How do we find the cause of a thought? And can it really be that thought causes behavior and emotion, or could it be the other way around? In a reader-friendly style that avoids jargon, this innovative book answers some pertinent questions about cognitive therapy in a way that clarifies exactly how and why thoughts change. Evans demonstrates that understanding these concepts is a linchpin to providing and improving therapy for clients.




Comprehensive Casebook of Cognitive Therapy


Book Description

This is the golden age of cognitive therapy. Its popularity among society and the professional community is growing by leaps and bounds. What is it and what are its limits? What is the fundamental nature of cognitive therapy? It is, to my way of thinking, simple but profound. To understand it, it is useful to think back to the history of behavior therapy, to the basic development made by Joseph Wolpe. In the 1950s, Wolpe astounded the therapeutic world and infuriated his colleagues by finding a simple cure for phobias. The psychoanalytic establishment held that phobias-irrational and intense fear of certain objects, such as cats-were just surface manifesta tions of deeper, underlying disorders. The psychoanalysts said their source was the buried fear in male children of castration by the father in retaliation for the son's lust for his mother. For females, this fear is directed toward the opposite sex parent. The biomedical theorists, on the other hand, claimed that some as yet undiscovered disorder in brain chemistry must be the underlying problem. Both groups insisted that to treat only the patient's fear of cats would do no more good than it would to put rouge over measles. Wolpe, however, reasoned that irrational fear of something isn't just a symptom of a phobia; it is the whole phobia.




Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain


Book Description

This go-to manual--now revised and significantly expanded with more than 50% new material--has enabled thousands of clinicians to effectively treat clients with chronic pain. In the face of today's growing opioid crisis, pain self-management techniques are needed now more than ever. The volume shows how to implement 10 treatment modules that draw on proven cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies. In a convenient large-size format, it includes 58 reproducible client handouts and assessment tools that purchasers can photocopy from the book or download and print from the companion website. The website also offers access to downloadable audio recordings of relaxation exercises narrated by the author, plus supplemental resources for treating clients with lower levels of literacy. New to This Edition *Incorporates over a decade of important advances in pain research and clinical practice. *Treatment modules that allow clients to enter a group at any point after an introductory session. *Expanded with motivational enhancement, relaxation, and mindfulness techniques. *Many new handouts, assessment tools, and therapist scripts, as well as audio downloads. *Orients and engages clients using state-of-the-art research on how the brain processes pain.




Women's Group Therapy


Book Description

Through the use of group therapy sessions, conducted within a cognitive-behavioural framework, the author explores the cultural, social and parentual influences on women's lives. In-depth case studies and transcripts from the sessions illustrate women's actual step-by step process in examining issues as: motherhood, divorce, self-determination, etc. The focus is on the individual woman and her situation.




Transforming Cognitive Rehabilitation


Book Description

Grounded in cutting-edge knowledge about cognitive function and recovery from brain injury, this practical reference and text builds on the authors' influential earlier work, Optimizing Cognitive Rehabilitation. It incorporates major advances in the field to provide a new framework for assessing patients and developing individualized rehabilitation plans. The distinguished authors present principles and procedures for promoting engagement, teaching cognitive strategies and discrete facts and routines, introducing external cognitive aids, and supporting patients' social competence. Additional topics include considerations for using computer-based training, managing functional cognitive symptoms, and providing cognitive rehabilitation in the inpatient setting. The book features detailed case illustrations and filled-out examples of 19 reproducible planning and progress monitoring forms. Blank forms can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.




Evidence-Based Practice of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Second Edition


Book Description

Synthesizing the evidence base for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and translating it into practical clinical guidelines, this book has enhanced the knowledge and skills of thousands of therapists and students. The authors--an experienced clinician and a prominent psychotherapy researcher--discuss how to implement core CBT techniques, why and how they work, and what to do when faced with gaps in scientific knowledge. Vivid case examples illustrate what evidence-based strategies look like in action with real-world clients who may have multiple presenting problems. The authors also separate CBT myths from facts and discuss ways to manage common treatment challenges. New to This Edition *Revised throughout to incorporate the latest research, including key meta-analytic studies. *Chapters on clinical techniques have been restructured to be more concise and digestible. *New content on sleep difficulties, reducing avoidance, and motivational interviewing. *A new extended case example runs throughout the book.