Standardizing Cognitive Endophenotype Profiling in Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

The field of neurocognitive endophenotypes in severe mental illnesses is gaining significant attention due to its potential to enhance our understanding of complex psychiatric disorders. Endophenotypes serve as intermediate markers that bridge the gap between genetic predispositions and clinical manifestations, offering a more nuanced view of disease mechanisms. Despite the recognition of neurocognitive deficits in conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, there remains a lack of consensus on what constitutes a stable cognitive endophenotype. Recent studies have highlighted the presence of these deficits not only in patients but also in their first-degree relatives, suggesting a heritable component. However, the variability in criteria and methodologies used to identify these endophenotypes has led to inconsistent findings. The introduction of standardized methods like MICEmi (Correa-Ghisays et al., 2022) aims to address these discrepancies by providing a clear framework for cognitive endophenotypic profiling, yet further research is needed to validate and refine these approaches.

This research topic aims to promote the investigation of cognitive deficits in severe mental illnesses, with the goal of establishing a definitive endophenotypic profile that can be integrated into diagnostic criteria. By leveraging standardized methods such as MICEmi, the objective is to provide robust scientific support for both existing and new discoveries in the field. Key questions include identifying which cognitive deficits serve as reliable endophenotypes and understanding their role in the pathophysiology of mental illnesses. Hypotheses to be tested may involve the stability of these cognitive markers across different populations and their predictive value for disease onset and progression.

To gather further insights into the neurocognitive endophenotypes of severe mental illnesses, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Cognitive endophenotypes
- Cognitive deficits
- Severe mental illness
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia

This research topic seeks to unify previous findings and encourage the use of standardized methods like MICEmi, thereby contributing to a more coherent and comprehensive understanding of cognitive endophenotypes in psychopathology.