This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the currently used concepts, approaches and technologies in the discovery and development of new treatments for the full spectrum of disorders of the central nervous system. It guides the reader through all essential steps, from finding an innovative idea, to the registration of a new drug.

Divided into four sections, the book starts by presenting a broad perspective on current approaches in central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery. The second section addresses the generation of ideas for the identification of targets and novel treatment strategies; covers core functions in early discovery, and provides an example of a novel treatment paradigm: brain stimulation. The third section highlights strategies and technologies in translational CNS drug discovery. In an effort to bridge the gap between discovery and clinical development, it also covers brain imaging, EEG and cognitive testing approaches. The fourth section extensively discusses the clinical phase of drug development, covering the basics of early clinical testing for psychopharmacological drugs. The book's final chapter addresses the registration for newly developed drugs.

Written by experts from academia and industry, the book covers important basics and best practices, as well as recent developments in drug discovery. Offering in-depth insights into the world of drug development, it represents essential reading for early researchers who want to prepare for a career in drug discovery in academia or industry.

PART I - Introduction

Innovator, Entrepreneur, Leader: The Tripartite Drug Discovery Neuroscientist.- PART II - Innovation in the Discovery of Novel Therapeutic Approaches
Drug Discovery in CNS: Finding a Target for What?
Neurogenomics with Application to Schizophrenia and Other Major Neuropsychiatric Diseases with Complex Heredity
Epigenetics in Drug Discovery: Achievements and Challenges
Conventional Behavioral Models and Readouts in Drug Discovery: The Importance of Improving Translation
Safety and Drug Metabolism: Toward NCE and First in Human
The Various Forms of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation and Their Clinical Relevance
Is Non-invasive Brain Stimulation the Low-Hanging  Fruit?
PART III - Translational Medicine and Technology
Electrophysiology: From Molecule to Cognition, from Animal to Human
MRI in CNS Drug Development
Positron Emission Tomography in Drug Development
Application of Cognitive Test Outcomes for Clinical Drug Development
Exciting Research in the Field of Sexual Psychopharmacology: Treating Patients with Inside Information
A Paradigm Shift from DSM-5 to Research Domain Criteria: Application to Translational CNS Drug Development
PART IV - Clinical Development and Regulatory Approval
The Special Challenges of Developing CNS Drugs
Phase 1 Clinical Trials in Psychopharmacology
Early Development of Erenumab for Migraine Prophylaxis
Microdosing Psychedelics as a Promising New Pharmacotherapeutic
Partnering with the FDA.