Cognitive Enhancement and Brain Plasticity in Mental Health

Mental health and well-being are inextricably linked to cognitive functioning. Alterations in specific cognitive processes such as attentional control, working memory, and executive function have been associated with a number of traditional diagnostic categories. In addition, interventions to improve these cognitive processes are increasingly being targeted as methods for amelioration of mental illness symptoms. These interventions vary in the extent to which their development is explicitly informed by research on neuroplasticity. This chapter reviews select interventions featuring cognitive enhancement including behavioral interventions, neuromodulation techniques, and exogenous agents, highlighting interventions associated with common mental health disorders that harness neuroplasticity to alleviate symptoms through cognitive enhancement. It also considers diverse conceptualizations of mental health and illness, including dimensional and transdiagnostic frameworks, and the importance of individual differences in mental health treatment and outcomes. Finally, in light of the diversity in both conceptualizations of mental illness and approaches to cognitive enhancement, this chapter calls for further translational research to expand our understanding of neuroplasticity and mental health and strengthen cognitive enhancement strategies for treatment and adaptive function more generally.