The present invention is in the field of pharmacotherapy of cognitive deficits in learning and memory by administering an α-aminoamide, particularly safin amide. Examples of disturbances in cognition that can be treated with compounds of the invention are the ones associated with disorders such as autism, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorders, psychosis, bipolar disorders, depression, Tourettes syndrome, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and disorders of learning in children, adolescents and adults, Age Associated Memory Impairment, Age Associated Cognitive Decline, Alzheimers Disease, Parkinsons Disease, Downs Syndrome, traumatic brain injury Huntingtons Disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), HIV, stroke, vascular diseases, Picks or Creutzfeldt-Jacob diseases, multiple sclerosis (MS), other white matter disorders and drug-induced cognitive worsening.