The new antipsychotics, and their potential for early intervention in schizophrenia

Depression in Schizophrenia: Perspective in the Era of “Atypical” Antipsychotic Agents

“…The broad array of affinities for receptor sites attributable to the novel atypical antipsychotic agents (including a wide array of 5-hydroxytryptamine , dopamine [other than D 2 ], and muscarinic sites as well as α 1 -noradrenergic and histamine-1 receptor sites) suggest a variety of potential mechanisms through which atypical antipsychotics might exercise antidepressant effects (107,130). Interest in both depression (131) and schizophrenia (132) has focused on the 5-HT 2 binding site, but it would be premature to conclude that this is the key or exclusive site of action, and more research is needed.…”

Benefit-risk evaluation of olanzapine, risperidone and sertindole in the treatment of schizophrenia

“…With between 60 and 70 % of patients responding to treatment with these drugs, it appears that there is no clinically relevant difference in the efficacies of olanzapine, risperidone and sertindole, although the drug that offers the best response may differ between patients (Waddington et al 1997). …”

Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Schizophrenia? A Balanced Neurochemical Framework for Both Adverse and Therapeutic Effects of Cannabis Use

“…Atypical antipsychotics are also believed to exert their therapeutic benefits on psychotic symptoms (in the same cerebral regions) via their antagonistic actions on serotonin, acetylcholine, and noradrenaline receptors [34–37], and via agonistic actions on GABA [35] and glutamate transmission [38]. This suggests that in the unmedicated state, the positive symptoms of schizophrenia are, at least in part, attributable to hyperactivation of dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and noradrenaline, and hypoactivity of GABA and glutamate in the mesolimbic and other subcortical regions.…”