New Approaches to the Drug Treatment of Schizophrenia

摘要: Publisher Summary This chapter attempts to cover the major approaches drug development for treatment of schizophrenia. In doing so, describes pharmacological rationale these and, where possible, relates this understanding neuronal basis that is still very limited, disease. At present, it apparent undesirable motor or other side effects are not required correlates antipsychotic action and in fact may reduce acceptability hence patient compliance. provides a identification improved drugs. Two further limitations current schizophrenia have expanded search more specific effective antipsychotics. Concurrent with ongoing research, recent work beginning shed light on abnormalities present brain The application quantitative histopathological techniques methods imaging provided evidence neuropathology schizophrenia, while postmortem neurochemical studies also indicated involvement neurotransmitter systems pathology. Although findings already pointers toward potential mechanisms, there way go before psychopharmacological research draws substantially from such pathological studies. It evident many cases drugs relies heuristic observation, essential mechanisms remaining obscure. Nevertheless, indicates coming closer defining those mechanisms.