Intro to Neuropharm Schizophrenia and Antipsychotic Drugs

Positive Symptoms Dominant

Delusions and hallucinations, disorganized speech and thinking, bizarre behavior. Patients tend to be older at onset, respond well to antipsychotic medication.

Negative Symptoms Dominant

Reduced speech, flat affect, loss of motivation, social withdrawal. Symptoms can easilty be mistaken for other disorders.

resistant

Negative and Cognitive symptoms are ____ to current treatments

cerebral atrophy and ventricular enlargement

Brain imaging shows…?

reduced brain volume

Post mortem studies show…?

DISC1 gene

Mutations of the ____ _____ may contribute to risk of schizophrenia

Proteins essential in neural development

What does the DISC1 gene code for?

excessive DA activity

Positive symptoms are caused by?

amphetamine

Produces positive symptoms in healthy individuals that can be reversed by DA antagonists

amphetamine

Makes symptoms worse in patients with schizophrenia

initial increase in DA neuron firing and increased turnover of DA, followed by gradual decrease as auto receptors up regulate

Blockade of D2 auto receptors causes…

phenothiazine

What drug blocks D2 receptors as treatments?

clozapine

What is a dopamine receptor antagonist?

valbenazine

What is a treatment for schizophrenia with VMAT2 inhibitors?

Clozapine

Drug that has weak affinity for D1 and D2 and strong affinities for serotonergic, muscarinic, histaminergic, and D4 receptors

clozapine

drug rebalances dopamine and serotonin to improve thinking, mood, and behavior