biological treatments for schizophrenia

what is the most common treatment for SZ?

antipsychotic drugs

example of typical antipsychotics

Chlorpromazine

what are typical antipsychotics also called?

first generation antipsychotics

how do typical antipsychotics work?

by acting as antagonists in the dopaminergic system in the brain:

* antagonists reduce the action of a neurotransmitter
* dopamine antagonists work by blocking dopamine receptors in the synapses by binding to synaptic receptors

how effective are typical antipsychotics?

70% effective in reducing positive symptoms but does not help negative symptoms

examples of atypical antipsychotics

clozapine, risperidone

when was clozapine developed

in the 1960s but it was withdrawn as it ca cause a fatal blood condition

how was clozapine remaarketed?

was remarked as a treatment for SZ when other treatments failed in the 1980s as it was found to be more effective than other treatments

how does clozapine work?

it binds to dopamine receptors like chlorpromazine, but also to serotonin and glutamate

pickar et al

found that clozapine was very effective in treating SZ, even in patients previously unresponsive to drug intervention

McEvoy et al

showed that clozapine was effective, partly because patients continued to take the drug for longer than alternative drugs because of having less side effects

how long has risperidone been used?

since the 1990s

how does risperidone work

binds to dopamine and serotonin receptors, and is stronger than clozapine so effective in smaller doses

how effective is risperidone?

81% for both negative and positive symptoms

how much did risperidone lower relapse rates according to *Emsley*?

* by at least 50% in 84% of patients in both positive and negative symptoms
* over 2 years 64% of patients went into remission