New perspectives in the treatment of schizophrenia

ABSTRACT

Following the introduction of chlorpromazine in 1950s, for many years little progress was made in the discovery of new drugs for schizophrenia. Dopamine D2 receptors blockade was recognized as the only therapeutic target for antipsychotic drugs and formed the basis for further developments in this area. Later on enhanced efficacy of clozapine in both positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia opened a new channel for discovery of new pharmacological treatments for this illness. Further developments looked at designing compounds, which were chemically similar to clozapine and have efficacy in both negative and positive symptomatology with diminished risk of extrapyramidal side effects. This new family of drugs, the so-called atypical antipsychotics, mainly act as serotonin- dopamine antagonists [SDA] and have shown wider spectrum of antipsychotic activity than conventional antipsychotic drugs. Their use in clinical practice is now well established and despite some limitations, clinicians prefer their use as first line treatment in schizophrenia and other related illnesses. This paper summarises current findings in the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia and attempts to provide a review of these new drugs with future directions in this area