antipsychotic drugs

Research could expand the options for controlling schizophrenia by identifying a brain region that responds to more than one type of antipsychotic drug.

The findings illustrate for the first time that the orbitofrontal cortex could be a promising target for developing future antipsychotic drugs -- even those that have very different mechanisms of action.

All drugs used to treat psychosis are linked to an increased risk of stroke, and dementia sufferers are at double the risk, according to a study published on bmj.com today.

Elderly patients who use antipsychotic drugs have a 60 percent increased risk of developing pneumonia compared to non-users.

This risk is highest in the first week following prescription and decreases gradually thereafter.

Schizophrenia is a complex type of psychotic mental illness characterized by thoughts that are uncoupled from reality.

While enormous gains in the effective treatment of affected individuals have been achieved through the use of antipsychotic drugs, the medications have side effects.

Researchers have created a new animal model that allows them to explore the sequence of some drugs' early effect in an effort to optimize the medications during treatment.

Researchers have identified a new receptor complex in the brain that responds to several types of antipsychotic drugs used to treat schizophrenia and also reacts to hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD.

The receptor complex could help provide new treatments for schizophrenia and other diseases associated with psychosis.