THE PHARMACOLOGY OF ANTIPSYCHOTIC AGENTS: RECEPTOR AFFINITY AND CLINICAL EFFECTS
Schizophrenia is a debilitating and complicated psychiatric disorder which is mainly typified by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. The treatment of antipsychotic drugs has been repeatedly developed, as the use of typical first-generation antipsychotics were replaced by the second and third-generation drugs, which have extended therapeutic advantages and minimal amount of side effects. Knowledge of schizophrenia neurobiology to include the dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, and other neurotransmitter systems has led to the creation of more specific treatment approaches. The pharmacology of antipsychotic agents is based on their action with the numerous receptors, especially the dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2A that mediate their clinical manifestation. Recent treatment options, such as the adoption of multi-target atypical agents, D3-selective targets, and allosteric modulators are aimed at enhancing the efficacy of treatment and reducing side effects. Personalized medicine, which is founded on the principles of pharmacogenomics and biomarker-based therapy, has a potential in maximizing the treatment of schizophrenia patients, treating them and preventing the side effects more accurately