In recent years, a number of research findings has renewed interest in the possible role of serotonin (5-HT) in the pharmacology of schizophrenia. Atypical antipsychotics that potently block 5-HT receptors have been shown to be at least as effective as classical antipsychotics as well as producing fewer extrapyramidal side-effects. In addition, molecular biological studies have suggested that allelic variations of 5-HT receptor genes may affect both susceptibility to schizophrenia and clinical response to atypical antipsychotics. Building on these findings, this article proposes that 5-HT receptors are critical sites of antipsychotic action, and examines the implications of this to the treatment and pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Possible pharmacological mechanisms underlying the clinical efficacy of 5-HT blocking antipsychotics are discussed, and the potential of functional neuroimaging techniques to further elucidate these mechanisms is emphasized.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/026988119701100102 | DOI Listing |
Neurosci Biobehav Rev
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Gurugram University (A State Govt. University), Gurugram, Haryana, India. Electronic address:
Plexins are a family of transmembrane receptors known for their diverse roles in neural development, axon guidance, neuronal migration, synaptogenesis, and circuit formation. Semaphorins are a class of secreted and membrane proteins that act as primary ligands for plexin receptors. Semaphorins play a crucial role in central nervous system (CNS) development by regulating processes such as axonal growth, neuronal positioning, and synaptic connectivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Psychiatry Neurosci
January 2025
From the Computational Biology Centre and the Laboratory of Psychiatric-Neuroimaging-Genetic and Comorbidity, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin Mental Health Centre of Tianjin Medical University, Nankai University Affiliated Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Background: Clozapine is superior to all other antipsychotics in treating schizophrenia in terms of its curative efficacy; however, this drug is prescribed only as a last resort in the treatment of schizophrenia, given its potential to induce cardiac arrest. The mechanism of clozapine-induced cardiac arrest remains unclear, so we aimed to elucidate the potential mechanisms of clozapine-induced cardiac arrest using network pharmacology and molecular docking.
Methods: We identified and analyzed the overlap between potential cardiac arrest-related target genes and clozapine target genes.
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol
January 2025
Department of Engineering, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain.
Clozapine is effective in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. However, clozapine has its own (well-) known side effects. We describe a case of a patient who developed epileptic seizures after starting clozapine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism (Ministry of Science and Technology), Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) is crucial for packaging monoamine neurotransmitters into synaptic vesicles, with their dysregulation linked to schizophrenia, mood disorders, and Parkinson's disease. Tetrabenazine (TBZ) and valbenazine (VBZ), both FDA-approved VMAT2 inhibitors, are employed to treat chorea and tardive dyskinesia (TD). Our study presents the structures of VMAT2 bound to substrates serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA), as well as the inhibitors TBZ and VBZ.
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