Researchers Discover Clues to Developing More Effective Antipsychotic Drugs
Posted Nov 27 2011 9:07am
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, have identified the pattern of cell signaling induced by antipsychotic drugs in a complex composed of two brain receptors linked to schizophrenia. The discovery should allow researchers to predict the effectiveness of novel compounds for the treatment of schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders and may accelerate the development of better antipsychotic drugs. The findings are published in the November 23 issue of Cell.
Until now, the molecular mechanism through which current treatments for schizophrenia achieve their intended antipsychotic effects was unknown. Schizophrenia, which affects nearly one percent of the world’s population, is a severe, chronic condition characterized by hallucinations, delusions and cognitive deficits. The most effective antipsychotic treatment, clozapine, was originally developed as an antidepressant and found to have antipsychotic properties. However, the use of clozapine has substantial undesirable effects, such as glucose abnormalities and a low white blood cell count, which severely restrict its use.
In this study, the research teams led by Javier Gonzalez-Maeso, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Diomedes Logothetis, PhD, Professor and Chair of Physiology and Biophysics at Virginia Commonwealth University looked at the effects of antipsychotic and hallucinogenic drugs on two brain receptors linked to schizophrenia: the glutamate mGlu2 receptor and the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. The hallucinogenic drugs were used to induce one of the main symptoms of schizophrenia.
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, have identified the pattern of cell signaling induced by antipsychotic drugs in a complex composed of two brain receptors linked to schizophrenia. The discovery should allow researchers to predict the effectiveness of novel compounds for the treatment of schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders and may accelerate the development of better antipsychotic drugs. The findings are published in the November 23 issue of Cell.
Until now, the molecular mechanism through which current treatments for schizophrenia achieve their intended antipsychotic effects was unknown. Schizophrenia, which affects nearly one percent of the world’s population, is a severe, chronic condition characterized by hallucinations, delusions and cognitive deficits. The most effective antipsychotic treatment, clozapine, was originally developed as an antidepressant and found to have antipsychotic properties. However, the use of clozapine has substantial undesirable effects, such as glucose abnormalities and a low white blood cell count, which severely restrict its use.
In this study, the research teams led by Javier Gonzalez-Maeso, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Diomedes Logothetis, PhD, Professor and Chair of Physiology and Biophysics at Virginia Commonwealth University looked at the effects of antipsychotic and hallucinogenic drugs on two brain receptors linked to schizophrenia: the glutamate mGlu2 receptor and the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. The hallucinogenic drugs were used to induce one of the main symptoms of schizophrenia.