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The prefrontal cortex: a target for antipsychotic drugs
Author(s) -
Artigas F.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01455.x
Subject(s) - prefrontal cortex , antipsychotic , psychology , neuroscience , typical antipsychotic , psychiatry , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , medicine , atypical antipsychotic , cognition
Objective: At therapeutic doses, classical antipsychotic drugs occupy a large proportion of subcortical dopamine D2 receptors, whereas atypical antipsychotics preferentially occupy cortical 5‐HT 2 receptors. However, the exact cellular and network basis of their therapeutic action is not fully understood. Method: To review the mechanism of action of antipsychotic drugs with a particular emphasis on their action in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Results: The PFC controls a large number of higher brain functions altered in schizophrenia. Histological studies indicate the presence of a large proportion of PFC neurons expressing monoaminergic receptors sensitive to the action of atypical‐ and to a lesser extentclassical antipsychotic drugs. Functional studies also indicate that both drug families act at PFC level. Conclusion: Atypical antipsychotic drugs likely exert their therapeutic activity by a preferential action on PFC neurons, thus modulating the PFC output to basal ganglia circuits. Classical antipsychotics also interact with these PFC targets in addition to blocking massively striatal D2 receptors.