Antipsychotic Therapy Flashcards
Name the 4 schizophrenic symptoms that are considered “Positive” (enhancement of function). Where are these symptoms originating? Why?
Nucleus Accumbens (Mesolimbic)= too much DAergic activity
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Behavioral disorganization
- Positive formal thought disorder
Name the 6 schizophrenic symptoms that are considered “Negative” (deficit of function). Where are these symptoms originating? Why?
+
Name the one schizophrenic symptoms that fits into neither positive or negative as a category. Where is this symptom originating? Why?
Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity
- Alogia
- Affective blunting
- Avolution
- Asociality
- Anhedonia
- Attentional Impairment
____________
Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity
Also, COGNITIVE (own category)
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Hallucinations
Positive
Nucleus Accumbens (Mesolimbic)= too much DAergic activity
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Delusions
Positive
Nucleus Accumbens (Mesolimbic)= too much DAergic activity
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Behavioral disorganization
Positive
Nucleus Accumbens (Mesolimbic)= too much DAergic activity
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Positive formal thought disorder
Positive
Nucleus Accumbens (Mesolimbic)= too much DAergic activity
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Alogia
Negative
Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Affective blunting
Negative
Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Avolution
Negative
Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Asociality
Negative
Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Anhedonia
Negative
Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity
Schizophrenic symptom: Positive or negative? Location? DA activity level?
Attentional impairment
Negative
Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity
What receptor do ALL antipsychotic drugs block?
Dopamine (DA)
D2 receptor
Which dopamine pathway in the brain has too little DAergic activity? What types of symptoms is it responsible for?
Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity
NEGATIVE AND COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS
- Alogia
- Affective blunting
- Avolution
- Asociality
- Anhedonia
- Attentional impairment
- Cognitive (neither negative nor positive, own category)
Which dopamine pathway in the brain has too much DAergic activity? What types of symptoms is it responsible for?
Nucleus Accumbens (Mesolimbic)= too much DAergic activity
POSITIVE SYMPTOMS
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Behavioral disorganization
- Positive formal thought disorder
Identify the APS:
- First Generation/typical
- Category: Phenothiazines
- Tricyclic
Pros
- Generic
- Inexpensive
- Slight extrapyramidal syndrome
Cons
- Many adverse effects, especially autonomic
- Neuroleptic (Potentiated anesthesia)
- 800 mg/day limit
- Cardiotoxicity
- Increased risk of tardive dyskinesia
- No paraenteral form
Chlorpromazine (thorazine)
Identify the APS:
- First generation/typical
- Category: Butyrophenones
Pros
- Major advantages over phenothiazines include lower sedation and less alpha-block
- Generic
- Cheap
Cons
- Severe extrapyramidal syndrome
Haloperidol
Identify the APS:
- 2nd generation/atypical
- Category: Dibenzodiazepine
Pros
- No EPS: Somehow was selective for causing DPI ONLY in mesolimbic pathway
- Benefit to treatment resistant patients
- Higher potency at 5HT2
- Better against negative symptoms
Cons
- Agranulocytosis risk requires weekly WBCs
- Diabetes
- Weight gain
Clozapine
Identify the APS:
- 2nd generation/atypical
- Category: Benzisoxazole
Pros
- Broad spectrum w/ few or no EPS at low dose
- No evidence of agranulocytosis risk
- Long acting injectable available
Cons
- high dose EPS
- high dose hypotension
Risperidone
Identify the APS:
- 2nd generation/atypical
- Category: Thienobenzodiazepine
Pros
- Benefit in negative symptoms
- Little or no EPS
- No risk of agranlocytosis
Cons
- Diabetes
- Hypotension
- Serious Weight gain
- Smaller increase in serum PRL than haloperidol
Olanzapine
Identify the APS:
- 2nd generation/atypical
- Category: Dihydroindolone
Pros
- similar to other atypicals
- perhaps less weight gain/diabetes risk
Cons
- QT prolongation
Ziprasidone
Identify the APS:
- 2nd generation/atypical
- Category: quinolinone
Pros
- Different mechanism (partial agonist at D2 receptors)
- Modest affinity at 5-HT2 receptors (antagonist)
- Partial agonist at 5-HT1a receptors
- Less effect on prolactin levels
- No apparent risk of diabetes
Cons
- No long term studies
Aripiprazole
Drugs that increase synaptic DA produce ______
(ex. Amphetamine toxicity; overdoses of L-DOPA)
psychosis
Successful treatment with Anti-psychotics (increases or decreases) DA metabolites
Increases DA metabolites
True or false: DA receptor density changes in schizophrenia
true
How does Amphetamine enhance DA release?
Amphetamine enhances DA release via reversal of the transporter
How does L-DOPA produce psychosis?
By increasing DA synthesis by providing more precursor, it may produce psychosis
Other than dopamine, what two other neurotransmitter may play a role in Schizophrenia?
- Serotonin (5-HT2 receptors)
- Glutamate (NMDA receptors)
In the treatment of psychosis, is there proven clinical efficacy for treating with a 5-HT2 block (serotonin receptor block)?
No; correlation of clinical efficacy with 5-HT2 block is poor
Approximately how long does it take for anti-psychotic treatment to become effective? Successful management corresponds to what?
- 4-6 weeks
- Corresponds to the development of “depolarization inactivation”=DPI
Identify stage of TX:
- Location: Nucleus Accumbens
- Numerous synaptic D2 receptors
- Numerous pre-synaptic D2 receptors
- Steady firing of pre-synaptic neuron
Untreated
Identify stage of TX:
- Location: Nucleus Accumbens
- Some synaptic D2 receptors blocked
- Some pre-synaptic D2 receptors blocked
- Pre-synaptic neuron fires LIKE CRAZY
Acute TX
Identify stage of TX:
- Location: Nucleus Accumbens
- ALL Synaptic D2 receptors blocked
- ALL Pre-synaptic D2 receptors blocked
- Pre-synaptic neuron wears out; no firing (too depolarized)
- State of depolarization inactivation
Chronic TX
(4-6 weeks)
What state must be reached for schizophrenic patient to experience relief of symptoms?
State of deplarization inactivation corresponds to therapeutic benefit
What brain pathway is the substrate for schizophrenia?
Mesocorticolimbic system
Which brain pathway is responsible for Parkinsonian-like symptoms (extrapyramidal symptoms: EPS) when using a dopamine D2 receptor blockade?
- Nigrostriatal Projection
- Substantia nigra, which connects to the striatum
- Blockage of D2 in striatum results in EPS
- For physiology, refer to Parkinson’s lecture
How is it possible to have both the Nucleus Accumbens (Mesolimbic)= too much DAergic activity and the Frontal cortex (Mesocortical)= too little DAergic activity at once in schizophrenia?
- Brain stem dopaminergic neurons
- There are brain stem dopaminergic neurons that connect to the pre-frontal cortex (mesocortical)
- There are brain stem dopaminergic neurons that connect to the limbic areas (nucleus accumbens/mesolimbic)
- The pre-frontal cortex has feedback to the limbic areas and feedback to the brain stem dopaminergic neurons. The limbic areas DO NOT have feedback to the brain stem dopaminergic neurons.
- The connection between the brain stem dopaminergic neurons and prefrontal cortex breaks (neurons die).
- Thus, prefrontal cortex is not getting dopamine. In feedback, the pre-frontal cortex tells the brain stem it needs more dopamine.
- However, the prefrontal cortex is unable to get more dopamine because the connection between the brain stem and dopaminergic neurons is broken (dead), so nothing is fixed on the prefrontal cortex side
- BUT, stimulated by the prefrontal cortex feedback, the brain stem makes more dopamine, and the connection between the brain stem dopaminergic neurons and limbic system is connected, so it releases more dopamine to the limbic system
- result: prefrontal cortex too little dopamine/limbic system too much dopamine
**Important to note that the limbic system does not have a feeback of its own to the brain stem dopaminergic neurons, only the pre-frontal cortex has this connection**