Week 10 Flashcards
What is schizophrenia
Schizophrenia ‘divided mind’
Severe psychiatric disorder
Distortion of thoughts and perception also mood
[cognitive impairment]
Affects ~1% population
Clinical features
Onset in adolescence or early adulthood
Males=females
Repeated episodes
Or chronic-> progressive decline
Chronic schizophrenics account for most of the patients in long stay psychiatric hospitals
Positive symptoms Type I
Presence of abnormal thoughts and behaviours
-delusions (often paranoid)
-hallucinations (auditory ie hearing voices)
-disorganised speech
-grossly disorganised or catatonic behaviour
-[thought disorder (“inserted” thoughts)]
Negative symptoms Type II
Absence of normal responses/behaviours
Reduced expression of emotion
Social withdrawal (avolition)
[cognitive impairment- not currently diagnostic]
Not just one illness, more a spectrum with subtypes
Eg paranoid schizophrenia; catatonic
Aetiology of schizophrenia
Strong but not invariable hereditary component
-suggest environment has an impact
Possible factors include:
-slow viral infection
-associated autoimmune process
-poor maternal nutrition
-developmental abnormality (arising from above?)
Genetic predisposition with environmental trigger
Dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia
States that dopaminergic hyperactivity underlies schizophrenia
Evidence in support comes from the effects of a number of dopaminergic agents
Dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia: evidence
Amphetamine abuse (dopamine releasing drug)
Can lead to toxic psychosis, manifesting:
-paranoid delusions
-either visual or auditory hallucinations
-compulsive behaviours
Ie type I like symptoms in non-schizophrenic
Exacerbates symptoms of schizophrenic (type I not type II)
Dopamine D2 receptor agonists-> type I like symptoms (eg apomorphine, bromocriptine)
-also exacerbates patient symptoms (type I not type II)
Too much L-dopa-> type I symptoms
-disappear when dose reduced
Chlorpromazine: the first antipsychotic
Originally developed as an antihistamine (Thorazine)
Attenuates positive symptoms without excessive sedation
Part of a group of related drugs termed typical or first generation neuroleptics
Typical neuroleptics: chemical classes
Neuroleptic= antischizophrenic= antipsychotic= major tranquilliser
Typical neuroleptics 3 main classes
Phenothiazines eg chlorpromazine, fluphenazine
Butyrophenones eg haloperidol, droperidol
Thioxanthines eg flupenthixol, clopenthixol
Typical neuroleptics: receptor antagonists
‘Dirty drugs’ especially phenothiazines
Block a variety of receptor sites
-dopamine (D1 and D2 receptor families)
-ACh (muscarinic)
-histamine H1
-noradrenaline
-5-HT
Antipsychotic activity through dopamine receptor block
Atypical (second generation) neuroleptics
Distinction from typical on the basis of:
-different pharmacological profile. Eg higher dopamine receptor selectivity
-fewer motor (extrapyramidal) side effects (EPS)
-more effective against negative symptoms
-more effective against treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) (~30%)
Atypical neuroleptics
Sulpiride, amisulpride
-selective dopamine receptor antagonists D2/D3
Clozapine, olanzapine
-multi acting receptor targeted agents MARTAs. Les’s side effects
Risperidone, zotepine, sertindole
-serotonin-dopamine antagonists
Quetiapine:
-Novel type
Therapy with antipsychotic drugs
Effective treatment for ~70%
‘Treatment resistant’ group (particularly chronic sufferers)
Typical neuroleptics:
-control positive symptoms
-negative symptoms not so well treated
-side effects problematic
Atypical drugs better for negative symptoms (eg clozapine)
-side effect less marked (eg clozapine)
-some efficacy in TRS (eg clozapine)
Dopamine pathways and schizophrenia
Mesocortical pathway:
-hypofunction
—negative symptoms. Antagonists dont work as well
Mesolimbic pathway:
-hyperfunction
—positive symptoms. Antagonists help
Positive symptoms respond best to neuroleptics
Side effects of neuroleptic drugs: anti-emetic
Due to dopamine receptor block in the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ)
H1 receptor block also important
Beneficial
Side effects of neuroleptic drugs: endocrine- increased prolactin release
Prolactin (hormone) released by pituitary gland
Release normally inhibited by dopamine
D2 receptor mediated
Neuroleptics block inhibition
-> breast swelling, pain, lactation
Dopamine pathways-motor side effects
Due to blockade of striatal dopamine receptors
Nigrostriatal pathway
Motor side effects of neuroleptic drugs
Due to blockade of dopamine receptor in the striatum
Dystonias
-involuntary movements (face, tongue, neck)
-Parkinsonism: tremor at rest, muscle rigidity, decease mobility
Developed relatively rapidly
Reversible
Tardive dyskinesia
Severely disabling motor disturbance
Involuntary movements of face/tongue, limbs and trunk
Slow developing (tardive), chronic treatment
Generally irreversible
Serious side effect
Not produced by all neuroleptics
Side effects of neuroleptic drugs: non-dopaminergic
Related to blockade of other receptor sites
Anti-muscarinic effects: dry mouth, constipation, visual disturbances etc
Postural hypotension due to alpha adrenoceptor block
Sedation due to histamine H1 receptors block
Side effects of atypical neuroleptics
Better side effect profiles
Mainly due to greater selectivity
Lower incidence of motor disturbances
Increased likelihood of compliance
Ie will continue to take the drugs