New Developments in Antipsychotic Therapy.

Click to enlarge page

W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker, M.D., began the meeting by reviewing the history of the mechanism-based development of antipsychotic drugs. Mechanism-based studies commenced with Paul Janssen’s clinical observation in Belgian cyclists that the dopamine agonist amphetamine led to psychosis and abnormal movements similar to those seen in schizophrenia patients. Expanded knowledge about the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, especially the development and acceptance of the dopamine hypothesis, has also motivated more mechanism-based research.