Schizophrenia drugs mainly act on

Dopamine Hypothesis states In schizophrenia, there is an imbalance of dopamine transmission with dopaminergic hyperactivity in subcoical regions but hypoactivity in prefrontal coical regions. Antipsychotics reduce psychotic symptoms by decreasing dopamine activity, their potency is highly correlated with the drug's affinity for D2 receptors. PET studies indicate that dopamine receptor antagonists are effective when approximately 80 percent* of D2 receptors in the striatum are occupied. Higher occupancy rates are associated with more extrapyramidal side effects*(less common with Atypical/ second generation Antipsychotics) Reference: Page No.1491 chap.12.6 Cellular and Molecular Neuropathology of Schizophrenia P.3111 chap 31.17 First-Generation Antipsychotics(Kaplan & Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 9th Edition)