Anti-psychotic drugs act through: September 2012

Ans. B i.e. Dopamine D2 receptor blockade Antipsychotic./Neuroleptic It is used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, or disordered thought), paicularly in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A first generation of antipsychotics, known as typical antipsychotics, was discovered in the 1950s. Most of the drugs in the second generation, known as atypical antipsychotics, have been developed more recently. All antipsychotic drugs tend to block D2 receptors in the dopamine pathways of the brain, but atypicals tend to act on serotonin as well. A number of (adverse) effects have been observed, including extrapyramidal effects on motor control - including: - Akathisia (constant discomfo to a varying degree causing restlessness), - Tremor, and abnormal muscle contractions, - An involuntary movement disorder known as tardive dyskinesia, and - Elevations in prolactin (resulting in breast enlargement in men, breast milk discharge, or sexual dysfunction).