Medication
On:

Safety monitoring checks for adverse effects and changes in physical health during antipsychotic treatment. Depending on the medicine and circumstances, this can include weight, blood pressure, glucose, lipids, movement symptoms and hormonal concerns. An electrocardiogram…Continue Reading

Medication
On:

Treatment response is the degree of improvement associated with a treatment over an appropriate period. It can be measured through symptoms, distress, functioning and the person’s own priorities. A partial response may still be valuable…Continue Reading

Medication
On:

Dose is the amount of medicine administered, while receptor occupancy is the proportion of a receptor population engaged at a particular exposure. They are related but not equivalent. Absorption, metabolism, interactions and active metabolites influence…Continue Reading

Medication
On:

Most established antipsychotics reduce D2-mediated dopamine signalling through antagonism or partial agonism. Many also affect serotonin, histamine, adrenergic or muscarinic receptors. These additional actions help explain differences in sedation, appetite, blood pressure and other effects…Continue Reading

Medication
On:

Antipsychotics can reduce the intensity, frequency or impact of hallucinations, delusions and disorganised thinking. Improvement may involve feeling less threatened or less compelled to act on an experience before its content fully changes. Some medicines…Continue Reading

Causes and biology
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Glutamate hypotheses propose that altered glutamatergic signalling contributes to schizophrenia-related symptoms and cognitive difficulties. NMDA receptor hypofunction is one influential model, particularly when considered within circuits involving inhibitory interneurons and dopamine regulation. The aim is…Continue Reading

Causes and biology
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GABA is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps regulate the timing and coordination of neural activity. Glutamate can activate GABA-producing interneurons, so reduced activity at an excitatory receptor may sometimes lead to less inhibition elsewhere.…Continue Reading

Causes and biology
On:

Synaptic plasticity is the capacity of connections between neurons to change with activity and experience. Glutamate receptors, including NMDA and AMPA receptors, play important roles in several forms of plasticity. These processes support learning and…Continue Reading

Causes and biology
On:

NMDA receptors are glutamate-activated ion channels with distinctive properties, including dependence on co-agonists and the electrical state of the receiving cell. They contribute to synaptic plasticity and the coordination of neural activity. Their role has…Continue Reading

Causes and biology
On:

Excitatory signalling increases the likelihood that a receiving neuron will become active under particular conditions. Glutamate contributes through fast ion-channel receptors and slower receptors that modify cell processes. Its effects support ordinary perception, movement, learning…Continue Reading