Clozapine Study Zeroes In On Dopamine Receptors
Abstract
Clozapine Study Zeroes In On Dopamine ReceptorsJim Rosack  Next SectionMany researchers have searched for the answer to a long-pondered question in antipsychotic pharmacology: just what makes clozapine unique? Previous SectionNext SectionClozapine (Clozaril) stands alone in its effectiveness in the treatment of patients with refractory schizophrenia. As new antipsychotic medications have come (and some gone), researchers have continued their attempts to discover the molecular secrets of the drug, hoping to tease out and exploit those properties that contribute to its effectiveness, while discarding those properties responsible for significant adverse effects. In a new study using positron emission tomography (PET), researchers have determined that clozapine alone among the newer generation antipsychotics has a relatively balanced affinity for dopamine type 1 (D1) receptors and dopamine type 2 (D2) receptors. This balanced D1/D2 ratio, they noted, may be the answer to the question. The research, led by Johannes Tauscher, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, along with a group of researchers at the University of Toronto, appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. The work was funded by Eli Lilly Canada. Many have put forth theories for clozapine's relative superiority in