Current antipsychotics

More about the book

Six decades after the discovery of chlorpromazine and four decades post-launch of clozapine, psychopharmacology stands at a crucial crossroad. There's a pressing need for pharmacological research to explore complementary or alternative mechanisms to address unmet medical needs in schizophrenia, such as improving patient acceptance, adherence to medication, and safety in psychoses among dementia patients. Novel mechanisms, particularly related to glutamatergic functions, are emerging from our understanding of psychotic disorders. This situation mirrors the early days of second-generation antipsychotics, offering opportunities for researchers to validate hypotheses and for the pharmaceutical industry to innovate new therapeutic classes. In response to the need for updated knowledge on antipsychotics, we aimed to compile both current understanding and future prospects for treatments targeting schizophrenia. This endeavor revealed the complexity of the subject, necessitating two volumes: Current Antipsychotics and Novel Antischizophrenia Treatments. The first volume addresses the ongoing challenges of developing safer medications, while the second focuses on new opportunities for treating inadequately addressed negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. We hope these contributions will advance the development of improved treatments for schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, while also considering genetic and neurodevelopm