Harvard review of psychiatry
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Harv Rev Psychiatry · Nov 2005
ReviewAtypical antipsychotics in elderly patients with dementia or schizophrenia: review of recent literature.
Atypical antipsychotics have become a common pharmacologic option for the treatment of various psychiatric and behavioral symptoms in older adults, although these medications have been officially approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for use only in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. ⋯ In the trials involving elderly persons with schizophrenia, atypical antipsychotics were associated with significant improvements in psychopathology; differences in efficacy among atypical antipsychotics were unclear. A careful consideration of the risk-benefit ratio of atypical antipsychotics, as well as that of available alternative treatments, is needed for each individual elderly patient. Clinical judgment, caution, and consent should be the watchwords in this area of psychopharmacology.
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Harv Rev Psychiatry · Nov 2005
ReviewPharmacologic implications of neurobiological models of schizophrenia.
The dopamine model of schizophrenia has been supplanted by several additional models in order to account for genetic findings, risk factors, course of illness, and the diversity of symptom domains. The increasing number and complexity of potential models for this heterogeneous disorder offer new targets for pharmacologic treatment that differ in their appropriate time points for intervention and in their potential effects on the course of illness. This article reviews relevant neurodevelopmental, biochemical, and neurodegenerative models with respect to potential pharmacologic opportunities.