treatments of sz Flashcards
(6 cards)
what is the front line treatment of sz?
Neuroleptics (antipsychotic medication) are the front line treatment for SZ.
They are very successful against positive symptoms such as auditory hallucinations.
HOWEVER- this medication is not effective for tackling negative symptoms and improving social functioning.
why are neuroleptics only successful for reducing positive symptoms?
positive symptoms of sz can be attributed to dopamine overactivity in the mesolimbic pathway.
negative symptoms may be due to reduced dopamine in the mesocortical pathway- therefore because they reduce dopamine across the brain, they may worsen negative symptoms such as lack of motivation/ social withdrawl.
conventional neuroleptics primarily target mesolimbic overactivity and may worsen negative symptoms.
what are some side effects of neuroleptics?
They can cause permanent side effects such as Tardive dyskinesia- orofacial movement, especially mouth and eyelids.
however, newer atypical drus are reported to have less parkinsonian side-effects.
what did a clinical trial reveal about the new sz drugs?
The US 43 million dollar trial which involved nearly 1500 patients at 57 clinical sites in the US-
compared a raft of anti-psychotic drugs introduced in the 1990s.
Results showed that new drugs were no better than 50-year old pill called perphenazine- a generation of drugs that left patients with horrible side effects.
what are some research challenges for treatments of sz?
Developing effective treatments is difficult due to the need to test on animal models- may focus on brain deficits but not central to human symptoms.
also there are not good biomarkers for the disease-
biomarkers for sz could include-
neuroimaging findings such as reduced grey matter.
inflammatory markers in blood
cognitive deficits or genetic variations- eg COMT gene.
Biomarkers help to detect early signs of the disease and individuals that may be at risk.
what are some of the outcomes of sz?
70% of people with SZ are unable to return to work or school within a few years and require assistance from public health and social security systems.
patients with SZ are 12 times more likely to die from suicide than the general population.
