A strategy for developing novel drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Antipsychotic drugs currently in use have been developed as antidopaminergic agents; that is, normalization of psychotic symptoms occurs through a reduction in dopaminergic activity, usually by blockade of postsynaptic dopamine receptors. Based on this current understanding of the mechanism of action of antipsychotic drugs, it is suggested that one physiological role of the dopaminergic system is to down-regulate in the face of biological or psychological insult, as a means of maintaining mental stability. An attempt to develop new drugs to improve the efficiency of this down-regulative system as an alternative to conventional drugs that block dopamine receptors is proposed.