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Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder | Substance-Induced Psychosis | Personality Disorders | Affective Disorders | Tourette's Syndrome | Huntington's Disease | Nausea, Emesis, and Hiccups
Excerpt
Conventional antipsychotics are best known for the treatment
and maintenance of the psychotic (also known as positive) symptoms
of schizophrenia. The major putative mechanism of action is via
D2 blockade of the mesolimbic and mesocortical
tracts. In many individuals, this blockade results in a measurable
decrease in the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations,
delusions, and behavioral disorganization. However, negative and
cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia respond less robustly. In fact,
they may be worsened by blockade of mesocortical tracts that play
roles in cognition and hedonic reinforcement.