LINKING THE FAMILY OF D-2 RECEPTORS TO NEURONAL CIRCUITS IN HUMAN BRAIN - INSIGHTS INTO SCHIZOPHRENIA

The dopamine (DA) hypothesis of schizophrenia, which was based largely on evidence that pharmacological manipulations of DA systems influenc e the symptoms of schizophrenia, is undergoing a transformation due to our knowledge of the anatomy and pharmacology of additional subtypes of dopamine receptors. New research links the multiplicity of D-2-like receptors to divergent neuroanatomic sites of suspected pathology in schizophrenia. We hypothesize that this research suggests that D-2 rec eptors in the basal ganglia are the likely site of extrapyramidal symp toms and not antipsychotic effects. Rather, D-3 receptors of the mesol imbic system are a likely site of additional antipsychotic effects. Th is work also suggests that divergent DA receptor circuits are likely a ssociated with the pathophysiology of this disorder. (C) 1997 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.