NEUROTRANSMITTER ABERRATIONS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - NEW PERSPECTIVES AND THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS

The dopamine hypothesis has dominated schizophrenia research for decad es but is now yielding to a more diversified view, where the interacti on of several neurotransmitters in complex circuitries is under scruti ny. Especially, glutamatergic and serotonergic mechanisms are attracti ng attention. However, the role of dopamine also needs further explora tion and may still turn out to have novel therapeutic applications. II I the present minireview an attempt is made to integrate preclinical a nd clinical data on neurotransmitter aberrations in schizophrenia and to discuss their therapeutic implications.