Week 11: Psychotropic Drugs 2 – Antipsychotics and Drugs for Anxiety and Sleep Disorders

Be able to:

• describe the main symptoms and features of schizophrenia
• explain the dopamine theory of schizophrenia, and name and describe the basic functional role of the main dopaminergic pathways in the brain
• outline the role of other neurotransmitter systems such as glutamate and 5-HT in schizophrenia
• describe the mechanisms of action believed to be responsible for the therapeutic effects of antipsychotic drugs
• compare the adverse effect profiles of first- and second-generation antipsychotic drugs, and relate these to their activity at different receptor types
• outline the symptoms and features of bipolar disorder
• describe the main proposed mechanisms of action of lithium, list its adverse effects and describe factors that contribute to its toxicity
• list the main drug classes used in sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia)
• describe the mechanism of action and major adverse effects of drugs used in the treatment of insomnia – Z-drugs and melatonin.