Schizophrenia Treatment: 3 Key Things to Know About Antipsychotics and the Potential of Targeting Synapses

Evaluate the session

Presenting Author(s): Prof. Oliver Howes, BM BCh, MRCPsych, PhD, DM, FMedSci

Date and time: 25 Mar 2023 from 09:00 to 10:00

Location: Wildrose Salon A/B  

Learning Objectives

To understand:

1. Learn major causes of mortality in schizophrenia and factors linked to this;

2. Learn the effects of antipsychotics on metabolic parameters;

3.  

   LEarn the nature of synaptic brain changes in people with schizophrenia.

Abstract

This talk will consider the synaptic hypothesis of schizophrenia, reviewing post-mortem evidence, and the
recent evidence for abnormal synaptic pruning in neurons from patients. It will then review new in vivo
evidence for lower synaptic protein levels in patients. It will then consider the implications for developing
new treatments beyond D2 blockers.

Literature References

1. Evidence of lower synaptic vesicle density in schizophrenia. Radhakrishnan R, Skosnik PD, Ranganathan M, Naganawa M, Toyonaga T, Finnema S, Hillmer AT, Esterlis I, Huang Y, Nabulsi N, Carson RE, D'Souza DC. Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Dec;26(12):7690-7698.

2. Synaptic density marker SV2A is reduced in schizophrenia patients and unaffected by antipsychotics in rats. Onwordi EC, Halff EF, Whitehurst T, Mansur A, Cotel MC, Wells L, Creeney H, Bonsall D, Rogdaki M, Shatalina E, Reis Marques T, Rabiner EA, Gunn RN, Natesan S, Vernon AC, Howes OD. Nature Commun. 2020 Jan 14;11(1):246.

3. Comparative effects of 18 antipsychotics on metabolic function in patients with schizophrenia, predictors of metabolic dysregulation, and association with psychopathology: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Pillinger T, McCutcheon RA, Vano L, Mizuno Y, Arumuham A, Hindley G, Beck K, Natesan S, Efthimiou O, Cipriani A, Howes OD.Lancet Psychiatry. 2020 Jan;7(1):64