Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) has been recognized as an important enzyme that modulates many aspects of neuronal function. Accumulating evidence implicates abnormal activity of GSK3 in mood disorders and schizophrenia, and GSK3 is a potential protein kinase target for psychotropics used in these disorders. We previously reported that serotonin, a major neurotransmitter involved in mood diso...

In this article, it is aimed to review the efficacies of mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics, which are used commonly in psychopharmacological treatments of bipolar and borderline personality disorders. In this context, common phenomenology between borderline personality and bipolar disorders and differential features of clinical diagnosis will be reviewed in line with the literature. ...

AIM To outline the prescribing patterns of atypical antipsychotics for adult mental health outpatients in Auckland and Northland in 2004. METHODS All community files were reviewed retrospectively (n = 6165). Patient characteristics, diagnosis, and antipsychotic and concurrent medication were recorded and analysed. RESULTS Overall, 71.3% of outpatients were prescribed an antipsychotic, of wh...

OBJECTIVE To compare the risk of in-hospital mortality associated with haloperidol compared with atypical antipsychotics in patients admitted to hospital with acute myocardial infarction. DESIGN Cohort study using a healthcare database. SETTING Nationwide sample of patient data from more than 700 hospitals across the United States. PARTICIPANTS 6578 medical patients aged more than 18 year...

CONTEXT Use of atypical antipsychotics for neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia increased markedly in the 1990s. Concerns about their use began to emerge in 2002, and in 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration warned that use of atypical antipsychotics in dementia was associated with increased mortality. OBJECTIVE To examine changes in atypical and conventional antipsychotic use in outpati...

Although atypical antipsychotics have been associated with improvements in cognitive function in schizophrenia, the neurochemical basis for such effects is not well understood. Candidate neurotransmitter systems primarily involve dopamine and serotonin. The current study explored this issue by examining the cognitive abilities, social function and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia ...

BRAINSTORMS is a monthly section of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry aimed at providing updates of novel concepts emerging from the neurosciences that have relevance to the practicing psychiatrist. From the Neuroscience Education Institute in Carlsbad, Calif., and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego. Reprint requests to: Stephen M. Stahl, M.D., Ph.D., Editor...

A number of studies, using different research designs and assessment instruments, have been conducted to elucidate the differential effects of drug treatments for psychosis, agitation and aggression in elderly patients with dementia. We have reviewed literature published from 1960 to 2000 on this topic; 48 studies that met our selection criteria were identified from Medline and Science Citation...

BACKGROUND Antipsychotic drugs are widely used to manage behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia despite concerns about their safety. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between treatment with antipsychotics (both conventional and atypical) and all-cause mortality. DESIGN Population-based, retrospective cohort study. SETTING Ontario, Canada. PATIENTS Older adults with dementi...