title: Classifying antipsychotic agents : need for new terminology.
abstract: Converging data from multiple lines of research provide growing understanding of the pharmacological basis of the efficacy and tolerability of antipsychotic agents. This review highlights some of the drawbacks of the current practice of classifying antipsychotic agents into first- and second-generation agents, and argues that much of what is known about an antipsychotic agent in terms of its efficacy and tolerability can be predicted from its binding affinity at different receptors. This makes a case for a new system of classification that reflects the receptor binding affinity profiles of individual antipsychotic agents. In its quest to make a compelling case, the review provides detailed explanations for the pharmacological basis of antipsychotic efficacy, antipsychotic-induced weight gain and diabetes mellitus, cognitive effects and other adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa School of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ripu.jindal@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ripu D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Jindal
authors.forename: Matcheri S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Keshavan
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000145:classification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000139:chemically induced; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000209:etiology; D005116:Extrapyramidal Tracts / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D011388:Prolactin