title: The prefrontal cortex: a target for antipsychotic drugs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  At therapeutic doses, classical antipsychotic drugs occupy a large proportion of subcortical dopamine D2 receptors, whereas atypical antipsychotics preferentially occupy cortical 5-HT(2) receptors. However, the exact cellular and network basis of their therapeutic action is not fully understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  To review the mechanism of action of antipsychotic drugs with a particular emphasis on their action in the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The PFC controls a large number of higher brain functions altered in schizophrenia. Histological studies indicate the presence of a large proportion of PFC neurons expressing monoaminergic receptors sensitive to the action of atypical- and to a lesser extentclassical antipsychotic drugs. Functional studies also indicate that both drug families act at PFC level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Atypical antipsychotic drugs likely exert their therapeutic activity by a preferential action on PFC neurons, thus modulating the PFC output to basal ganglia circuits. Classical antipsychotics also interact with these PFC targets in addition to blocking massively striatal D2 receptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurochemistry and Neuropharmacology, Institut d' Investigacions Biomèdiques de Barcelona (CSIC), IDIBAPS,08036 Barcelona, Spain. fapnqi@iibb.csic.es
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Artigas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000187:drug effects; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2