title: Pharmacogenetics of antipsychotic treatment response and side effects.
abstract: Antipsychotic drugs are particularly interesting in pharmacogenetic studies as they are associated with a large interindividual variability in terms of response and side effects and, therefore, frequently need to be discontinued, requiring switches to other antipsychotics. Any information that allows the prediction of outcome to a given antipsychotic in a particular patient will, therefore, be of great help for the clinician to minimize time and find the right drug for the right patient, thus optimizing response and minimizing side effects. This will also have a substantial impact on compliance and doctor-patient relationships. Moreover, antipsychotic drug treatments are often required for life-long treatment and are also frequently prescribed to the more 'vulnerable' populations: children, adolescents and the elderly. This article focuses on some important studies performed with candidate gene variants associated with antipsychotic response. In addition, important findings in pharmacogenetic studies of antipsychotic-induced side effects will be briefly summarized, such as antipsychotic treatment induced tardive dyskinesia and weight gain.
authors.affiliation: Neurogenetics Section, Neuroscience Department Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada Tel: +1416 535 8501 ext. 6851 Fax:+1 416 979 4666.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.forename: Rp
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Likhodi
authors.forename: Ak
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.forename: Cc
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zai
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sturgess
authors.forename: Dj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Müller