title: Targeting the dopamine receptor in schizophrenia: investigational drugs in Phase III trials.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antipsychotic drugs date back to the 1950s and chlorpromazine. Soon after, it was established that blockade of dopamine and, in particular, the D2 receptor was central to this effect. Dopamine continues to represent a critical line of investigation, although much of the work now focuses on its potential in other symptom domains.
  
  
  METHODS
  A search was carried out for investigational drugs using the key words 'dopamine', 'schizophrenia' and 'Phase III' in an American clinical trial registry (clinicaltrials.gov), published articles using the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database, and supplemented results with a manual search of cross-references and conference abstracts. Drugs were excluded that were already FDA approved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There remains interest, albeit diminished, in developing better antipsychotic compounds. The greatest enthusiasm currently centres on dopamine's role in negative and cognitive symptom domains. With theories conceptualising hypodopaminergic activity as underlying these deficits, considerable effort is focused on drug strategies that will enhance dopamine activity. Finally, a small body of research is investigating dopaminergic compounds vis-à-vis side-effect treatments. In domains beyond psychosis, however, dopamine arguably is not seen as so central, reflected in considerable research following other lines of investigation.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) , 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8 , Canada +1 416 535 8501 ext. 4864 ; +1 416 979 4292 ; gary.remington@camh.ca.
authors.forename: Naren P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Remington
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D004298:Dopamine