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Novel Therapeutics for Schizophrenia: Targeting Glycine Modulation of NMDA Glutamate Receptors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Stephen M. Stahl
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Extract

Currently, a major hypothesis for the pathophysiology of schizophrenia proposes that numerous risk factors converge on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor for the neurotransmitter glutamate, resulting in neurodevelopmental abnormalities at glutamate synapses and hypofunction of NMDA receptors.This hypothesis was presented in a previous “Trends in Psychopharmacology” column. Novel treatments are now in development that can theoretically boost the function of NMDA receptors by enhancing actions at the glycine co-transmitter site of this receptor complex. Early studies already indicate that this may lead to improvement in negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, especially when added as augmenting agents to atypical antipsychotics.

Type
Trends in Psychopharmacology
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 12 , Issue 6 , June 2007 , pp. 423 - 427
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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