Risperidone receptor blocking actions

One of the newest strategies for the design of additional atypical antipsychotic drugs is to combine D -receptor blocking actions in the same molecule. Risperidone... 

Many of the neuroleptics are a-adrenoceptor antagonists. Some, like chlorpromazine, block d postsynaptic receptors while clozapine (and risperidone) are as potent at 2 as D2 receptors. There is no evidence that either of these actions could influence striatal or mesolimbic function but NA is considered important for function of the prefrontal cortex and any increase in its release, achieved by blocking a2-mediated autoinhibition, might contribute to a reduction in negative symptoms and provide a further plus for clozapine (see Nutt et al. 1997). Centrally, however, most a2-receptors are found postsynaptically and their function, and the effect of blocking them, is uncertain. 

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