Antipsychotic medication: the potential role of 5-HT(1A) receptor agonism.

Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder characterised by positive and negative symptoms, cognitive impairments, attentional problems, anxiety and depressive symptoms. The use of atypical antipsychotics has generally improved clinical outcome yet medical need remains in the treatment of this disease. The potential use of 5-HT(1A) receptor agonism is emerging as one potential area that could be exploited to improve clinical management of the disease. 5-HT(1A) receptor agonism will not reduce hyperprolactinaemia but does appear to enhance effects on positive, negative and cognitive symptoms and also treat attentional depressive and anxiety symptoms. However, these improvements are not at the expense extrapyramidal side effects and indeed may attenuate the effects of D(2) receptor antagonism. Agonism at the 5-HT(1A) receptor might therefore offer potential benefits to the pallet of existing strategies for the treatment of schizophrenia. We review existing data in support of this. However, further clinical data are needed to prove these hypotheses.