[Antipsychotic agents: from phenothiazines to atypical neuroleptics of the second generation].

The paper addresses evolution of the problem of creation, characterization of the pharmacological properties, and elucidation of the mechanisms of action of antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics)--one of the most important classes of modern psychotropic drugs. The appearance of these drugs marked the onset of a new era in psychiatry, the era of psychopharmacology. Special attention is devoted to the investigations in this direction at the Institute of Pharmacology, which were headed by V. V. Zakusov.