Posted by SLS on January 31, 2009, at 6:37:20
In reply to Abilify, Concerta and dopamine blockade, posted by chocoholic on January 30, 2009, at 22:27:19
Abilify is kind of a strange one, although there are more like it in the drug pipeline. Yes, it can accomplish 80% occupancy, yet produce significantly more than 20% stimulation. This is because Abilify is a dopamine (DA) receptor partial agonist rather than a full antagonist. Some percentage of Abilify attachments are stimulatory rather than inhibitory. It seems that when concentrations of dopamine are high, it acts like any other antipsychotic - a full antagonist. When dopamine levels are low, it acts more like a DA agonist. So, this drug can help stabilize DA synapses.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:877279
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/neuro/20090129/msgs/877311.html