Treatment Overview When Were Antipsychotics First Developed? Typical Antipsychotics
 		Atypical Antipsychotics Clozapine (clorazil) Clozapine v/s Newer Atypical Antipsychotics? Side Effects



Possible Explanations to Antipsychotics Causing EPSE  (Perry 2002)



       *Researchers have suggested that  treatment  with antipsychotic  drugs induce EPSE   because these drugs sometimes alter sensitive biochemical balances in the patient's nervous system. Because antipsychotic drugs work by altering the activity of neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, it is possible that they also affect the balance between the dopamine and acetylcholine. ( To read more about what neurotransmitters are and do, please visit  the neurotransmitters section)

     *Dopaminergic  neural activity is inhibitory. This means that this neurotransmitter, dopamine, allows the nervous system to inhibit muscular activity from happening when it  not supposed to occur ( e.g. to prevent blinking when we want or need our eyes to stay open) . On the other hand, cholinergic neural activity is excitatory. This means that acetylcholine allows the nervous system to cause  muscle contraction  when necessary for movement (e.g. extending one's legs when one wants to stand up or moving one's tongue  when talking).

    *The nervous system needs a precise balance between  inhibitory and excitatory neural activity in order to have   normal  motor functioning (movement).  When this balance is disturbed in the  areas  of the brain in charge of movement ( i.e. corpus striatum) , the result is impaired motor functioning such as EPSE.



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