Psychiatry has long struggled to find a biological base on which to generate explanatory models of psychiatric disease, including schizophrenia, that are applicable across cultures. The discovery of effective psychopharmaceuticals and advances in functional neuroimaging show that aspects of psychiatry do have a clear biological basis. But, psychiatry, and indeed medicine in general, can only be fully understood when considered within the context of the culture in which it is practised.
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In this video Professor Christoph Correll discusses the challenges with available schizophrenia treatments & what clinicians should keep in mind when considering the emerging treatment options for schizophrenia.
The table summarizes the high-level clinical characteristics of the existing and newly emerging pharmacological treatments for schizophrenia with at least one positive placebo-controlled trial.
LDT=Laterodorsal tegmental nucleus; NAc = Nucleus Accumbens; SN = Substantia Nigra; VTA = Ventral Tegmental Area.