June 16, 2000 Researchers have discovered that it is possible to
have a medication that effectively treats schizophrenia while
only lasting intermittently in the brain, thus reducing the
prominent side effects traditionally associated with the
antipsychotic drugs used to treat this severe illness. The
study, published in the June issue of the Archives of General
Psychiatry, was conducted by researchers at the Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the University of
Toronto. The research opens the door to significant changes in
how schizophrenia is treated. "This is a significant finding
because until now it was thought that in order for antipsychotic
medications to be effective, they needed to be present
continuously in the brain. This study fundamentally changes our
understanding of how these drugs need to work," says Dr. Robert
Zipursky, Clinical Director of the Schizophrenia and Continuing
Care Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and
Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Uni