Pharmacological Targets and Mechanisms of Action of Antipsychotic Substances in the Context of the Neurochemical Theory of the Pathogenesis of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is characterized by neurochemical, morphological, bioelectrical, and behavioral changes in the body, which overall produce a system of mutually interacting pathophysiological theories. This review considers the neurochemical theory of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia through the prism of neuropsychopharmacology with the aim of explaining and understanding the mechanisms of action of antipsychotic drugs. The interactions of neurochemical processes with the genetic and immunological underpinnings of schizophrenia are described. Current data on the ligands, receptor targets, and second messengers involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and psychoses are presented with a detailed explanation of their physiological role and connections at the neurochemical, anatomical, functional, and effector levels of the connective organization of the brain.