Dopamine system stabilizers, aripiprazole, and the next generation of antipsychotics, part 2: Illustrating their mechanism of action

Abstract

Issue: The ideal mix of dopamine-2 (D2) receptor stimulation and D2 receptor blockade may stabilize the dopamine system and reduce pyschosis without creating extrapyramidal motor side effects. Dopamine system stabilizers (DSSs) strike this balance, resulting in a novel antipsychotic that does not produce motor side effects. Aripiprazole is the prototype DSS.