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Antipsychotic project: clozapine and haloperidol . A frequent concern in the field of psychiatry is the understanding of the molecular effects of different psychotropic medications. Antipsychotic medications, used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, are known to have potent and reproducible effects on various neurotransmitter systems. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of antipsychotics on glutamate transporter expression. A study being carried out in this laboratory is investigating the effects of two prototypical antipsychotics, clozapine and haloperidol on the expression of vesicular glutamate transporters 1-3 and excitatory amino acid transporters 1-3 in different regions of rat brain, namely, cortex, striatum, thalamus and hippocampus. These studies will provide valuable insights regarding the effects of antipsychotic treatment on molecules of the glutamate synapse. In addition, results from such a study will also be useful in increasing our understanding of the side effects resulting from antipsychotic medication. |