Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026
14:57
Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology
Published on: March 23, 2011
Aripiprazole for late-life schizophrenia
Jeffrey Rado1, Philip G Janicak
1Psychiatric Clinical Research Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. jeffrey_rado@rush.edu
Clinical Interventions in Aging
|September 21, 2010
Summary
This review examines antipsychotic use in elderly patients with schizophrenia, highlighting limited evidence and increased risks. It focuses on aripiprazole
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Antipsychotic medications are commonly prescribed for elderly patients with schizophrenia.
- Evidence regarding antipsychotic efficacy and safety in older adults is limited compared to younger populations.
- Elderly patients present unique challenges including high comorbidity, altered pharmacokinetics, and drug interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review diagnostic and treatment considerations for schizophrenia and psychotic disorders in the elderly.
- To explore the specific role and potential of aripiprazole in this patient group.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on antipsychotic use in elderly patients.
- Focus on diagnostic challenges, pharmacokinetic changes, adverse effects, and drug interactions.
- Examination of aripiprazole's profile in geriatric populations.
Main Results:
- Limited data exists on antipsychotic effectiveness in elderly schizophrenia patients.
- Age-related factors increase risks of adverse effects and drug interactions.
- Aripiprazole's unique pharmacokinetic profile may offer advantages in the elderly.
Conclusions:
- Careful consideration of diagnostic and treatment issues is crucial for elderly patients with schizophrenia.
- Aripiprazole warrants further investigation for its role in managing psychosis in older adults.
- Individualized treatment approaches are necessary to optimize outcomes and minimize risks.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation. For...
01:28Drug Therapy
The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications
Antianxiety Medications
01:22Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is pathologically identified by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of tau protein. AD pharmacotherapy aims to manage cognitive symptoms, delay disease progression, and treat behavioral symptoms. The treatment is primarily symptomatic and palliative, with no definitive disease-modifying therapy available. Cholinesterase inhibitors, including donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), and galantamine (Razadyne), are...
01:21Antipsychotic Drugs: Typical and Atypical Agents
Antipsychotic drugs are classified into first-generation (typical) drugs including phenothiazines; and second-generation (atypical) drugs. Chlorpromazine hydrochloride (Thorazine), a phenothiazine derivative, broadly impacts the central, autonomic, and endocrine systems. This drug, along with typical agents like haloperidol (Haldol), primarily works by antagonizing D2 receptors, thus reducing dopaminergic neurotransmission. However, typical antipsychotics can cause side effects such as sedation...
01:28Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
The term "psychosis" refers to a spectrum of mental disorders characterized by abnormal thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. It can manifest as mood disorders, dementia, delirium with psychotic features, substance-induced psychosis with psychotic features, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. Among all these disorders, schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder, affecting 1% of the worldwide population. Psychotic symptoms in all...
01:08Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment
Hepatic impairment, characterized by decreased liver function, does not uniformly mandate adjustments in drug dosage. Whether dosage modifications are necessary depends on various factors related to the drug's metabolism and elimination pathways. If a drug is primarily excreted via the kidneys and bypasses significant hepatic processing, if it undergoes minimal metabolic transformation in the liver, or if it is volatile and primarily expelled through the lungs, dose adjustments may not be...