Fundamentals of Clinical Psychopharmacology

This chapter will concentrate on the mechanisms by which drugs alter neurotransmission
of relevance to the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
■ The major site of action for drugs used in psychiatry is the synapse and in particular
those utilising amines or amino acids as neurotransmitters.
■ The majority of the drugs act either presynaptically to influence levels of the
neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft, or by altering the functional state of the
postsynaptic receptors.