Antipsychotics With Different Chemical Structures Cause Different Degrees of Functional Impairments in the Primary Visual Cortex in a Murine Model: A Pilot Study

Objective: Antipsychotic medications can impair vision in patients with schizophrenia. However, little is known regarding the pharmacodynamics of antipsychotics in the primary visual cortex. We aimed to study the pharmacodynamics of antipsychotics in the visual cortex in a murine model.

Methods: We used an adapted 2-photon imaging technique to observe changes in calcium dynamics induced by 4 antipsychotics (olanzapine, risperidone, aripiprazole, and amisulpride) in the primary visual cortex of healthy and schizophrenic C57BL/6 mice. Visual function was further assessed by using a novel object recognition test.

Results: All 4 antipsychotics decreased calcium activity in the primary visual cortex and reduced visual recognition test scores in healthy and schizophrenic mice. The most potent drug was olanzapine, followed by risperidone, aripiprazole, and amisulpride. All drugs showed significant differences between groups.

Conclusion: Our pilot study demonstrated that antipsychotics impair visual cortical function. This finding underscores the importance of monitoring for visual adverse events in patients receiving antipsychotic medications to treat schizophrenia.

Cite this article as: Yu H, Ma X, Ji F, et al. Antipsychotics with different chemical structures cause different degrees of functional impairments in the primary visual cortex in a murine model: A pilot study. Psychiatr Clin Psychopharmacol. 2021;31(4):364-369.