Risperidone

Risperidone is a second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) medication used in the treatment of a number of mood and mental health conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar mania, and as an adjunct in severe depression for example. It is one of the most widely used SGAs. Schizophrenia and various mood disorders are thought to be caused by an excess of dopaminergic D2 and serotonergic 5-HT2A activity, resulting in overactivity of central mesolimbic pathways and mesocortical pathways, respectively. Risperidone is thought to reduce this overactivity through inhibition of dopaminergic D2 receptors and serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors in the brain. Risperidone binds with a very high affinity to 5-HT2A receptors, approximately 10-20 fold greater than the drug's binding affinity to D2 receptors