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The procholinergic effects of the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine are independent of muscarinic autoreceptor inhibition

Molecular Psychiatry volume 11, pages 619–621 (2006)Cite this article

An extremely important therapeutic advantage of atypical antipsychotic drugs, such as clozapine and olanzapine, is improvement of cognitive function in schizophrenia. It is now acknowledged that trait memory/executive deficits comprise a core and particularly debilitating cluster of symptoms in the semiology of schizophrenia and represent a vital unmet medical need.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and procholinergic drugs can improve memory in Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders.1, 2 Interestingly, the procognitive effects of olanzapine and clozapine have been associated with their ability to elevate extracellular acetylcholine concentrations in cortical regions. Thus, olanzapine and clozapine, but not typical antipsychotic drugs, markedly increase acetylcholine in the rat prefrontal cortex3 and hippocampus4 through a still unidentified mechanism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly Corporate Center, Neuroscience Discovery Research, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    E T Tzavara, F P Bymaster & G G Nomikos

  2. INSERM U-513, 8 rue de Général Sarrail, Créteil, France

    E T Tzavara

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  1. E T Tzavara
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  2. F P Bymaster
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  3. G G Nomikos
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Correspondence to G G Nomikos.

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Tzavara, E., Bymaster, F. & Nomikos, G. The procholinergic effects of the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine are independent of muscarinic autoreceptor inhibition. Mol Psychiatry 11, 619–621 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001834

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