Since the beginning of the history of modern psychopharmacology on the 40's, many advances were obtained on the understanding of the mechanism of action of psychotropic drugs. This article gives an overview of such advances, since the introduction of the early techniques, such as the measurement of amines by fluorescence and the receptor-binding studies up to the incorporation of sophisticated techniques such as the molecular, to study the post-receptor alterations, the genetic and the neuroimage techniques. These kind of studies might help to better understand the mechanisms of action of psychotropics, allowing the development of new therapeutic substances to regulate the alterations which underlie the psychiatric disorders.
Psychopharmacology; mechanism of action; cellular mechanisms; plasticity; drug-induced adaptations
