Tardive Dyskinesia Research - History

In order to understand the history of research on tardive dyskinesia, it is helpful to understand the history of psychoactive drugs as the two are inseparably entwined. In 1989, Dr. Ronald K. Siegel, then a researcher at the UCLA School of medicine, argued that "humanity's pursuit of happiness through chemicals, whether caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, opium, marijuana or cocaine, is a universal and inescapable fact of life."

Side Effects Become Apparent

One class of pharmaceutical psychoactive drugs are known as dopamine antagonists. These are drugs that block dopamine receptors in the brain and nervous system. These receptors play a significant role in motivation, learning and voluntary muscle control and coordination.

By the early 1960s, doctors who had been prescribing such medications for their patients began to notice these patients experience symptoms such as small, repetitive and compulsive movements (primarily, but not limited to the facial muscles). The disorder was finally recognized in 1964 and given the name by which it has been known ever since — tardive dyskinesia.

Unfortunately, this disorder has received little attention from researchers. There has been some papers and studies published over the past several years suggesting that some patients — such as the elderly and those who use tobacco in addition to dopamine receptor antagonists — may in fact run a higher risk of developing this condition. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 1998 concluded that rates of tardive dyskinesia among patients who had started taking psychoactive drugs after the age of 40 were three to five times more likely to develop the disorder.

In addition to age and the use of tobacco and alcohol, research has indicated that patients who have suffered serious head injuries, have used recreational drugs, or are exposed to environmental toxins run a higher risk of developing tardive dyskinesia. Some of the most recent research in this area suggests that the key to understanding tardive dyskinesia lies in discovering how dopamine antagonists affect a specific pathway in the brain that connects that area effecting addiction and voluntary muscle movement with the cerebrum.

Patients who suffer with tardive dyskinesia are difficult to study and track. There is currently no standard treatment for the condition, although several different prescription drugs, including donepezil, ropinirole and pramiplexole, show promise as treatments. However, many of these patients suffer from acute embarrassment over their conditions and resist participation in such studies.

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