Surreal illustration of C. elegans with glowing neurons and DNA strands representing epigenetic influence of antipsychotic drugs.

Unlock Your Brain's Potential: How Common Drugs Impact Your Mind and Behavior

Kai Mendoza in Health & Wellness June 2025 • 4 min read.

"Exploring the surprising ways risperidone and aripiprazole—drugs often used for serious mental health conditions—affect our fundamental behaviors, offering new clues about brain function."

Our brains are complex networks, and even subtle changes in brain chemistry can significantly impact our behavior. Scientists are constantly working to understand these intricate relationships, often using model organisms like Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) to explore the fundamental mechanisms of how drugs affect the nervous system.

C. elegans, a tiny nematode worm, offers a unique window into understanding how drugs influence behavior because of its simple yet well-defined nervous system. Despite its simplicity, the worm shares many genetic similarities with humans, making it a valuable tool for studying basic biological processes.

A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Neuroscience investigates how two common antipsychotic drugs, risperidone and aripiprazole, interact with dopamine and serotonin pathways in C. elegans, affecting fundamental behaviors like touch response and feeding. The findings reveal unexpected insights into how these drugs might be influencing the nervous system.

Decoding the Impact: Risperidone and Aripiprazole on Basic Behaviors

Surreal illustration of C. elegans with glowing neurons and DNA strands representing epigenetic influence of antipsychotic drugs.

The study focuses on how risperidone and aripiprazole, both atypical antipsychotics commonly prescribed for conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, affect specific behaviors in C. elegans. Risperidone primarily blocks dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, while aripiprazole acts as a partial agonist of dopamine D2 receptors and a partial agonist/antagonist of serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors.

Researchers found that both drugs altered the worm's gentle touch response and pharyngeal pumping rate (feeding). They also examined mutant worms lacking certain dopamine and serotonin receptors to pinpoint the specific targets of these drugs. Interestingly, the effects of these drugs persisted across multiple generations, suggesting potential epigenetic changes.

The key findings include:

Risperidone and aripiprazole significantly alter touch response and feeding rates in C. elegans.
The drugs interact with specific dopamine (DOP-1, DOP-2, DOP-3) and serotonin (SER-1) receptors.
Effects persisted across generations, suggesting epigenetic modifications.
Sodium butyrate, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, eliminated the transgenerational effects.

These results indicate that risperidone and aripiprazole don't just interact with specific receptors to alter nerve function but may also lead to lasting epigenetic marks that influence behavior across generations. This is a surprising and important finding that could change our understanding of these drugs.

Implications and Future Directions

This research opens new avenues for understanding how antipsychotic medications impact the brain and behavior. While conducted on worms, the findings highlight the potential for epigenetic changes and the importance of considering long-term effects. Future studies could explore these mechanisms in more complex organisms, potentially leading to more targeted and effective treatments for mental health conditions.

About this Article -

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This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1177/1179069518798628, Alternate LINK

Title: Behavioral Mechanisms That Depend On Dopamine And Serotonin InCaenorhabditis ElegansInteract With The Antipsychotics Risperidone And Aripiprazole

Subject: General Neuroscience

Journal: Journal of Experimental Neuroscience

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Authors: Jaime Osuna-Luque, Ángel Rodríguez-Ramos, María Del Mar Gámez-Del-Estal, Manuel Ruiz-Rubio

Published: 2018-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

How do risperidone and aripiprazole impact basic behaviors in C. elegans?

Risperidone and aripiprazole, both atypical antipsychotics, were shown to significantly alter touch response and feeding rates in C. elegans. Risperidone primarily blocks dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. Aripiprazole acts as a partial agonist of dopamine D2 receptors and a partial agonist/antagonist of serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors. This means they interfere with the normal signaling pathways that control these basic behaviors.

Which specific dopamine and serotonin receptors do risperidone and aripiprazole interact with in C. elegans?

The study showed that risperidone and aripiprazole interact with specific dopamine (DOP-1, DOP-2, DOP-3) and serotonin (SER-1) receptors in *C. elegans*. By examining mutant worms lacking certain dopamine and serotonin receptors, researchers were able to pinpoint these specific targets. This suggests that these receptors play a critical role in mediating the behavioral effects of the drugs.

What evidence suggests that risperidone and aripiprazole may cause epigenetic changes?

The effects of risperidone and aripiprazole persisted across multiple generations of *C. elegans*, indicating potential epigenetic modifications. This means that the drugs might be causing changes to the way genes are expressed, rather than directly altering the genes themselves. Sodium butyrate, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, eliminated these transgenerational effects, further supporting the role of epigenetic mechanisms.

What are the broader implications of the findings regarding risperidone and aripiprazole for understanding mental health treatments?

This research suggests that antipsychotic medications like risperidone and aripiprazole might not only affect nerve function through direct receptor interaction but may also induce lasting epigenetic changes that influence behavior across generations. This opens the door to understanding the long-term effects of these medications and the potential for developing more targeted treatments that minimize adverse effects.

How might future research build upon these findings about risperidone and aripiprazole to improve mental health treatments?

While the study was conducted on *C. elegans*, the findings highlight the potential for epigenetic changes and the importance of considering long-term effects of risperidone and aripiprazole. Future research could explore these mechanisms in more complex organisms, potentially leading to more targeted and effective treatments for mental health conditions. It also raises questions about whether similar epigenetic changes occur in humans and how these changes might influence treatment outcomes and side effects. Further investigations could focus on identifying specific epigenetic marks and developing interventions to reverse or mitigate these changes.