Every year, we recognize the first full week of May as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week (TDAW), to help increase awareness and education about tardive dyskinesia. This includes awareness to health care providers around the importance of regular screening for tardive dyskinesia, and effectively treating this condition. An estimated 600,000 people in the United States have tardive dyskinesia, and that number is expected to increase with the expanding use of dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs) for various conditions. Experts agree that all patients who have been prescribed DRBAs should be screened for TD at every clinical encounter, regardless of the degree of risk of tardive dyskinesia.
Free CME/CE Activities on Tardive Dyskinesia Create a free NEI guest account
Encore Presentation Moving in the Right Direction: An Update on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Tardive Dyskinesia CME/CE Credit: 0.75 | Expires: November 6, 2025
Mechanism of Action Animation Mechanism of Action: The Etiology of Tardive Dyskinesia CME/CE Credit: 0.25 | Expires: October 17, 2025
CNS Spectrums CME/CE Article A New Era in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Tardive Dyskinesia CME/CE Credit: 1.00 | Expires: October 1, 2025
Expert Clinical Case 62-Year-Old Mother With Schizophrenia Who Feels Embarrassed By Her “Shakiness” CME/CE Credit: 0.50 | Expires: July 31, 2025
Mental Health News and Research Screening for Tardive Dyskinesia Published June 29, 2022
Encore Presentation Sitting Still: Strategies for Effective Symptom Management in Tardive Dyskinesia CME/CE Credit: 0.75 | Expires: February 26, 2025
Mechanism of Action Animation Mechanism of Action: Differentiating VMAT2 Inhibitors CME/CE Credit: 0.25 | Expires: October 25, 2025
NEI Podcast Episode 140 - Catch Me If You Can: Early Screening and Detection for Tardive Dyskinesia CME/CE Credit: 1.00 | Expires: March 23, 2025
Encore Presentation Move It on Over: Diagnosing and Treating Tardive Dyskinesia CME/CE Credit: 1.00 | Expires: April 24, 2025
Expert Clinical Case Grieving 58-year-Old Man With Major Depressive Disorder and Reduced Social Contact Due to Embarrassment From Writhing and Twitching Movements CME/CE Credit: 0.50 | Expires: October 4, 2025
Dopamine regulates motor movements through both the direct (go) and indirect (stop) pathways. In the direct pathway, dopamine released into the striatum binds to dopamine 1 receptors on GABA neurons. This stimulates GABA release, which ultimately leads to glutamate release in the cortex and thus enhances motor output. In the indirect pathway, dopamine released into the striatum binds to dopamine 2 receptors on GABA neurons. This inhibits GABA release, thus inhibiting the "stop" pathway and therefore also enhancing motor output.
Figure 1. Chronic blockade of dopamine 2 receptors can lead to their upregulation; the upregulated receptors may also be supersensitive to dopamine. In the indirect (stop) pathway, this can lead to so much inhibition of the "stop" signal (left) that the "go" signal (right) is overactive, leading to the hyperkinetic involuntary movements of tardive dyskinesia.
Reference:
Stahl SM. Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications. 5th edition. Cambridge University Press; 2021.