This session will address three aspects of psychosis.
1. Sensorimotor abnormalities such as dyskinesia, parkinsonism and motor incoordination are commonly described in schizophrenia, usually attributed to medication side-effects or sometimes as neurological soft-signs or catatonic phenomena. Prof Mark Edwards will outline the prevalence and characteristics of sensorimotor disturbances in schizophrenia, including amongst medication naïve individuals, demonstrating that sensorimotor dysfunction may be an integral manifestation of the disease process. He will discuss how better characterisation of sensorimotor status may improve both our management of schizophrenia, and the development of novel treatment avenues.
2. Professor Helene Verdoux will discuss haematological abnormalities on Clozapine and the body of evidence that persuaded the European Medicines Agency to reduce the frequency of full blood count testing for people prescribed clozapine. She will also present the implications of these regulatory changes for the monitoring of other clozapine-related adverse drugs reactions.
3. Professor Sir Robin Murray and Dr Paul Morrison will give a talk entitled, “Now that we know how clozapine works”. The reasons why clozapine is more effective in treatment resistant schizophrenia than other antipsychotics has until recently been unknown. However now it has become clearer. Clozapine has anxiolytic and antidepressant properties like olanzapine and quetiapine. But in addition, it has muscarinic effects. These result indirectly in a decrease in the synthesis of dopamine. This decrease is sufficient so that its relatively weak effects on the D2 receptor are sufficient to normalise dopamine signalling without the usual side-effects of D2 blockade
Learning objectives
In this webinar you will:
gain a broader understanding of motor and sensory disturbances, their causes and the potential relationship with schizophrenia
receive an update on the risks of agranulocytosis on clozapine and how this evidence has influenced the decision making of the European and US regulatory bodies
expand their knowledge of the pharmacological mechanisms by why clozapine helps people whose psychotic illness has not been helped by other anti-psychotic medications, and explore why it does not work for everyone."
Speakers
Chair: Professor Fiona Gaughran, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London
Ms Bethany Yeiser, President, CURESZ Foundation
Professor Helene Verdoux, University of Bordeaux, France
Professor Sir Robin Murray, King's College London Psychology and Neuroscience, London and Dr Paul Morrison, Argyll and Bute HSCP, Argyll
Funding
RCPsych International Congress is financially supported by the purchase of exhibition stand packages. A full list of confirmed exhibitors can be found here: Exhibiting Organisations at International Congress 2026
Availability
This webinar is part of the Congress webinar 2026 package. If you attended all four days of Congress, you will have access to these as part of your Congress package. Otherwise the Congress webinar 2026 package can be purchased below.
