Action of haloperidol on the ultrastructure of areas of the dopaminergic system of the brain

: The ultrastructure of the olfactory tubercle was investigated in patients receiving prolonged (3-weeks-long) treatment with low doses (0.1 mg/kg) of haloperidol. This therapy was mostly associated with changes in the neuronal processes and glial cells. It has been found that ultrastructural rearrangement in neurons of the olfactory tubercle is functional in nature which indicates the change in the efficacy of synaptic transmission and in metabolic processes. It is postulated that chronic administration of low doses of haloperidol induces adaptive alterations mediated by DA receptor block.