Biological 1) Dopamine Theory

Question 1

What is dopamine?

Answer 1

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain.

Question 2

High levels of dopamine

Answer 2

When there is a high level of dopamine it tends to give positive characteristics.

Question 3

Low levels of dopamine

Answer 3

If there is a low level of dopamine it tends to give negative characteristics.

Question 4

Drug treatment

Answer 4

With high levels of dopamine, drug treatments can effect the levels of dopamine.
Drugs do not impact low levels of dopamine.

Question 5

Dopamine hypothesis.

Answer 5

Medical evidence shows high/overactive levels of neurotransmitter dopamine present in the brain of people with schizophrenia (Snyder et al.).
Drugs to reduce dopamine have had little effect in general, especially those with negative symptoms.
The revised dopamine hypothesis focuses on the levels of dopamine in the limbic system.
Two of the main nerve pathways from the limbic system are: mesolimbic and mesocortical.
Too little dopamine in the mesocortical is found in those with negative symptoms.

Question 6

Serotonin

Answer 6

Brain chemical (neurotransmitter) - happiness.
Some are of the view that low levels of serotonin can influence schizophrenia, especially negative symptoms.
Dopamine is only one possible explanation.
Some believe that levels of dopamine cause schizophrenia, others think its the other way around.