Biological Explanation for Schizophrenia (NT)

Question 1

What is the biological explanation for schizophrenia?

Answer 1

Neurotransmitters

Question 2

What does the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters) say is the cause?

Answer 2

Chemical imbalance in neurotransmitters in different parts of the brain which causes excess signalling

e.g. too many action potentials firing

Question 3

What did the original dopamine hypothesis say, according to the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 3

Excess levels of dopamine are linked with schizophrenia (D2 receptors)

Question 4

What is hypodopimanergia, according to the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 4

Low levels of dopamine in the mesocortical system lead to negative symptoms

Question 5

What is the hyperdopimanergia, according to the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 5

High levels of dopamine in the mesolimbic system lead to positive systems?

Question 6

What is glutamate thought to control, according to the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 6

Amount of dopamine released by the brain

Normally seems to lower levels of dopamine

Question 7

How does glutamate production cause schizophrenia when blocked, according to the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 7

Leads to an increase in the amount of dopamine in the brain

Question 8

What can an increase in serotonin activity lead to, according to the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 8

Positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Question 9

How do anti-psychotic drugs support the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 9

Block dopamine receptors so are effective in reducing the symptoms of schizophrenia suggesting that excess dopamine does explain the development of schizophrenia

Question 10

How does Carlsson support the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 10

Found that dopamine, glutamate and serotonin are all implicated in the
development of schizophrenia showing that neurotransmitters can explain the development ofschizophrenia

Question 11

How does Seeman support the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 11

Found that schizophrenics have a higher number of D2 receptors, suggesting that excess activity of dopamine causes schizophrenia

Question 12

Why is it good that we can empirically measure neurotransmitters (biological explanation for schizophrenia)?

Answer 12

Scientific and objective so we can directly measure the levels of dopamine, glutamate, serotonin etc so it is a credible explanation

Question 13

How does Randrup and Munkvad support the biological explanation for schizophrenia?

Answer 13

Rats become more aggressive and isolated when injected with amphetamines, showing that changing the dopamine levels resulted in psychotic-type behaviours consistent with Schizophrenia

Question 14

How do amphetamines support the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 14

Dopamine agonists which cause side-effects seen in schizophrenia so its credible explanation for the cause of schizophrenia

Question 15

Why are there cause and effect issues with the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 15

Most of the research is correlational so its not a good explanation as high levels of Dopamine could cause SZ or SZ causes high levels of
Dopamine

Question 16

Why is using urine or blood tests a weakness for the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 16

Lowers validity because it is not totally clear if the chemicals are in the brain or elsewhere

Question 17

Why is the biological explanation for schizophrenia reductionist?

Answer 17

Could be that genes cause the changes in glutamate so its not a full explanation

Question 18

What does the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters) ignore?

Answer 18

Other possible causes of schizophrenia e.g. early childhood experiences or
cognitive processes

Question 19

Why are amphetamines a weakness as evidence for the biological explanation for schizophrenia (neurotransmitters)?

Answer 19

Only cause positive symptoms so suggesting that it is just Dopamine is reductionist

Question 20

Why might there be more than one explanation, not just neurotransmitters (biological explanation for schizophrenia)?

Answer 20

Anti-psychotic drugs block dopamine receptors very quickly but it takes a few days for the symptoms of schizophrenia to be reduced so there may be other factors involved in developing schizophrenia