Biological Factors: Biochemical Factors Flashcards
1
Q
what have post-mortems and PET scans shown
A
that schizophrenics have abnormally high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine
2
Q
what did the discovery of schizophrenics having high levels of dopamine do?
A
caused the development of the dopamine hypothesis
3
Q
the dopamine hypothesis
A
synapses that use dopamine as a neurotransmitter are overactive in the brains of people with schizophrenia
4
Q
evidence for
A
antipsychotic drugs reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia by blocking dopamine receptors
5
Q
if antipsychotic drugs reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia…
A
then it must be the overactive dopamine receptors causing the symptoms
6
Q
evidence against
A
antipsychotic drugs only work on positive symptoms
