Dopamine Hypotheis of Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is dopamine?
a neurotransmitter which has many functions in the brain
What does dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia suggest?
that abnormalities in the dopamine systems involved in movement and attention are responsible
What has been linked to positive symptoms of schizophrenia and what is the cause?
-An increase in dopamine activity (hyperdopaminergia) in the subcortex of the brain
-One possible cause may be the presence of abnormally high levels of D2 receptors on receiving neurons results in more dopamine binding and therefore more neurons firing.
-If this increased activity occurs in Broca’s area (responsible for speech production), could lead to auditory hallucinations and additions to speech (such as word salad) which are symptoms of paranoid and disorganised schizophrenia
What is linked to negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
-a decrease in dopamine (hypodominergia) in the cortex
-Decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for higher-order thinking can be linked to cognitive deficits (such as avolition) which impairs decision making.
