Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is the dopamine hypothesis?
Over-activity or dysfunction in dopamine production within the limbic system causes schizophrenia
What is Hyperdopaminergia?
Too much dopamine in the subcortical area of the brain, Excess dopamine receptors in Broca’s area (responsible for speech)may be associated with poverty of speech and auditory hallucinations (+v)
What is Hypodopaminergia?
Too little dopamine causing negative symptoms causing flat affect, anhedonia and avolition
What is the mesolimbic pathway?
This pathway carries signals from the Ventral tegmental area of the brain to the nucleus accumbens, overstimulation in this area has been associated with positive symptoms such as hallucinations of delusions.
What is the Mesocortical pathway?
This pathway carries signals from the ventral tegmental area to the frontal lobe, little dopaminergic activity has been found in this pathway, leading to negative symptoms
Describe the Randrup (1966) research on rats
created SZ like behaviour in rats by giving them amphetamines, which activate dopamine production and then reversed the effects by giving them neuroleptic drugs, which inhibit the release of dopamine, thereby showing a link between dopamine and the onset of SZ - Evaluate
Describe the Kesser et al (2003) research
used MRI scans to compare people with SZ with non-sufferers, finding that schizophrenics had elevated dopamine receptor levels in the basal forebrain, further highlighting the dopamine link to SZ
Is the dopamine hypothesis deterministic or holist?
Biologically Deterministic
What effect does enlarged ventricles have on the patient?
Enlarged ventricles has been associated with negative symptoms, Cortical atrophy (loss of neurons), and reversed cerebral asymmetry (right hemisphere larger than left in schizophrenics).
What is a biological explanation of schizophrenia?
A theory which relies on biological aspects such as neuroscience to determine causation. Dopamine hypothesis, Enlarged ventricles.
What is metacognition?
Cognitive monitoring of your own thoughts and processes.
What are the symptoms of metacognition dysfunction?
dysfunctional thought processes which means serious impairments in attention, memory, self-monitoring, inhibition, inappropriate responses, even physical motor control
Describe Beck and Rector’s(2005) Cognitive neurobiological theory.
Impaired integrative functioning leads to increased vulnerability to stressful life experiences (stress triggering SZ). High levels of stress results in dysfunctional beliefs and behaviours (onset of symptoms). Cognitive deficits then occur because of these dysfunctions (problems with attention, communication, information overload & poor filtering of information)
Explain the positive symptoms of dysfunctional thought processing
Delusions: Cognitive biases and irrational thinking. Hallucinations: Biased information processing E.g., a non-SZ may experience sleep deprivation = hear voices= appraise this normally i.e explain it rationally
Explain the negative symptoms of dysfunctional thought processing
Cognitive strategies to deal with high amounts of stress and overwhelming situations. examples include anhedonia, flat effect and avolition.
