Summarize the biochemical correlates of schizophrenia.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia rests on observations of psychosis resulting from higher levels of dopamine activity along with the efficacy of dopamine antagonists in treating schizophrenia. Amphetamine, cocaine, and L-dopa (used to treat Parkinson's disease) are potent dopamine agonists. Over time, these drugs often produce behaviors similar to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations and paranoid delusions. The dopamine antagonists used to treat schizophrenia, also known as typical antipsychotic medications, act by blocking the D2 dopamine receptor and reduce psychotic symptoms that result from either schizophrenia or stimulant abuse. In addition to possible abnormalities in the number of D2 receptors, patients with schizophrenia also show evidence of greater dopamine synthesis and release. Finally, a disturbance in glutamate systems might provide the large-scale effects that would account for the wide range of positive symptoms in schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia show evidence of reduced numbers of glutamate receptors in their brains. Patients with schizophrenia experience a greater drop in glutamate activity in the brain as a result of aging compared to healthy controls.