biological explanations

• What does it mean to say schizophrenia has a biological cause?

  It suggests schizophrenia arises from physical processes
• What are the three main factors discussed regarding schizophrenia's biological cause?

  Genetics, neural structure, neurotransmitter activity
• What does polygenetic mean in the context of schizophrenia?

  Multiple genes increase the risk of schizophrenia
• How many gene loci were identified by Ripke in schizophrenia research?

  108 gene loci
• What does etiologically heterogeneous mean?

  Different gene combinations cause schizophrenia in individuals
• What would we expect to find in family studies if schizophrenia has a genetic basis?

  Higher rates of schizophrenia in close relatives
• What is a concordance rate in schizophrenia research?

  Frequency of schizophrenia in both individuals
• Why do we expect a higher concordance rate in siblings than cousins?

  Siblings share more DNA than cousins
• What was the concordance rate for identical twins found by Gatzman?

  48%
• What does a 1% concordance rate in the general population suggest?

  Schizophrenia is rare in the general population
• What issue arises from the concordance rate not being 100% in identical twins?

  It suggests environmental factors may also play a role
• What did Tanari's research on adopted children suggest about schizophrenia?

  Biological risk influences schizophrenia development
• What is the dopamine hypothesis in relation to schizophrenia?

  Imbalance of dopamine causes schizophrenia symptoms
• What is hyperdopaminergia?

  Too much dopamine in the brain
• What symptoms might be caused by low dopamine levels?

  Negative symptoms like avolition and speech poverty
• How do antipsychotic drugs support the dopamine hypothesis?

  They reduce dopamine levels and decrease symptoms
• What did the Shet's meta-analysis find about antipsychotic drugs?

  They are more effective than placebo treatments
• What are enlarged ventricles in the brain associated with?

  They are larger in people with schizophrenia
• What is a limitation of the research on enlarged ventricles?

  It is correlational, not causal
• What does determinism imply in the context of schizophrenia?

  Schizophrenia is seen as inevitable due to genetics
• How does reductionism apply to the biological explanation of schizophrenia?

  It simplifies schizophrenia to cellular and chemical processes
• What is the diathesis-stress approach to schizophrenia?

  Genetic vulnerability plus environmental stress triggers schizophrenia
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the biological explanation for schizophrenia?

  Strengths:

  • Evidence from genetic studies
  • Effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Oversimplifies complex disorder
  • Ignores psychological and environmental factors
• What should you focus on when discussing drug treatments in essays about schizophrenia?

  • Effectiveness of drugs supporting dopamine hypothesis
  • Avoid writing a full essay on drug treatments
• What is the general population's concordance rate for schizophrenia?

  1%
• What is the role of neurotransmitters in schizophrenia?

  • Dopamine: main neurotransmitter implicated
  • Glutamate: lower levels in schizophrenia
  • Serotonin: involved in treatment with clozapine
• How do genetic and environmental factors interact in schizophrenia?

  • Genetic predisposition increases risk
  • Environmental stressors can trigger symptoms