3.3.2.2 Neural Correlations with Schizophrenia

• Abnormal levels of dopamine correlate with schizophrenia
• Dopamine hypothesis originally only looked at hyperdopaminegia in schizophrenia
• Hyperdopaminergia in the subcortex

  • eg Broca's Area
  • Suggests that too much dopamine is released
  • Leads to psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions
• Hypodopaminergia in the cortex

  • eg prefrontal cortex = responsible for thinking
  • Suggests that there isn't enough dopamine being produced or released
  • Leads to negative symptoms like apathy and social withdrawal
• Strength = Research Support

  • Tauscher et al (2014) = antipsychotic drugs that reduce DA activity, reduce intensity of Schz symptoms
  • Candidate genes act on production of DA or DA receptors
• Weakness = Glutamate

  • McCutcheon et al (2020) = consistently found high levels of glutamate in brain regions of people with Schz = used post-mortem & live scanning
  • Challenges dopamine hypothesis
• Weakness = Correlation is not Causation

  • Unusual brain activity correlates with symptoms
  • Another factor may be the cause