biological explanations

    Cards (5)

    • biological explanations
      emphasises the role of inherited factors and dysfunction of brain activity in the development of schizophrenia. there are three main psychological explanations which involve: genetics, dopamine hypothesis and neural correlates.
    • genetics
      inherited as genes are transmitted from parent to child. schizophrenia is polygenic which means it requires a different number of factors which work together.
    • the dopamine hypothesis
      the brains chemical messengers appear to work differently in the brain of a patient with schizophrenia. dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is associated with pleasure. unusually high levels are associate with schizophrenia. messages from neurons that transmit dopamine fire too easy or too often. schizophrenic's are thought to have high levels of d2 receptors, which is thought to lead to hallucinations and delusions.
    • the revised dopamine hypothesis
      positive symptoms are caused by higher levels of dopamine in the subcortec. the negative symptoms of schizophrenia are thought to be from lower levels of dopamine in the pre-frontal cortex. it may be that both high or low levels of dopamine in different brain regions cause schizophrenia.
    • neural correlates
      are measurements of the structure or function of the brain that occur in conjunction with that characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia. lower activation levels in the superior temporal gyrus have been found in those experiencing auditory hallucinations.