Neural correlates

• Role Of dopamine


  Dopamine is widely believed to be involved in schizophrenia because its featured in the functioning of brain systems related to the symptoms of schizophrenia
• original dopamine hypothesis

  • high dopamine activity in the sub cortex (central areas of the brain) associated with hallucinations and poverty of speech
  • may explain specific symptoms e.g speech poverty
• updates dopamine hypothesis

  • has added low levels of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, could explain negative symptoms
  • explains origins of abnormal dopamine - genetic variations and early experiences of stress make some people more sensitive to cortical hypodopaminergia and hence hyperdopaminergia (howes)
• one strength is support for dopamine in the symptoms of schizophrenia 


  Amphetamines (increase dopamine) mimic symptoms (curran 2004). antipsychotic drugs (reduce dopamine) reduce intensity of symptoms (tauscher 2014). candidate genes act in the production of dopamine or dopamine receptors. this strongly suggests that dopamine is involved in the development of schizophrenia
• one limitation is evidence for a central role for glutamate


  post mortem and scanning studies found raised glutamate in people with schizophrenia (McCutcheon 2020). also, several candidate genes for schizophrenia are believed to be involved in glutamate production or processing. this means that a strong case can be made for a role for other neurotransmitters in schizophrenia