DOPAMINE HYPOTHESIS IN THE CAUSE OF SCHIZOPHENIA (PSYCHOSIS)

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that transports signals between nerve endings in

the brain. It is thought that the brains of people with schizophrenia and other
psychotic disorders produce too much dopamine. There is evidence that supports
and counters the dopamine hypothesis.

The main support for the theory that too much dopamine causes schizophrenia is
the fact that antipsychotic medications, which are used to treat schizophrenia,
block dopamine receptors. The medications are designed to bind to dopamine
receptors in the brain, and their effects have helped many people cope with
symptoms. Secondly, drugs that increase levels of dopamine, like amphetamines,
often cause psychotic symptoms and a schizophrenic-like paranoid state.

However, several factors challenge the dopamine hypothesis. For example,

dopamine-related psychosis occurs in many disorders, not exclusively in
schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia are not the only ones who respond to
antipsychotic medication.

Antipsychotic medication may not significantly affect the negative symptoms of

schizophrenia, which suggests that there is more involved than abnormal
dopamine levels alone. Moreover, dopamine levels might actually be lower rather
than higher in the frontal lobes of the brain. At any rate, antipsychotic medication
only treats the symptoms of schizophrenia; it does not eliminate its underlying
causes.

The theory that schizophrenia is partly a result of abnormal brain function is

useful in understanding its biological basis. Underactive frontal lobes and
overactive parietal lobes are thought to cause some of schizophrenia's associated
symptoms. For example, when frontal lobes are underactive, planning,
organization, and volition are all impaired. Frontal lobe abnormalities are
probably related to schizophrenia's negative symptoms.

Parietal lobes are involved in sensory perception, like voice recognition, the ability
to distinguish patterns, and spatial orientation. Overactive parietal lobes may
cause distortion of these senses, which is seen in many people with
schizophrenia. Parietal lobe abnormalities are probably more closely related to
positive symptoms.