Explanation and Evaluation of the Role of Neurotransmitters in Schizophrenia
- Created by: Lisgoe
- Created on: 04-11-14 18:20
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- Neurotransmitters
- Chemicals that transmit impulses across the synapses between two neurons
- From Pre-Synaptic to Post-Synaptic Neurons
- Dopamine Hyposthesis
- Support
- Phenothiazines
- Effective in reducing some of the major symptoms of Sz
- Bloacks dopamine at the synapse
- Effective in reducing some of the major symptoms of Sz
- Clozapine
- Most clinically effective drug for Sz
- Blocks dopamine receptors
- Most clinically effective drug for Sz
- L-dopa
- Used to treat Parkinson's Disease
- Increases dopamine levels
- Can produce symptoms of Sz
- Previously unaffected individuals
- Can produce symptoms of Sz
- Amphetamines
- Can induce symptoms of acute paranoid Sz
- Increase severity of symptoms
- Previously diagnosed individuals
- PET scans
- Wong et al
- Found increase in DP receptor density
- Patients who hadn't been previously treated
- Compared to treated patients
- Suggests Sz is caused by excess DP
- Compared to treated patients
- Patients who hadn't been previously treated
- Found increase in DP receptor density
- Wong et al
- Phenothiazines
- Limitations
- Phenothiazines don't work for all patients diagnosed with Sz
- Decreases the positive symptoms but not the negative symptoms
- So negative symptoms can still effect the patient
- Decreases the positive symptoms but not the negative symptoms
- L-dopa and Amphetamines don't worsen symptoms in all Sz sufferers
- Suggests that inducing dopamine levels don't effect Sz symptoms
- Post-Mortems
- Difficult to draw conclusions
- Carried out on individuals who were taking neuroleptic drugs for years
- Increased DP levels could be the result of drug therapy, rather than Sz
- Carried out on individuals who were taking neuroleptic drugs for years
- Difficult to draw conclusions
- Recent PET scans
- Farde et al (1990)
- Have not replicated Wong's work
- Implies that Wong's study lacks validity and reliability
- Results can't be replicated
- Implies that Wong's study lacks validity and reliability
- Have not replicated Wong's work
- Farde et al (1990)
- Phenothiazines don't work for all patients diagnosed with Sz
- Chemicals that transmit impulses across the synapses between two neurons
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