Question

Evaluate the role of dopamine in schizophrenia [25 marks]

please fully answer this it is 25 marks so it needs a long answer

Answer 1

Dopamine is a hormone and an inhibitory neurotransmitter of the phenethylamine and catecholamine families, that involved in the pathology of a mental disorder, schizophrenia.

In schizophrenia, dopamine is tied to hallucinations and delusions, because brain areas that "run" on dopamine may become overactive. The increased dopamine abnormalities in the mesolimbic and prefrontal cortex of brain causes stress in schizophrenia patients.

The neurotransmitter dopamine is produced in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental regions of the brain and the hyperactive dopamine transmission results in schizophrenic symptoms: depression, social withdrawal, suspiciousness, extreme reaction to criticism etc. The main positive symptoms of schizophrenia disorder includes hallucinations and delusions due to the increased subcortical release of dopamine. Nigrostriatal, mesolimbic, and mesocortical systems are the dopaminergic projections and the defect in these systems result from dopamine dysfunctions in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental region, striatum, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus.

The increased subcortical release of dopamine augments D2 receptor activation and are thought to be due to a disturbed cortical pathway through the nucleus accumbens. The reduced D1 receptor activation in the prefrontal cortex and the decreased activity of nucleus caudatus causes the negative symptoms of the disorder: anhedonia, lack of motivation, and poverty of speech.

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