Dopamine Hypothesis (AO1 & AO2)
Diagram – Normal Nerve Cells
Diagram - Schizophrenic Nerve Cells
Do drugs treat everyone suffering from schizophrenia
effectively?
Does this affect the conclusions that can be
made about the role of dopamine in
schizophrenia?
The ‘Dopamine Hypothesis’ suggests that
schizophrenia results from over-activity in
the brain dopamine systems.
Owen et al. (1978) found increased
levels of dopamine and a relative excess
of dopamine receptors in the brain tissue
of schizophrenic patients.
How does the action of drugs support or
challenge the ‘Dopamine Hypothesis’?
Which symptoms of schizophrenia do drugs treat?
Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder that affects
1-2% of the general population.
How can the action of the drug L-Dopa be used to evaluate the ‘Dopamine
Hypothesis’?
How is dopamine linked to Parkinson’s Disease?
Why do you think cases of Parkinson’s disease amongst schizophrenics are
extremely rare?
Does the action of these drugs support or challenge the ‘Dopamine
Hypothesis’?
What conclusions can be drawn from PET scans?