Etiology Of Schizophrenia Essay

Schizophrenia, a chronic, severe brain disorder, is characterized by cognitive and emotional dysfunctions including delusions and hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and inappropriate emotions. Schizophrenia may also be characterized by cortical lesions that prevent excitation of the striatum (Reith et. al., 1994 p. 11651). The etiology of schizophrenia is unknown, but there have been many speculations in the field of neuroscience. Neurotransmitters operate in the brain and are affected by neuroleptic medications, which reduce hallucinations and delusions. The etiology of schizophrenia is unknown, but many speculations have suggested that neurotransmitter functions, brain abnormalities and even genetic factors may be responsible for individuals obtaining schizophrenia. A number of causative favtors have been implicated for schizophrenia, including genetic influences, neurotransmitter imbalances, and even structural damage to the

The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia speculates that the symptoms and unusual behavior seen in individuals with schizophrenia is affected by changes in dopamine function in the brain. Apart from its many responsibilities, dopamine helps to regulate movement and emotional responses. Studies have found that dopaminergic systems in individuals with schizophrenia are too active (Lederman, Mascio, & Shaskan (1981). Antipsychotic drugs are particularly helpful for an individual with schizophrenia because it is an antagonist to dopamine, which means that these drugs partially block the receptors for dopamine in the brain. The dopamine hypothesis for schizophrenia is accepted as a possible cause for schizophrenia because dopamine receptor antagonists are effective antipsychotics. Another suggestion for schizophrenia lies in the striatum of the brain, which is responsible for movement, balance and