Background: The biogenic amine neurotransmitter dopamineacts as an excitatory neurotransmitter when binding to excitatoryreceptors. Dopamine aids norepinephrine in the “feel good†effectin the brain. As the levels of dopamine are altered, differentdiseases/disorders can occur.
1. In patients with schizophrenia and psychosis,dopamine levels are often very high. This is known tocontribute
to symptoms of hallucinations, delusions and unorganizedspeech and thoughts.
a. Knowing dopamine is an excitatory neurotransmitter,what is happening at the neuron level to cause
these symptoms?
b. What do you hypothesize could work best to treatthese symptoms?
c. Research known pharmaceutical treatments forschizophrenia. Name two and how they workphysiologically.
