NR 546 Week 2 Discussion 2023/2024 | 100% Correct
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Assigned neurotransmitter: Dopamine
1. Write a 3-5 sentence paraphrased summary of the assigned neurotransmitters'
purpose and function
Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter in the brain that acts as a chemical
messenger between the nerve cells of the brain and the rest of the body.
Dopamine plays a role in the “reward center” of the brain and in other functions
such as movement, memory, pleasure and reward, motivation, attention, sleep,
mood, and learning. It is often referred to as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter as
it gives a sense of pleasure and the motivation to do something when
experiencing the pleasurable feeling. As part of the “reward system”, it is
thought that, from an evolutionary standpoint, dopamine provides a good
feeling as a reward for doing things necessary for survival such as eating,
drinking, reproducing, and competing for survival. When a person does
something perceived as pleasurable, a large amount of dopamine is released
from the brain causing the “feel good” feeling that causes you to seek more of
that feeling, something that may play a role in addiction (Cleveland Clinic, 2020).
2. Link dopamine to a psychiatric diagnosis
Dopamine is most commonly linked to schizophrenia through the dopamine
hypothesis which states that the positive symptoms of schizophrenia
(hallucinations and delusion) are caused by too much dopamine in parts of the
This study source was downloaded by 100000866603821 from CourseHero.com on 09-12-2023 07:58:21 GMT -05:00
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, brain and the negative/cognitive symptoms (flat affect, lack of emotion, lack of
motivation, etc.) are caused by not having enough dopamine in other parts of the
brain (Cleveland Clinic, 2020).
The ability of dopamine, and the excess or lack of it, to be responsible for both
the positive and negative/cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia is due to there
being two groups of dopamine receptors in the brain. The D2-like receptors are
inhibitory, and the D1-like receptors are excitatory which allows dopamine to be
both depending on which receptor subtype it binds to (Stahl, 2021b).
There are several dopamine pathways in the brain, however, the mesolimbic
pathway (in theory) is the most relevant when it comes to linking dopamine and
schizophrenia as the dopamine that utilizes this pathway is thought to play an
essential role in several “normal” emotional behaviors that include motivation,
pleasure, and reward (Stahl, 2021b). Too much dopamine in this pathway is
believed to be responsible for the positive symptoms of schizophrenia (often
referred to as psychosis) and too little dopamine in this pathway is thought to
cause the negative/cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia such as anhedonia,
apathy, and lack of energy (Stahl, 2021b).
Clinical imaging has been able to provide strong support for the dopamine
hypothesis of schizophrenia. These imaging studies measure the radioligand
displacement from dopamine receptors as a measure of dopamine activity and
showed that patients with schizophrenia have an increased dopamine release
when compared to healthy control individuals and that an elevated striatal
This study source was downloaded by 100000866603821 from CourseHero.com on 09-12-2023 07:58:21 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/158067553/NR-546-Week-2-Discussiondocx/
Verified
Assigned neurotransmitter: Dopamine
1. Write a 3-5 sentence paraphrased summary of the assigned neurotransmitters'
purpose and function
Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter in the brain that acts as a chemical
messenger between the nerve cells of the brain and the rest of the body.
Dopamine plays a role in the “reward center” of the brain and in other functions
such as movement, memory, pleasure and reward, motivation, attention, sleep,
mood, and learning. It is often referred to as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter as
it gives a sense of pleasure and the motivation to do something when
experiencing the pleasurable feeling. As part of the “reward system”, it is
thought that, from an evolutionary standpoint, dopamine provides a good
feeling as a reward for doing things necessary for survival such as eating,
drinking, reproducing, and competing for survival. When a person does
something perceived as pleasurable, a large amount of dopamine is released
from the brain causing the “feel good” feeling that causes you to seek more of
that feeling, something that may play a role in addiction (Cleveland Clinic, 2020).
2. Link dopamine to a psychiatric diagnosis
Dopamine is most commonly linked to schizophrenia through the dopamine
hypothesis which states that the positive symptoms of schizophrenia
(hallucinations and delusion) are caused by too much dopamine in parts of the
This study source was downloaded by 100000866603821 from CourseHero.com on 09-12-2023 07:58:21 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/158067553/NR-546-Week-2-Discussiondocx/
, brain and the negative/cognitive symptoms (flat affect, lack of emotion, lack of
motivation, etc.) are caused by not having enough dopamine in other parts of the
brain (Cleveland Clinic, 2020).
The ability of dopamine, and the excess or lack of it, to be responsible for both
the positive and negative/cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia is due to there
being two groups of dopamine receptors in the brain. The D2-like receptors are
inhibitory, and the D1-like receptors are excitatory which allows dopamine to be
both depending on which receptor subtype it binds to (Stahl, 2021b).
There are several dopamine pathways in the brain, however, the mesolimbic
pathway (in theory) is the most relevant when it comes to linking dopamine and
schizophrenia as the dopamine that utilizes this pathway is thought to play an
essential role in several “normal” emotional behaviors that include motivation,
pleasure, and reward (Stahl, 2021b). Too much dopamine in this pathway is
believed to be responsible for the positive symptoms of schizophrenia (often
referred to as psychosis) and too little dopamine in this pathway is thought to
cause the negative/cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia such as anhedonia,
apathy, and lack of energy (Stahl, 2021b).
Clinical imaging has been able to provide strong support for the dopamine
hypothesis of schizophrenia. These imaging studies measure the radioligand
displacement from dopamine receptors as a measure of dopamine activity and
showed that patients with schizophrenia have an increased dopamine release
when compared to healthy control individuals and that an elevated striatal
This study source was downloaded by 100000866603821 from CourseHero.com on 09-12-2023 07:58:21 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/158067553/NR-546-Week-2-Discussiondocx/
