Question 1

Recently, the dopamine hypothesis for schizophrenia has been challenged because it has been discovered that:

Accepted Answer

The dopamine hypothesis for schizophrenia has been challenged due to the discovery that effective new drugs target not only dopamine but also other neurotransmitters such as serotonin, glutamate, and GABA, suggesting a more complex neurochemical basis for the disorder.

Question 2

Which piece of evidence, if found, would weaken the dopamine hypothesis the most?

Accepted Answer

The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia posits that the disorder is linked to increased dopamine activity. Thus, evidence showing that drugs targeting non-dopamine receptors can also reduce or eliminate schizophrenia symptoms would challenge the centrality of dopamine in the disorder, weakening the hypothesis.

Question 3

According to early psychodynamic approaches, schizophrenia stems from:

Accepted Answer

Early psychodynamic theories, particularly those influenced by Freudian concepts, suggested that schizophrenia could result from being raised by a mother who was cold, domineering, and uninterested in the needs of her child. This perspective focused on the emotional and psychological environment in childhood as a significant factor in the development of schizophrenia, rather than biological or genetic predispositions.

Question 4

Which BEST supports the dopamine hypothesis for schizophrenia?

Accepted Answer

Antipsychotic drugs, which are effective in treating schizophrenia, often produce Parkinsonian symptoms as a side effect. This supports the dopamine hypothesis because Parkinsonian symptoms are associated with low dopamine levels, suggesting that antipsychotic drugs may reduce dopamine activity, which is thought to be abnormally high in schizophrenia.

Question 5

Studies indicate that under some circumstances for people with schizophrenia, the _____ tends to be overactive, and the _____ tends to be underactive.

Accepted Answer

In schizophrenia, the substantia nigra can be overactive, leading to dopamine dysregulation, while the prefrontal cortex is often underactive, affecting cognitive functions.

Question 6

Schizophrenia is to _____, as Parkinson's disease is to _____.

Accepted Answer

Schizophrenia is associated with increased dopamine activation, leading to symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, while Parkinson's disease involves decreased dopamine activation, resulting in motor symptoms such as tremors and rigidity.

Question 7

Since 1950, interest in psychological explanations for schizophrenia, as opposed to genetic and biological explanations, have:

Accepted Answer

Interest in psychological explanations for schizophrenia initially decreased as biological and genetic explanations gained prominence, but later increased as more comprehensive models considering psychological factors were developed.

Question 8

If a person receives the chemical L-dopa, a precursor of dopamine, it reduces the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. However, L-dopa may increase symptoms of schizophrenia. What can reasonably be concluded from this?

Accepted Answer

Excessive dopamine is associated with schizophrenia-like symptoms, as implied by the fact that increasing dopamine precursors can exacerbate these symptoms.

Question 9

The link between dopamine and schizophrenia is supported by the finding that:

Accepted Answer

Lowering dopamine activity with antipsychotic drugs has been found to help alleviate schizophrenic symptoms, supporting the hypothesis that increased dopamine activity is linked to schizophrenia.

Question 10

A new medication for schizophrenia appears to work because it blocks dopamine from binding to a receptor. The new medication functions as:

Accepted Answer

The medication functions as a dopamine antagonist because it blocks dopamine from binding to its receptor, thereby inhibiting the action of dopamine.

Question 11

The finding that the highest rates of schizophrenia are found among people who are born during the winter supports which theory of schizophrenia?

Accepted Answer

The viral theory of schizophrenia suggests that exposure to viruses during prenatal development, particularly in the winter months when viral infections are more common, may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. This theory is supported by the observed higher rates of schizophrenia among individuals born during the winter.

Question 12

Researchers found that phenothiazines reduced psychotic symptoms but also caused Parkinsonian symptoms, like tremors. This discovery suggests that:

Accepted Answer

Phenothiazines work by blocking dopamine receptors, which reduces psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia by counteracting excessive dopamine. However, because dopamine is also involved in controlling movement, blocking its action can lead to Parkinsonian symptoms, indicating a link between schizophrenia and excessive dopamine rather than Parkinson's disease itself.

Question 13

If the schizophrenia-related brain circuit contains distinctive subcircuits, then one would expect to observe:

Accepted Answer

The presence of distinctive subcircuits in the schizophrenia-related brain circuit suggests that different circuits may be responsible for different types of symptoms. Positive symptoms (such as hallucinations and delusions) and negative symptoms (such as lack of emotion and social withdrawal) are fundamentally different in nature, implying that they could be managed by separate subcircuits within the brain. This option aligns with the idea that specific circuits could be more active in response to specific symptom types.

Question 14

The viral explanation for schizophrenia suggests that brain abnormalities, and therefore schizophrenia, result from viral exposure:

Accepted Answer

The viral hypothesis of schizophrenia suggests that exposure to viruses in utero, or before birth, can lead to brain abnormalities that may result in schizophrenia later in life. This theory is supported by epidemiological studies linking prenatal viral infections with an increased risk of schizophrenia in the offspring.

Question 15

The viral explanation suggests that prenatal viral exposure produces _____ that are associated with the development of schizophrenia.

Accepted Answer

The viral explanation for the development of schizophrenia suggests that prenatal viral exposure can lead to brain abnormalities, which are associated with the onset of the disorder.

Question 16

Which statement provides the WEAKEST evidence linking schizophrenia to early viral exposure?

Accepted Answer

The statement about people born in the late winter months having higher rates of schizophrenia provides the weakest evidence linking schizophrenia to early viral exposure because it does not directly connect schizophrenia to viral exposure, unlike the other options which directly involve antibodies, maternal influenza exposure, or experimental evidence of influenza exposure leading to schizophrenia-like symptoms in offspring.

Question 17

Which statement BEST describes the relationship between brain circuits and schizophrenia?

Accepted Answer

Schizophrenia involves complex interactions within the brain, including both overactivity and underactivity in different brain circuits and regions, contributing to the diverse symptoms observed in the disorder.

Question 18

The earliest antipsychotic drugs were discovered accidentally by researchers who were looking for:

Accepted Answer

The earliest antipsychotic drugs were discovered accidentally by researchers who were initially looking for better antihistamines to treat allergies. This led to the discovery of chlorpromazine, which had significant antipsychotic properties, marking the beginning of modern psychiatric medication.

Question 19

All of the following structures are part of a brain circuit that is linked to schizophrenia EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The substantia nigra is primarily associated with the regulation of movement and is implicated in Parkinson's disease, not directly linked to the brain circuitry involved in schizophrenia. The prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and superior colliculus are all involved in the neural circuitry that has been associated with schizophrenia, playing roles in emotion, cognition, and sensory processing, which are areas affected by the disorder.

Question 20

According to Frieda Fromm-Reichmann (1948), schizophrenia is caused by:

Accepted Answer

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann introduced the concept of the "schizophrenogenic mother" in 1948, suggesting that schizophrenia could be caused by a certain type of cold, domineering, and rejecting mother. This theory has since been largely discredited in favor of more complex, multifactorial understandings of schizophrenia that include genetic, biological, and environmental factors.

Quiz 14: Schizophrenia and Related Disorders