Outline and Evaluate One or More Biological Explanations to Schizophrenia

enlist and evaluate one or much biological renderings of dementia praecox (8 tag AO1/16 marks AO1) Schizophrenia is classified as a kind disorder that exhibits pro run aground disruption of cognition and emotion which affects a souls language, perception, thought and sense of self. The dopamine shot demesnes that schizoids neurones transmitting dopamine release the neurotransmitter too easily, in the lead to the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenic disorder.This hypothesis claims that schizoids wealthy person abnormally high amounts of D2 receptors receptors that receive dopamine, therefore resulting in a higher(prenominal) amount of D2 receptors binding to the receptors causing more impulses. Dopamine neurotransmitters bit a key role in guiding attention, so an derangement of this neuron leads to problems relating to attention, perception and thought. Amphetamines are a dopamine agonist medicine, which stimulates the neurons containing dopamine. concord to the d opamine hypothesis, large doses of the drug lead to the characteristic schizophrenic symptoms, hallucinations and delusions.The study and use of Antipsychotic drugs to treat dementia praecox support the dopamine hypothesis. The drugs change by reversal by blocking drill of dopamine and have been shown to alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations, delusions and thinking problems associated with the disorder. This is because by reducing dopamine activity helps to carry on a constant level in guiding attention, leading to a decrease in key schizophrenic symptoms of hallucinations and delusions because they can be caused by being overly attentive.Statistics increase the re liability of the biological explanation of the dopamine hypothesis for explaining schizophrenia as they show Antipsychotics have a 60% success ramble. Therefore, this shows a interrelate between high levels of dopamine activity and schizophrenia, as antipsychotics work by blocking the dopamin e activity. This has lead to more telling treatment, allowing those with schizophrenia to improve their smell of life, However, a meta-analysis investigation on post mortem studies on schizophrenics has produced contradicting evidence about the dopamine hypothesis.The contradictive evidence by Haracz (1982) showed that those who died whilst on a course of the antipsychotic drugs in truth had higher levels of dopamine activity than those not using the antipsychotic drugs. This occurs because the neurotransmitter builds up in the synapse of the neurone whilst the drug blocks to D2 receptors and as the drug wears off, more impulses are initiated by the neurotransmitters, causing the schizophrenic symptoms.This representation the dopamine hypothesis lack reliability in explaining schizophrenia because antipsychotics could be responsible for increasing dopamine activity and therefore actually increase the schizophrenic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusion, which decreases th e schizophrenics quality of life as they live in a constant psychosis state where they have lost touch with reality. The development of neuroimaging techniques such as positron emission tomography scans (a 3D image of the brain obtained by a nuclear machine) has led to supporting evidence for numerous explanations, yet has so far failed to cater evidence supporting the dopamine hypothesis.This questions the reliability of the biological approaches claim that change magnitude activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine as the neurologists have closely examined the brain and differences in dopamine activity in schizophrenics and healthy individuals. This lack of evidence means that treatments produced to help those with schizophrenia may not be successful in treating schizophrenia as there may be a possibleness that the dopamine hypothesis is not accurate in explaining schizophrenia. The biological explanation of schizophrenia as well claims that the disorder can be contagiousal. The more honey oil the disorder is among the biological relatives and the closer the degree of genetic relatedness increases the risk of the small fry developing schizophrenia. Gottesmans research (1991) found a genetic link with schizophrenia when looking at children and their relatives. The research discovered that children with two schizophrenic parents have a concordance rate of 46% compared to children who just have one schizophrenic parent to children who have a concordance rate of 13% and siblings just 9%.The genetic theory of schizophrenia also suggests that monozygotic twins (twins who a genetically identical) should have a higher concordance rate of schizophrenia than dizygotic twins (twins who are not genetically identical) because they have a closer degree of genetic relatedness. acceptation studies support the genetic theory that schizophrenia can be inherited as they provide evidence that the environment does not affect heritage rate. The supporting study was carrie d out by Tienari in Finland. He investigated 164 adoptees that biological mothers have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and found 6. % also received a diagnosis, compared to 2% of the control group of adoptees. This means that that there is a genetic liability to schizophrenia, as more of with the biological mother having schizophrenia develop schizophrenia than the control group. As a result, this increases reliability of the biological approaches explanation to schizophrenia as it indicates genetic factors play a major role in the development of schizophrenia and environmental factors such as a assorted upbringing do not inhibit this.However, Tienaris research did not produce a statistic proving the majority of those who have biological mothers with schizophrenia true the disorder later in life. The study showed lonesome(prenominal) 6. 7% of the follow children with a relative with schizophrenia developed the disorder, yet 93. 3% didnt develop the disorder. This suggests that environmental factors also play a key role in causing schizophrenia not just the genetic factors which inclines a lack of internal validity to the biological explanation.This means that the therapies based on the biological explanation of schizophrenia will not be effective as they do not consider all factors affecting the disorder, leading to those suffering with schizophrenia not able to improve their quality of life. Investigations on monozygotic and dizygotic twins also support the theory that genetic factors play an important role in schizophrenia. The study showed that there was a concordance rate of 40. 4% for monozygotic twins yet only 7. 4% concordance rate of dizygotic twins.A concordance rate shows how numerous times both twins developed the disorder. These findings supports the genetic position because they show the monozygotic concordance rate, twin who are coke% genetic similar, to be far higher than dizygotic twins, who only have about a 50% genetic similarity. Therefore, this increases the reliability of the biological explanation of schizophrenia as it shows that the closer degree of genetic similarity there is, the increased likeliness of the relative developing the disorder. It can be argued that the biological explanation to schizophrenia is reductionist.This is because it does not consider the environmental factors involves with developing schizophrenia, only what does on inwardly the brain. For example, the genetic theory states that schizophrenia is inherited, yet research only found a concordance rate of 40. 4% for monozygotic twins. If schizophrenia was caused 100% by inheritance and degree of genetic similarity, the concordance rate for monozygotic twins should be 100% as they are genetically identical. Thereby, this reduces the reliability of the biological explanation as it does not consider other factors affecting schizophrenia, such as the environmental factors.