A research clinic evaluates patients on the schizophrenia spectrum using standardized symptom scales. Clinicians document positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, negative symptoms such as flat affect and reduced motivation, and disorganized thinking. Patients are referred for evidence-based treatment including pharmacological and psychosocial components.
The historical dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia proposes that positive symptoms are associated with which neurochemical pattern?
- Acheck_circle
Excess dopamine activity in mesolimbic pathways
- B
Deficient dopamine activity throughout the brain
- C
Excess GABA activity in the cortex
- D
Deficient acetylcholine in the hippocampus
Explanation
The classical dopamine hypothesis links positive symptoms of schizophrenia to overactive dopamine signaling in mesolimbic pathways.