A 25-year-year old graduate student is brought to the emergency department by his roommate for "acting weird.” The roommate reports that over the last 4 months, he has frequently been found to be talking to himself and speaking to the air. He has also refused to leave his room for several weeks recently because he believes that once he is out of his room people will extract his thoughts and he will be followed by some “villains.” A psychiatric consultation is obtained, and he is diagnosed with schizophrenia and is started on treatment with haloperidol. Upon follow-up he is noted to have a blunted affect and reports that he is less motivated to do things and is less active.
These negative symptoms are caused by which of the following?
- A) Decreased dopamine activity in the mesocortical pathway
- B) Decreased dopamine activity in the mesolimbic pathway
- C) Increased dopamine activity in the basal ganglia
- D) Increased dopamine activity in the mesocortical pathway
- E) Increased dopamine activity in the mesolimbic pathway
Authors
Liqi Shu
Editor
Dr. Ted O'Connell
Source
