A Theory of Schizophrenic Symptom-Choice

The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia implies that positive schizophrenic symptoms should be understandable by reference to brain structures receiving a dopamine innervation, or in terms of the functional role of dopamine itself. The basal ganglia, ventral striatum, septo-hippocampal system, and prefrontal cortex, sites of mesotelencephalic dopamine innervation, are examined and it is argued that their dysfunction could form the basis of particular schizophrenic symptom classes. The postulated involvement of dopamine in reinforcement processes might further assist such interpretations. This type of analysis can be extended to other categories of schizophrenic psychopathology.

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Imagery and its Relations to Schizophrenic Symptoms

Journal of Mental Science ◽

10.1192/bjp.84.349.284 ◽

1938 ◽

Vol 84 (349) ◽

pp. 284-346 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Louis H. Cohen

Keyword(s):

Fundamental Importance ◽

Schizophrenic Symptom ◽

Normal Individuals ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship ◽

Symptom Formation

Of fundamental importance in the problem of symptom-formation in schizophrenia is the question of the relationship of given symptoms to specific aspects of the personality. The present paper bears on this question in that it is concerned with the investigation of the imagery of the schizophrenic, and the relationship of certain symptoms to specific imagery characteristics. More specifically stated, interest here is in the questions of (1) whether or not the imagery of schizophrenics is different from that of normal individuals, and of (2) the relationships of the imagery of schizophrenics to such symptoms as hallucinations, delusions, and activity disturbances. It is believed that these observations may serve the psychiatrist in understanding the nature of the schizophrenic process by its indication of the importance of imagery in schizophrenic symptom-formation.

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Negative Symptoms: Relationship to Other Schizophrenic Symptom Classes

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/s0007125000291617 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 155 (S7) ◽

pp. 104-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

P.J. McKenna ◽

C.E. Lund ◽

Ann M. Mortimer

Keyword(s):

Negative Symptoms ◽

Distinct Class ◽

Experimental Support ◽

Schizophrenic Symptom

If negative symptoms represent a distinct class of schizophrenic symptoms, they should, to paraphrase Bleuler (1911), be more closely related to each other than they are to other schizophrenic symptoms. The first part of this statement, that negative symptoms are intrinsically related to each other, has received considerable experimental support (Andreasen, this volume; Mortimer et al, this volume). The second, that negative symptoms are unrelated to other schizophrenic symptoms, has been somewhat more unevenly investigated.

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