Posted by bleauberry on January 2, 2008, at 18:45:09
In reply to Hyperdopaminergic mice aren't any happier, posted by linkadge on January 1, 2008, at 12:52:14
I do believe dopamine is the final common pathway of antidepressants. There are quite a few science reports on the net that look into that also and agree with varying theories on how dopamine is manipulated by other drugs that don't directly work on dopamine.
But one interesting thing that popped up was that the brain might not be entirely hyperdopaminergic or hypodopaminergic, but that it can be both at the same time except in different parts of the brain. That would explain both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia happening simultaneously, and why some antipsychotics can work on both of those symptoms clusters at the same time by reducing dopamine in some parts of the brain and increasing it in others.
All theory of course, as is all of psychiatry, but interesting to ponder.
poster:bleauberry
thread:803597
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071225/msgs/803855.html