I read that sz positive symptoms are caused by excess dopamine specifically in the dorsal striatum. Negative and cognitive symptoms are caused by a lack of dopamine in other regions mainly the mesocorticolimbic pathway which is responsible for motivation, emotions, etc and which innervates the prefrontal cortex. My pdoc told me that negative and cognitive symptoms are caused by a lack of dopamine in certain brain regions.
I took dopamine supplements and they improved my negative and cognitive symptoms but made positives worse because they increase dopamine in all the brain. What if Drs use deep brain stimulation electrodes in regions low in dopamine? Is there meds that target specific brain regions?
My psychiatrist told me the problem is that there is no meds that target specific brain regions, stimulants boost dopamine in all the brain and antipsychotics block dopamine in all the brain. Maybe there is in development meds?
I would say that you are better off trusting your doctor on this. None of us are likely to have more advanced knowledge than your psychiatrist. I have a fair grasp on how dopamine, partial dopamine agonists, dopamine agonists, dopamine receptors and the like work but this is too advanced of a topic for me. If there is a way for meds to target specific brain regions, I am not aware of how it could be done. The closest thing to that is partial dopamine agonists which partially activate the receptors in ALL OF THE BRAIN as well…but sort of level things out between too low and too high.
Maybe send neuralink an email saying what you said in this post and see if they can help. Youll never get any kind of treatment like that in canadian healthcare system.
Depends what you mean by permanent brain damage. I think its genetic. In the nucleus of your neuron dna gives instructions to other organelles to turn amino acid into dopamine and the dopamine is released. For whatever reason your cells are releasing too much dopamine. I think its genetic.
Yeah, that’s probably not a good idea. If you are going to flood your brain with dopamine to try to reverse negatives, you might as well not be taking dopamine antagonists. It sounds kinda like wearing a hooded coat to block the rain and then pouring a pitcher of water over your head. It doesn’t seem to be any better of a solution than stopping your meds. Besides, even if it did work, it would only be a temporary fix.
Honestly I have no idea. From what Ive read my bias in thinking about sz is that its epigenetic caused by genetic disposition combined with environmental triggers that activate those genetic faults in your neuron cells nuclei. The cells produce too much dopamine, too many dopamine receptors open up and brain function becomes abnormal
Do you think its permanent brain damage? Studies say, structurally, severely schizophrenics brains are different from normal ppl. Bigger ventricles, abnormal temporal lobe which include the hippocampus etc
