Catecholamines and Schizophrenia

Catecholamines and Schizophrenia reviews research linking catecholamines to schizophrenia. Topics include the relationship between stereotyped behavior and amphetamine psychosis, between antipsychotic drugs and catecholamine synapses, and between biogenic amines and behavior. The chemical neuropathology of schizophrenia, enzymology and regulation of catecholamine enzymes, and advances in histochemical technologies used in neurochemical pathology are also covered. This book consists of 47 chapters organized into six sections. After giving an overview of the pharmacology and physiology of stereotyped behavior, this book discusses the behavioral and biochemical aspects of amphetamine psychosis; stereoselective features of catecholamine disposition and their behavioral implications; and the effects of amphetamines on catecholamine metabolism. A two-factor theory of schizophrenia is also presented. The chapters that follow focus on the role of monoamine oxidase in schizophrenia and other behavioral disorders; the chemical pathology of schizophrenia; genetic control of biogenic amines; and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase. This book will be of value to students, researchers, and practitioners in fields ranging from neuropharmacology and physiology to biology, biochemistry, psychiatry, and psychology.