Dopamine and Glutamate in the Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia (1 CE)
Number of Credits: 1
This course is for: Â Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Nurses
Course By: Tim Grigsby, PhD
Content By: McCutcheon, R. A., Krystal, J. H., & Howes, O. D. (2020). Dopamine and glutamate in schizophrenia: Biology, symptoms and treatment. World Psychiatry, 19(1), 15-33.
Course Description: Schizophrenia is an uncommon but debilitating and costly chronic mental health problem. While a robust body of evidence supports the role of dopamine in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, new evidence has emerged to suggest dysregulation of the glutamate system plays a potentially important role as well. This course reviews the state of the evidence regarding dopaminergic and glutamatergic functioning in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia drawing on post-mortem, preclinical, pharmacological and in vivo neuroimaging studies. Understanding the neural circuits implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia has the potential to contribute to the development of new treatments, including novel pharmacological therapies, to reduce symptom severity in patients with schizophrenia.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the evidence that glutamate and dopamine systems play in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia
- Identify regions of the brain associated with dysregulated glutamate and dopamine systems that contribute to schizophrenic systems
- Discuss the use of novel pharmacological therapies designed to interact with the glutamate and dopamine systems as potential treatment strategies for schizophrenia
Course Outline:
- Read and understand Dopamine and glutamate in schizophrenia: Biology, symptoms and treatment
- Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
- Reflect on the state of the evidence supporting the notion that dysregulated dopamine and glutamate systems contribute to schizophrenia
- Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
- Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to better understand how mapping dysregulated dopamine and glutamate systems can lead to new treatment options for patients with schizophrenia
Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics; i.e. gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).
Reference
FitzGerald, C., Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: A systematic review. BMC Med Ethics 18, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8
Approvals:
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Board Approvals | American Psychological Association (APA), NBCC, Florida Board - Social Work, MFT, Counseling, and Psychology, NYSED - Social Work, MFT and Counseling Only, American Academy of Health Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders |
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CE Format | Online, Text-Based |