Today there are a number of data that show the importance of dopamine and dopamine receptors in the development of schizophrenia. Researchers from the US have put an end to the 70-year-old secret with their new research, writes EurekAert.

Researchers tried to determine how dopamine is related to schizophrenia.

A team from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development has discovered a genetic mechanism that links dopamine and schizophrenia and shows the cause and effect relationship.

The researchers studied gene expression in the caudate nucleus—a part of the brain associated with emotional decision-making.

First, they discovered that nerve cells cannot precisely control the level of dopamine, and then they found a genetic mechanism that is responsible for this. It was found that dopamine receptors play a key role in this mechanism. Violations in their work lead to an excess of dopamine in the brain.

Further research has shown that reduced expression of dopamine receptors explains the genetic characteristics of schizophrenia risk.