A 22-year-old college student is brought to the emergency room by his parents because he’s been behaving unusually for the last 6 months. His parents report he’s been having frequent angry outbursts and tends to spend much more time alone in his room while at home. Upon questioning the patient reports that he has spent more time alone recently because the FBI is spying on him and he’s not sure who he can trust. This patient could likely benefit from a medication that primarily acts on receptors for which neurotransmitter?
1.Acetylcholine
2.Dopamine
3.GABA
4.NMDA
5.Norepinephrine
Correct answer
Dopamine
This patient is likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. Classic antipsychotics (neuroleptics) act mainly on dopamine receptors. Atypical antipsychotics act on both 5-HT and dopamine receptors.