1. The Genetic Explanation of Schizophrenia

2. Schizophrenia Description of symptoms and features
thought insertion, hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking.
Biological Cause: The function of neurotransmitters
Biological Cause: Genetics
Cognitive Cause: Attention deficient theory
Biological Treatment: Medication
Cognitive Treatment: CBT

3. Key word challenge: AS revision
How strong are you genes? How would you test to see the strength of the genetic explanation of Schizophrenia? What is the prevalence of Schizophrenia in the general population?
Key word challenge: AS revision

4. Key Terms
nature, nurture, concordance rate, adoption studies, twin studies, monozygotic, dizygotic,
C4 gene, pruning, genomes, synaptic pruning, C4-A, biomarker,
Studies:
Gottesman and Shields (1966)
Heston (1966)
Sekar et al. (2016)

5. Studies and articles to explore
AO1:
AO3:
Priming our brains
nature, nurture, concordance rate, adoption studies, twin studies, monozygotic, dizygotic,
C4 gene, pruning, genomes, synaptic pruning, C4-A, biomarker,

6. Gottesman and Shields (1966)
Type of Study:
Aim:
Hypothesis:
Location:
Duration:
Eligible:
Attrition:
1. Testing Zygocity
2. Testing Schizophrenia
Concordance rate:
Conclusion: MZ DZ
Schizophrenia
Severe Schizophrenia (+2 years in hospital)

7. Heston (1966)
Type of Study: Adoption Study Aim: to investigate whether removing a child from its schiozophrenogenic mother has an impact on the rate of schizophrenia. Hypothesis: SZ is due to a distorted family environment. Location: Eligible: Attrition: death, Matched on: sex, placement type, length of time in care Assessing psychiatric status: 2 psychologist + Heston + Hospital Results: Conclusion:
Control
Schizophrenia
More than 1 year in hospital or penal institution
Psycho-social disfunction

8. C4: Synaptic Pruning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J-JflThHks
C4 gene, pruning, genomes, synaptic pruning, C4-A, biomarker
Immune system
Excessive synaptic pruning during
Increased complement (C4) activity, could lead to the cognitive symptoms seen in schizophrenia.

9. Issues and Debates + SODAR
AO3: Evaluation
Issues and Debates + SODAR
Ethics
Practical Issues
Reductionism
Culture and Gender
Psychology as a Science
Comparison of Themes
Nature and Nurture
Development over time
Social Sensitivity
Usefulness/Application
Social Control
Supporting Evidence
Opposing the supporting evidence
Different theories
Application
Reductionism

10. AO3: Evaluation
Strengths
Weaknesses

11. Thinking about your evaluation points
How do the findings compare to the probability of a random member of the general population suffering from schizophrenia?
What should concordance be for MZ twins if genetics was the only explanation?
Is there another explanation for high concordance amongst family members, particularly identical twins?
What about those people diagnosed with the disorder but who have no relatives suffering from it?
Are the concordance rates for twin studies similar?
Why is concordance for MZ twins always higher than that for DZ twins?
What is the problem with retrospective data?
If diagnostic criteria has changed over time how will it affect the research findings?
What is the Diathesis stress model/ What is the social causation hypothesis?

12. Possible Exam Questions
(12/16/20 marks)
Evaluate one other biological explanation of Schizophrenia.
To what extent can the other biological explanation be used to explain the development of Schizophrenia.
Discuss two practical issues that researchers may encounter when investigating the other biological explanation of Schizophrenia.
Assess the biological explanations of Schizophrenia.