The dopamine hypothesis postulates that at least some schizophrenic symptoms are a reflection of central nervous system hyperdopaminergia. The evidence for this model is briefly reviewed and its shortcomings highlighted. The dysregulation hypothesis of schizophrenia should be a useful reformulation. Rather than conceptualizing a static hyperdopaminergic state, schizophrenia might be better understood as a reflection of a relative failure of dopaminergic regulation. Evidence for such dysregulation is examined and possible mechanisms are presented. Avenues of future drug research are proposed.
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