The dopamine pathways in schizophrenia

In schizophrenia there is an increase in dopamine transmission between the substantia nigra to the caudate nucleus-putamen (neostriatum) compared with normal. While in the other major dopaminergic pathways — to the mesolimbic forebrain and the tubero-infundibular system — dopamine transmission is reduced. The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia proposes that increased levels of dopamine or dopamine receptors in the dorsal and or ventral striatum underlie the disorder.

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References

The nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopamine tracts. In: Basic concepts in Neuroscience, international edition. Slaughter M. London, McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division 2002,187–208.