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From: rbg@cbosgd.UUCP (Richard Goldschmidt)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Neurotransmitters
Message-ID: <994@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 25-Mar-85 06:47:14 EST
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.994
Posted: Mon Mar 25 06:47:14 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 26-Mar-85 03:38:10 EST
References: <651@asgb.UUCP>
Organization: Columbus Bell Labs, Silver Lining
Lines: 27

> It seems that schizophrenia may be associated with abnormal levels of
> serotonin       J. Oliver    Burroughs ASG - Boulder

There is substantially more evidence that schizophrenia is related to dopamine
disfunction than to serotonin.  The drugs most effective in treating it are
dopamine blocking agents, and a specific pathway (the meso-limbic dopamine
system) has been implicated.  There is probably more than one kind of
schizophrenia, so this explanation is also an over-simplification, but
there is also considerable evidence from identical twin studies for a
genetic predisposition to schizophrenia.

> Could it be that the desire to consume substances which alter the relative
> activities of certain neurotransmitters is merely an attempt by the nervous
> system to reach a state of balance that was denied by heredity or 
> environment?

While this may account for some cases of addiction there are probably other
mechanisms at work.
 
> Can physics be immoral?

Morality is defined by cultures, not physics or biology.  Is being
addicted to caffeine or nicotine immoral?  Not at the present time in
our culture...
-- 
Rich Goldschmidt     {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax,allegra,ulysses} !cbosgd!rbg
		     ARPA:  cbosgd!rbg@ucbvax