supersensitivity

n. heightened responsiveness to a particular neurotransmitter. For example, prolonged blockade of dopamine receptors by some antipsychotic drugs leads to an increase in the number of dopamine receptors; discontinuation of the drug may then result in a marked increase of psychotic symptoms, a condition called supersensitivity psychosis.

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Psychology term of the day

February 28th 2025

common metric

a unit or scale of measurement that is applied to data from different sources. In a meta-analysis, for instance, the results from multiple studies may need to be placed on a common metric so that they may be meaningfully compared.