Schizophrenia is one of the most devastating illnesses of modern times. For the last few decades, the paradigm of abnormal neurotransmitter function, particularly involving dopaminergic systems, has dominated views of its pathophysiological basis. The central theme is one of increased brain dopaminergic activity, with the primary emphasis on abnormalities of dopamine metabolism and its receptors. Consonant with this view, antidopaminergic drugs are the mainstay of pharmacotherapy in schizophrenia. Although the evolution of a new generation of drugs has brought to the forefront a role for brain serotonergic systems and other evidence implicates glutamatergic transmission, the focus remains on brain neurotransmitters. At times during the evolution of science, new findings emerge that are not readily accounted for by existing paradigms. These are often met with skepticism. Some survive regardless, owing to the persistence of their proponents; others lie in obscurity, ignored by the mainstream, even though their validity was not refuted. Where medical science is concerned, the latter would be unfortunate because it might result in the potential for more effective therapeutic strategies being sacrificed to established dogma. It is therefore imperative that all new data receive close and critical, but always open-minded, scrutiny before judgment is passed on their validity. It was the emergence of such new findings that led to investigators from Australia,