1 Introduction and genes Flashcards
What are syndromes?
A set of signs and symptoms
What is the difference between signs and symptoms?
Signs = objective / symptoms = subjective
Mental health leads to disturbances of?
Mood, emotion, perception, thought, thinking processes, body image, self, memory, consciousness, attention, concentration and insight
What are two categories of non-biological causes of mental disorders?
Environmental stressors / a vulnerable phenotype
Epidemiology is…?
The prevalence of psychiatric disorders and their correlates
Neuropathology is…?
Looking at differences in the brain (slicing and staining)
What is the best method for studying the brain?
Brain imaging - covers the largest temporal and spatial resolution
What is heritability?
Proportion of variance in a trait / the proportion of the liability to a phenotype that is accounted for by additive genetic effects
What is penetrance?
The ability of a gene to impact a phenotype
What are the 3 mains types of genetic variation?
Chromosomal abnormalities / polymorphisms and mutations / copy number variation
What are polymorphisms and mutations?
DNA sequence variants / change in a single nucleotide / only harmful if it is a mutation
What is copy number variation?
A small chromosomal abnormality / duplication or deletion of DNA / more harmful the larger they are
What are 3 modes of mendelian inheritance?
Dominant, receive or X-linked mutations
What does it mean if a gene has non-mendelian inheritance
No gene is necessary or sufficient to cause the disorder
What do genetic association studies do?
Compare the frequency of genetic polymorphisms in patients vs controls
