17. Schizophrenia 1 Flashcards
How did Buleuler (1950) term schizophrenia? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
A break in reality
What are the three categories of symptoms elicited in schizophrenia and in what order are they presented? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
1) Negative
2) Cognitive
3) Positive
What are characteristics of negative symptoms? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- Absence of normal behaviours
- Flattened emotional response
- Social withdrawal
What are characteristics of cognitive symptoms? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- Attention difficulties
- Deficits in learning and memory
- Poor problem solving
What are the three categories of positive symptoms? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- Thought disorder
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
What is meant by thought disorders in terms of positive symptoms? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
Irrational, disorganised thoughts where plausible solutions cannot be concluded over absurd ones
What is meant by delusions in terms of positive symptoms? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- Beliefs that are not adherent to fact
- For example persecution delusion = belief that others are plotting against you
What is meant by hallucinations in terms of positive symptoms? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- Perceptions of stimuli that are not actually present
- e.g. olfactory hallucinations are the belief others are trying to kill you
What have twins and adoption studies shown? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- There is a heritable trait
- DISCI gene increase the chance of schizophrenia by a factor of 50
How is paternal age associated with the chance of developing schizophrenia? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
When a father ages, mutations in spermatocytes occur
What is the MZ concordance of schizophrenia and what does it mean? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- 48%
- Cannot be solely genetic
What are the two types of MZ twins and how do they differentiate? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- Monochorionic MZ = share the placenta
- Dichorionic MZ = separate placentas
What is the concordance rate of schizophrenia for monochorionic and dichorionic twins? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- Monochorionic = 60%
- Dichorionic = 11%
What does the early neurodevelopment model believe? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
Fixed lesions from early life interacts with normal neurodevelopment and lies dormant until the brain matures sufficiently
What evidence supports the early neurodevelopment model? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
Home videos show negative symptoms present, before diagnosis of schizophrenics
What does the late neurodevelopment model believe? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
Schizophrenia may result from an abnormality in adolescence when synaptic pruning takes place
What does the two-hit model believe? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
Abnormalities take place during two critical time points (early brain development and adolescence)
What structural changes are seen through schizophrenic patients? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- Ventricle enlargement
- Reduced brain volume in temporal and frontal lobes
- Faulty cellular arrangement in the hippocampus
What are neurocognitive deficits associated with? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
Frontal lobe hyper function
What are examples of neurocognitive deficits? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
- Lower IQ
- Planning and information processing deficit
- Sensorimotor and working memory deficit
What did Weinberger (1988) suggest? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
Negative symptoms are caused by primary hypofrontality which leads to a decrease in activity in the frontal lobes
What are sensory motor gating deficits? (Schizophrenia 1 B&B)
Difficulties screening out irrelevant stimuli and focusing on salient ones
