3- Is schizophrenia a brain disorder? Flashcards
How are negative and cognitive schizophrenia symptoms nonspecific?
They are also seen in brain damage, brain trauma, and intellectual disability
What suggests a prenatal neurodevelopmental origin of schizophrenia?
Association with minor physical anomalies
What schizophrenia risk factors may take effect prenatally?
Environmental
What is suggested to occur before the onset of schizophrenia?
Abnormal brain development
How is the brain disorder hypothesis a problematic explanation?
It is nonspecific
What is the problem with the brain disorder hypothesis in terms of genetics?
MZ concordance rates are not 100% showing it is not 100% genetically predetermined
What is the onset problem with the brain disorder hypothesis?
Onset is not usually until adolescence/adulthood
How is the association with particular factors a problem in the brain disorder hypothesis?
Associated with many social and environmental factors
What 4 brain differences are associated with schizophrenia?
- Decreased brain volume
- Enlarged ventricles
- Synaptic dysfunction
- “Hypofrontality” (less frontal lobe activity)
What does hypofrontality lead to?
Negative and cognitive symptoms
4 challenges associated with the brain basis of schizophrenia
- Unsure if findings are due to illness outcome or aspects of cause
- Difficulty linking new genetic results to established neuroscience findings
- Different methods converge across results
- Unsure how findings link to individual symptoms
What do comparing brains of MZ twins discordant for schizophrenia show?
Not 100% genetic
