Antidepressants Flashcards
what are neurotransmitters?
released from the nerve ending by a nerve impulse. They diffuse across the synapse (junction) and by interacting with post-synaptic receptors, effects the transfer of the impulse from one neuron to another
what are the two main neurotransmitters?
noradrenaline and serotonin
what are the pathways for noradrenaline?
- Alertness
- Arousal
- Sensory perception
- Motor tone
what are the pathways for serotonin?
- Sleep
- Food intake
- Thermoregulation
- Sexual behaviour
- Pain
- Motor tone
what are the types of depression?
Unipolar –> major depressive disorder, dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, postnatal depression
Bipolar –> alternation periods of depression and mania
what could be a trigger for depression?
- Life events
- Genetics
- Side effect of medication
- Drug/alcohol
- Physical condition
- Chemical changes in brain
- Grievance
- Diet
- Childhood experience
what are the different antidepressant drugs?
TCAS SSRIs NaRIs SNRIs MAOIs Atypicals
what is the monoamine hypothesis?
§ Depressive disorders are due to a depletion and mania to an excess provision of monoamine neurotransmitters at one or more CNS sites
§ Antidepressants correct this depletion by increasing the availability of monoamines at post-synaptic receptors
what are different psychotherpaies?
- talking therapy
- CBT
- counselling
what are physical interventions?
- electroceution
- electromagnetic therapy
- deep brain stimulation
- vagal stimulation
how can stress cause depression>?
- Reduced hippocampal volume
- Fewer neurones formed
- Response of cell population is decreased
- Exisiting neurones atrophy
- This leads to a reduction in neurogenesis – antidepressants can cause an increase but this takes time to make new neurones and for them to differentiate
