Antipsychotic Agents Flashcards
Antipsychotics
treat psychosis symptoms
Neuroleptic
typical antipsychotic, term comes from side effexts bc it left terrible neurological side effects
Worse side effects
best treatment outcome
substance induced psychosis
hallucinations or delusions due to direct effects of substance or withdrawl from a substance causing delirium.
once the brain goes there its more likely to go there again
what is psychosis
a syndrome associated with numerous different psychiatric disorders that defines as loss of contact with reality
positive symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum
delusions
hallucinations
cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum
distortions or exaggerations in language
disorganized speech
disorganized behaviour
negative symptoms of schizophrenia
Affective flattening
Avolition – difficulty with self-directed behaviours/ motivation
Alogia – reduced speech
Anhedonia – reduced pleasure
Asociality – reduced socialization
Anosognosia – lack of insight
Apathy – lack of interest, energy or motivation
Catatonia – abnormal movements
dopamine hypothesis and schizophrenia
1) Antipsychotic drugs decrease dopamine activity by blocking receptors
2) Signs and symptoms of psychosis occur with drugs that increase dopamine levels in the brain (ex. Cocaine and Amphetamines)
dopamine
feelings of pleasure and also an addiction., movements and motivation. People repeat behaviours that lead to dopamine release
seretonin hypothesis
Serotonin deficiency results in symptoms of depression and major depressive disorder
Serotonin deficiency may lead to cognitive symptoms
Excess serotonin can lead to positive and negative symptoms
Serotonin inhibits dopamine
seretonin
contributes to well-being, happiness, helps sleep cycle, digestive system regulation. affected by exercise and light exposure
glutamate hypothesis
Positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms to inactive or deficient glutamate receptors
Diathesis-stress models
predispositions and vulnerabilities for schizophrenia interacts with stress to trigger the onset of the illness
stressors can include
trauma
virus
prenatal and perinatal complications
substance use
stress hormone cortisol/ Elaine walker
psychotic disorders are associated with elevated baseline and challenge-induced HPA activity. the antipsychotic medications refuse HPA activation and that agents augment stress hormone cortisol release exacerbate psychotic symptoms
mesolimbic pathway
brain stem to the limbic area of the brain
function: control behaviours, reward system
what is the limbic for?
Limbic is for emotion and libido, brainstem to limbic area, behaviour, reward system
mesolimbic and schizophrenia
there’s hyperactivity of dopamine leading to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia
mesocortical pathway
brain stem to the frontal cortex
function: control cognition, emotion and behavior
Executive functioning, thoughts, decision making, planning
mesocortical and schizophrenia
not enough dopamine leading to negative symptoms
nigrostrital pathway
substantia nigra to neostriatum
function - control movement
tuberoinfundiblular
hypothalamus to anterior pituitary glands
function: control endocrine hormones
overgeneralization of schizophrenia
that there’s too much dopamine, we see hyperactivity and in some cases increase in dopamine receptors sites in one area (mesolimbic) hyperactivity in another (mesocortical) and hypo/under activity in other parts of the brain
what are 3 classifiers of antipsychotics
classifications help to explain the drugs pharmacological effect, target receptors as well as their side effect profile.
typical (1st gen) and atypical (2nd, 3rd gen)
potency: high, medium or low
chemical class
high potency antipsychotics
- Usually require small amounts to work
- They are associated with lower levels of sedation, weight gain, and anticholinergic activity
- May have a high risk for extrapyramidal side effects
low potency antipsychotics
- are dosed in the 100’s of milligrams
- high levels of sedation and anticholinergic effects
- low risk of extrapyramidal side effects
