Antipsychotics and Bipolar Disorder Flashcards
What is schizophrenia?
Chronic psychosis with deterioration of functional capacity. The inability to interact mentally and emotionally with other people.
When are the onsets for schizophrenia for the different genders?
Males are more at risk than females
Males: 15-24 years
Females: 25-34 years
Genetic predisposition, not fatal
What are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
Excess cognition
Hallucinations (false sensory perceptions), delusions (fixed false beliefs), disorganized speech
What are the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
Deficits in behaviour
Avolition (lack of desire or motivation), Alogia (poverty of speech), Anhedonia (lack of pleasure in completing tasks that were once pleasurable) and blunted affect (flat mood).
What are the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia?
Declines in attention, language, memory and executive function
Probably present from birth
What are the affective symptoms of schizophrenia?
Blunted, inappropriate, odd expression
Often lead to social stigmatization
What is the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?
Too much mesolimbic dopamine pathway activity to the nucleus accumbens leads to positive symptoms
Low dopaminergic activity in the mesocortical pathway to the prefrontal cortex leads to neagtive symptoms
All dopamine signals come from the ventral tegmental area
What is the nucleus accumbens responsible for?
Motivation, reward, addiction and reinforcing behaviour
What is the prefrontal cortex responsible for?
Cognition, communication, social function and stress response
How is the dopamine hypothesis supported?
Most antipsychotics strongly block D2 dopamine receptors
Drugs that increase dopaminergic activity can produce psychosis
How doe typical antipsychotics work?
Antagonism of the D2 receptors in the mesolimbic pathway, providing effective relief from positive symptoms
What are some examples of typical antipsychotics (FGAs)?
Chlorpromazine, Fluphenazine, Haloperidol, Thiothixene
What are the adverse effects of typical antipsychotics related to?
Receptor non-selectivity
Blockade of non-mesolimbic D2 dopaminergic pathways
What are some of the adverse effects of typical antipsychotics that come from the antimuscarinic effects?
Toxic confusional state, dry mouth, urinary retention
What are some of the adverse effects of typical antipsychotics that come from the alpha 1 adrenergic block?
Orthostatic hypotension, dizziness, tachycardia, impotence
What are some of the adverse effects of typical antipsychotics that come from the histamine H1 blockade?
Weight gain, sedation
What is the nigrostriatal pathway?
The substantia niagra sends D2 dopamine signals to the striatum which controls coordination and voluntary movement
What happens when there is D2 blockade in the nigrostriatal pathway?
Extrapyramidal side effects (EPS): Parkinson’s syndrome, Akathisia (slowed movements), Acute dystonic reactions (abnormal muscle spasm), Tardive dyskinesia (unusual movement, blinking, jerking-can be irreversible, no reliable treatment)
What is the tuberoinfundibular pathway?
The hypothalamus sends D2 dopamine signals to the pituitary gland, which controls prolactin secretion (keeps it low)
What happens when there is D2 blockade in the tuberoinfundibular pathway?
Increased prolactin production causing lactation, amenrrohea and infertility in women
Lactation, impotence, decreased libido and gynecomastia in men
What are some other adverse effects of typical antipsychotics?
Pseudodepression, corneal and lens deposits (chlorpromazine), retinal deposits and cardiac arrhythmias in overdose (thioridizine)
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (severe muscle rigidity, impaired sweating, fever, severe agitation)
What are the advantages of atypical antipsychotics?
Block D2 receptors in the nucleus accumbens to decrease positive symptoms
Decreased D2 affinity in the nigrostriatal pathway to decrease extrapyramidal side effects
Blocks 5-HT2 receptors (serotonin-usually stops dopamine) to decrease negative symptoms by increase mesocortical dopamine
What are some examples of atypical antipsychotics?
Resperidone, Olanzapine, Quetiapine, Ziprasidone, Clozapine (D4 receptors, not D2), Aripiprazole (D2 partial agonist, serotonin agonist)
What are the adverse effects of atypical antipsychotics?
Generally the same side effects as typical antipsychotics but with a lower risk, especially of EPS
Seizures and agranulocytosis (clozapine), weight gain, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes (clozapine, olanzapine)
Higher death rate in the elderly with dementia