Anxiety Flashcards
What are the psychological symptoms of anxiety?
- Stress
- Worry
- Suspense
What are the physiological symptoms of anxiety?
- Tachycardia
- Hyperventilaiton
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Flush red
- Sweat
- Nausea
What are the causes of anxiety?
- Past/childhood experiences
- Everyday life and habits
- Diet
- Drugs and medication
- Physical or mental health
What are the types of anxiety disorders?
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Specific phobias
- Social phobias
- OCD
- PTSD
- Panic disorder
What is a panic disorder?
Is when an individual suffers from panic attacks with no apparent trigger
What is the amygdala important in mediating?
Amygdala important in mediating anxiety
What are the steps involved when a stimulus of . fear/anxiety is detected?
- Stimulus of fear/anxiety sent to amygdala
- Then the information is transmitted to the bed nucleus of the tria terminals
- Then the information is transmitted to the HPA axis
- HPA axis releases CRH which induces release of ACTH, which induces the release of cortisol
What happens to the hippocampal region to people with PTSD?
People with PTSD have damage to hippocampal region due to soo much cortisol binding to hippocampus
What are the treatments for anxiety?
- Benzodiazepines
- 5-HT1A receptor agonists
- Beta adrenoreceptor antagonists
- Antihistamines
What are benzodiazepines?
These are positive allosteric modulators
What happens when benzodiazepine binds to GABAA receptors?
- Benzodiazepines bind at the alpha and gamma interface of the GABAA receptor
- Benzodiazepines stabilize GABA binding site increasing GABA affinity
What does GABA only bind to?
They don’t bind to all GABAA receptors
-Only to receptors containing alpha1,2,3 or 5
What is flumazenil and when is it used?
Flumazenil is a competitive antagonist at the BZD binding site and is used in an overdose
Upon what basis is a benzodiazepine choice made?
Benzodiazepine choice is made based upon the duration of action
What are short action agents of BZD preferred as?
Preferred as hypnotics to avoid sedative actions throughout the day
What can a ‘cold turkey’ of BZD do?
Cold turkey can produce severe seizures
Where are 5-HT1A receptors located?
Located presynaptically
What do 5-HT1A agonists do?
They decrease serotonin levels
What is buspirone?
Buspirone is the most commonly prescribed 5-HT1A agonist for generalised anxiety disorder
What is there a low risk of by 5-HT1A agonists?
Low risk of tolerance induction
What happens when buspirone is taken?
- 5HT1A receptors are overactivated resulting in too much inhibition
- The body then downregulates these receptors to decrease inhibition
- Therefore the overall effect is enhanced release of serotonin
What happens when SSRI’s are taken?
- Both 5-HT1A and 5-HT receptors are overactivated
- Body then downregulates . 5-HT1A and 5-HT receptors
Example of beta adrenoreceptor agonist?
Propranolol
What is propranolol used to treat?
Used to treat peripheral symptoms of anxiety
