Anxiety and anxiolytics Flashcards

1
Q

What is anxiety?

A

a normal, physiological response to threatening situations that serves as a protective function

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2
Q

What is pathological anxiety?

A

concern about stressor is out of proportion to the realistic threat and can occur without exposure to an external stressor

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3
Q

How many people in the UK are affected by anxiety disorders?

A

8 million

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4
Q

Examples of anxiety disorders?

A

Specific phobias, social anxiety, panic disorder, PTSD, OCD, Generalised anxiety disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder

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5
Q

length of generalised anxiety disorder?

A

6 months

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6
Q

What are the core elements of anxiety disorders?

A

Negative cognition, physiology (heart racing etc), avoidance behaviour

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7
Q

What is negative cognition?

A

A bias to interpret unthreatening situations as threatening

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8
Q

Physiological symptoms of anxiety disorders?

A

Racing heart, restlessness, sweating, increased blood pressure

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9
Q

Part of anxiety disorder that the cortex is involved in?

A

negative cognition

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10
Q

Part of anxiety disorder that hippocampus the is involved in?

A

Memory

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11
Q

Part of anxiety disorder that the amygdala is involved in?

A

fear perception

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12
Q

Part of anxiety disorder that the hypothalamus is involved in?

A

Stress responsiveness

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13
Q

Part of anxiety disorder that the basal ganglia/cerebellum are involved in?

A

movement control

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14
Q

What hormone is released upon the perception of stress?

A

Corticotropin releasing hormone

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15
Q

Which part of the brain releases Corticotropin releasing hormone?

A

Hypothalamus

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16
Q

Where is Corticotropin releasing hormone released onto?

A

Pituitary gland

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17
Q

Which stress related hormone is released by the pituitary gland?

A

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)

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18
Q

Where is ACTH released onto?

A

The adrenal gland

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19
Q

What is produced by the adrenal glands in response to ACTH?

A

Glucocorticoids, particularly cortisol

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20
Q

Why is cortisol released in response to stress?

A

To give you the energy for the fight or flight response, as it is responsible for metabolism of glucose and lipids

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21
Q

Where is adrenaline released from in response to stress?

A

Adrenal glands

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22
Q

Which brain area is first used in the fear response and why?

A

Thalamus as it deals with sensory stuff

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23
Q

Which brain area is used after the thalamus in the fear response?

A

Amygdala

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24
Q

Role of amygdala in fear response?

A

Switching on amine NTs (noradrenaline etc)

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25
Q

Role of periaqueductal grey in fear response?

A

Innate avoidance behaviour (e.g. stepping back)

26
Q

Which brain area releases cortisol in response to stress?

A

Hypothalamus

27
Q

Where are most anxiety disorders thought to originate?

A

Prefrontal cortex and hippocampus

28
Q

Why is noradrenaline released in the fear response?

A

Need to be hyper aware of your surroundings

29
Q

Which NTs are implicated in the fear response?

A

Serotonin and noradrenaline

30
Q

Role of GABAa networks?

A

Fast inhibition

31
Q

Treatments of anxiety disorders?

A

Beta blockers, benzodiasepines, antidepressants, buspirone

32
Q

How do beta blockers work?

A

They block beta adrenergic receptors

33
Q

What symptoms of anxiety do beta blockers target?

A

Autonomic systems

34
Q

SSRI stands for?

A

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

35
Q

What specific anxiety type could propranolol (beta blocker) treat?

A

Phobias

36
Q

How does propranolol treat phobias?

A

Give patient drug then expose them to thing they’re scared of

37
Q

What is propranolol thought to work on?

A

Hippocampus–> where -ve memories of the thing are removed (positive association forms instead of -ve association)

38
Q

How does buspirone work?

A

It is a partial agonist at 5-HT1a receptors (turning up inhibition in those neurons)

39
Q

How do SSRIs work?

A

Bind to reuptake transporters, thus boosting levels of serotonin in synapse

40
Q

What is the preferred treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, PD and PTSD?

A

Combined noradrenaline and 5HT uptake blockers

41
Q

WHat are some combined noradrenaline and 5HT uptake blockers?

A

venflaxine, duloxetine

42
Q

What do benzodiazepines bind to?

A

GABAa receptors

43
Q

Role of GABA?

A

Inhibitory NT

44
Q

What can the binding of drugs to allosteric site on GABAa receptors do?

A

Turn up or down gating of CL- ions in the presence of GABA

45
Q

What is an inverse agonist?

A

Something that binds and turns down the receptor

46
Q

What do benzodiazepine agonists do once bound to GABA?

A

Turn up the effects of endogenous GABA

47
Q

Where on the GABAa receptor do benzodiazepines bind?

A

Alpha gamma interface

48
Q

General structure of benzodiazapines?

A

Benzene ring joined to a 7 membered 1,4-diazepine ring (R 1 2 3 5 7 8 are side groups)

49
Q

What do the R side groups change ab benzodizepine?

A

Affinity, intrinsic efficacy, lipophilicity, water solubility

50
Q

Affinity meaning?

A

How likely something is to bind

51
Q

Intrinsic efficacy meaning?

A

The effect of smthn once bound

52
Q

What is the intrinsic efficacy of a BZ agonist?

A

+ve (100%)

53
Q

What is the intrinsic efficacy of BZ inverse agonists?

A

-ve

54
Q

What intrinsic efficacy to BZ antagonists have?

A

0

55
Q

What is the intrinsic efficacy of partial or full agonists?

A

near 100%

56
Q

What are full BZ agonists called?

A

Positive allosteric modulators

57
Q

What are full BZ agonists used for?

A

Anxiolytic

58
Q

What are inverse agonists used for?

A

Investigating GABA

59
Q

Effect of inverse agonists on Cl- flow through GABAa?

A

Less chloride flux through the channel so less inhibition

60
Q

Effect of alcohol on the CNS?

A

Depressant

61
Q

Effect of alcohol on GABA receptors?

A

Causes increase inhibition