Anxiety/Stress Disorders

Question 1

Define psychological disorder

Answer 1

A psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected.

Question 2

What is the manual grouping all psychological disorders?

Answer 2

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM-5): Manual published by the APA

Question 3

Name the 3 potential areas of causes of psychological disorders

Answer 3

Genetic predisposition
Environmental factors
Psychological factors

Question 4

Define genetic predispositions towards psychological disorder

Answer 4

decrease as the degree of relatedness does
• Identical twins (100% shared genes) - 48% of developing schizophrenia if one of the twins have it - because not one factor plays a role in disorders
• Varies from disease to disease: some are not genetically determined

Question 5

Define environmental factors contributing towards psychological disorder

Answer 5

Life events, drugs, exposure, infections, family relations, etc

Question 6

Name and define the 3 categories of psychological factors contributing towards psychological disorder

Answer 6

• Cognitive factors: how people think about themselves and the world, and life events
  
  • Emotional factors: reactivity, ability to regulate emotions
  • Behavioural factors: how people learn from the consequences of their actions and which behaviours people engage in depending on the life events they go through

Question 7

Name the 5 types of studies observing the gene-environment interactions

Answer 7

Animal studies
Family studies
Adoption studies
Twin Studies
Molecular analysis

Question 8

Define animal studies

Answer 8

expose animals of different genetic makeup to different environments

Question 9

Define family studies

Answer 9

compare individuals at high risk for developing a disorder because they have a relative with the disorder, to people at low risk of developing the disorder. Also compares individuals who have moved to a new environment (immigrated) to those who haven’t

Question 10

Define adoption studies

Answer 10

compare individuals who share the same parents but who were adopted in different families

Question 11

Define twin studies

Answer 11

compare identical twins who have been reared in different environment in an effort to tease out the effects of genes versus those of the environment

Question 12

Define molecular analysis

Answer 12

compare the effects of different environmental conditions across individuals with different genetic makeups

Question 13

Define anxiety

Answer 13

An adaptive emotional state characterized by a feeling of worry or nervousness directed toward a future event, accompanied by a state of hyper vigilance.
• Source is often unknown
• Moderate amounts are adaptive/normal

Question 14

Define fear

Answer 14

An adaptive emotional state triggered by an immediate and readily identifiable threat, which is associated with being startled, freezing, or escape.
• Source is clear

Question 15

Define anxiety disorders

Answer 15

A group of psychological disorders whose symptoms include excessive anxiety, fear, and worry, which give rise to abnormally strong avoidance and escapist tendencies.
• Include phobias, panic disorder, and GAD
• Aware that their thoughts are irrational (did not lose touch with reality)

Question 16

Describe the fear circuit and how it produces a fear response

Answer 16

amygdala is the center; involved in the learning and expression of fear
• Activates the HPA axis
○ Neurons in the hypothalamus secrete CRF (corticotropin-releasing factor), which binds to receptors in the pituitary gland
○ Results in the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the pituitary
○ ACTH binds on receptors on adrenal glands, which release cortisol and activate the fight/flight response
○ Hippocampus can reduce the response by inhibiting the release of CRH by the hypothalamus

Question 17

How is the fear circuit impacted by anxiety disorders?

Answer 17

Amygdala’s response is exaggerated, and hippocampus fails to respond to the over activation of HPA axis
• Ex: social anxiety disorder: compared to a normal person, their amygdala will fire up a lot more than necessary when in front of social situations such as speaking up in class

Question 18

Define the role and structure of the cingulo-opercular network in anxiety disorders

Answer 18

The cingulo-opercular network (anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC))
• Involved in the detection of conflicts (ex: when a strong tendency to respond in a certain way is in opposition to performing a correct response)

Question 19

Define the role and structure of the frontoparietal network in anxiety disorders

Answer 19

Frontoparietal network (anterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (aDLPFC) and medial cingulate cortex (MCC) and inferior parietal sulcus (IPS))
		• Involved in cognitive control

Question 20

Define the role and structure of the ventral attention network in anxiety disorders

Answer 20

Ventral attention network (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and tempoparietal junction (TPJ))
• Involved in stimulus-driven attention

Question 21

Define the role and structure of the default mode network in anxiety disorders

Answer 21

Default-mode network (inferior-temporal cortex (IT), lateral parietal cortex (LP), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), subgenular anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC), and medial prefrontal cortex (MPF)
• Active when a person’s mental activities are not focused on the external world (ex: when thinking about the past or planning for the future)

Question 22

Name the 2 neurotransmitters involved in anxiety

Answer 22

GABA plays major role in anxiety
• Keeps in check the activity of the amygdala
• Benzodiazepines: GABA agonists - decrease anxiety

Serotonin also
• Target of many antidepressants
• Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) replaced benzos because they are less addictive

Question 23

Define PTSD

Answer 23

A disorder observed in people having experienced a traumatic event that can be considered out of normal human experience.

Question 24

Define intrusive syndrome

Answer 24

PTSD symptom consisting of intrusive thoughts (unwanted memories of the event), and nightmares
• Intense distress following these thoughts

Question 25

How is PTSD impacting the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 25

Reduced activity in prefrontal cortex
• May account for cognitive symptoms (difficulties in concentration, attention and emotion regulation)
• May be responsible for intrusive syndrome

Question 26

How is PTSD impacting the hippocampus?

Answer 26

Hippocampus may be reduced: role in the memory for contextual information is impaired
Circuit with hippocampus, locus coruleus, thalamus, medial prefrontal cortex is dysfunctional in PTSD
• Accounts for the reduced ability to process contextual info

Question 27

How is PTSD impacting the amygdala?

Answer 27

Amygdala is of larger volume: overreaction in front of anxiety-inducing stimuli

Question 28

How do people with PTSD differ in their levels of cortisol compared to people with anxiety disorders?

Answer 28

People with PTSD have no difference in levels of cortisol and in the functioning of the HPA axis
• In anxiety disorders, cortisol production from the adrenal glands during stress response is ultra sensitive

Question 29

Which neurotransmitter do PTSD victims have more? Why?

Answer 29

Elevated levels of norepinephrine (which may be the result of amygdala over activity)