Biological Approach - Explaining OCD AO1 & AO3 Flashcards
What did Lewis observe regarding genes in OCD?
37% of patients had parents with OCD
21% of patients had siblings with OCD
What does the Diathesis-Stress model say about the genetic explanations for OCD?
Genes leave people with a vulnerability in developing OCD, environmental stress can trigger it
What are Candidate Genes?
Genes that have been identified in creating a vulnerability for OCD
Give Two examples of Candidate Genes
What do they do?
COMT gene - high levels of dopamine
SERT gene - low levels of serotonin
What does it mean that OCD is polygenetic?
That OCD is not caused by a single gene but rather several genes being involved
How many genes did Taylor find to be involved with OCD?
230
What has evidence found about different types of OCD?
They may be cause b/c of a particular gene variant
What research is there to support genetic explanations for OCD?
Evidence from Twin Studies - Nestadt found that 68% of MZ twins shared OCD adn 31& of DZ twins did
Why is it a limitation that OCD is polygenetic?
There are too many candidate genes so its hard to pinpoint all the genes that are involved - so has little practical value
Who had research to support the Diathesis Stress Approach to genetically explaining OCD?
What did they find?
Cromer et al
Over 1/2 of his ppts experienced a traumatic event event in the past and they experienced more severe OCD than those who didn’t
What neural transmitter is associated with OCD? How?
Serotonin
It regulates mood and can affect other mental processes so low levels can lead to OCD
How can the frontal lobe be involved in OCD?
Their responsible for logical thinking and making decisions
What area of the brain is associated with processing unpleasant emotions and if it functions abnormally it can lead to OCD?
The Left Para-hippocampal Gyrus
What evidence supports neural explanations of OCD?
The making of treatments specifically drug therapies that target serotonin levels - showing the serotonin system is involved in ocd
