Biological approach to OCD

Question 1

what does the genetic explanation of OCD argue that genetics are the cause of…

Answer 1

genetics are the cause of the changes in NEUROTRANSMISSION which in turn causes the ocd behaviour

Question 2

what does the COMT gene regulate the production of

Answer 2

the neurotransmitter, dopamine

Question 3

what does the COMT gene produce lower levels of

Answer 3

catechol-O- methyltransferase (comt)

Question 4

what does the COMT gene produce higher levels of

Answer 4

dopamine

Question 5

TRUE OR FALSE: low dopamine levels are found in people with OCD

Answer 5

FALSE
dopamine levels are thought to be higher in individuals with OCD

Question 6

explain how dopamine causes people with OCD to perform certain behaviours

Answer 6

as dopamine is part of the learning pathway
it could be argued when dopamine is high
people perform a behaviour to respond to an obsession repeating this behaviour developing a compulsion

Question 7

what does the SERT gene affect the transport of

Answer 7

seretonin

Question 8

TRUE OR FALSE: the SERT gene creates lower levels of seretonin in people with OCD

Answer 8

TRUE
there are lower levels of the neurotransmitter

Question 9

how does lower production of seretonin result in OCD

Answer 9

low seretonin = lower connectivity of neural pathways
leading to thoughts not to be entirely complete
leading them to be stuck on certain thoughts
as a result obsessive thoughts are caused

Question 10

what is seretonin associated with

Answer 10

happiness

Question 11

due to lower levels of seretonin it can argued that people with OCD are..

Answer 11

lacking happiness

Question 12

how is it known that those with OCD lack happiness

Answer 12

it can be seen that antidepressants drugs increase seretonin activity and has been shown to reduce OCD symptoms

Question 13

what is the ‘normal’ neural process of worrying

Answer 13

orbitofrontal cortex sends worry signal

the caudate nucleus then suppresses signals from the OFC

this suppression prevents the thalamus from taking action

Question 14

what is the ‘ocd’ neural process

Answer 14

the orbitofrontal cortex sends worrying signals

the caudate nucleus doesnt suppress these signals

this leads to the thalamus sending signals back to the OFC to cause panic and worry

Question 15

true or false: do people with OCD have the same neurological pathway as everybody else

Answer 15

FALSEEE
those with OCD have different neurological pathways in which their brains do not function normally

Question 16

according to the neural explanation of OCD what do those with OCD fail to suppress

Answer 16

worry signals cannot be suppressed from the caudate nucleus causing them to continue worrying

Question 17

according to the neural explanation of OCD what does the lack of suppression of worry signals create within the person with OCD

Answer 17

it creates obsession as they are continually worried meaning they must perform compulsions to cope

Question 18

what does the diathesis stress model suggest

Answer 18

diathesis stress model suggest that we are genetically predisposed (inc chance of developing) to attain a behaviour however an ENVIRONMENTAL stimuli will cause the actual onset of the disorder

Question 19

what does the diathesis stress model suggest about genetics

Answer 19

genetic increase our chance of attaining a disorder but something causes the actual onset (environmental)

Question 20

strength of the biological explanation of OCD

Answer 20

P: There is supporting evidence for the role of serotonin in OCD
E: comes from research examining antidepressants (SSRIs) such as that conducted by Piggott et al. (1990)
E: he found that drugs which increase the level of serotonin in the synaptic gap are effective in treating patients with OCD.
L: This therefore increases reliability of the study

Question 21

weakness of the biological explanation of OCD

Answer 21

P: A diathesis-stress model may be better suited to explaining OCD
E: as it factors in both genetics and psychological factors such as environmental stressors.
E: This suggests some people may have a genetic vulnerability to develop OCD, providing the right environmental triggers cause its onset.
L:This would be a more appropriate explanation as it explains why identical twins may not share the disorder.