Biological approach to OCD Flashcards
what does the genetic explanation of OCD argue that genetics are the cause of…
genetics are the cause of the changes in NEUROTRANSMISSION which in turn causes the ocd behaviour
what does the COMT gene regulate the production of
the neurotransmitter, dopamine
what does the COMT gene produce lower levels of
catechol-O- methyltransferase (comt)
what does the COMT gene produce higher levels of
dopamine
TRUE OR FALSE: low dopamine levels are found in people with OCD
FALSE
dopamine levels are thought to be higher in individuals with OCD
explain how dopamine causes people with OCD to perform certain behaviours
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
what does the SERT gene affect the transport of
seretonin
TRUE OR FALSE: the SERT gene creates lower levels of seretonin in people with OCD
TRUE
there are lower levels of the neurotransmitter
how does lower production of seretonin result in OCD
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
what is seretonin associated with
happiness
due to lower levels of seretonin it can argued that people with OCD are..
lacking happiness
how is it known that those with OCD lack happiness
it can be seen that antidepressants drugs increase seretonin activity and has been shown to reduce OCD symptoms
what is the ‘normal’ neural process of worrying
orbitofrontal cortex sends worry signal
the caudate nucleus then suppresses signals from the OFC
this suppression prevents the thalamus from taking action
what is the ‘ocd’ neural process
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
true or false: do people with OCD have the same neurological pathway as everybody else
FALSEEE
those with OCD have different neurological pathways in which their brains do not function normally
according to the neural explanation of OCD what do those with OCD fail to suppress
worry signals cannot be suppressed from the caudate nucleus causing them to continue worrying
according to the neural explanation of OCD what does the lack of suppression of worry signals create within the person with OCD
it creates obsession as they are continually worried meaning they must perform compulsions to cope
what does the diathesis stress model suggest
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
what does the diathesis stress model suggest about genetics
genetic increase our chance of attaining a disorder but something causes the actual onset (environmental)
strength of the biological explanation of OCD
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
weakness of the biological explanation of OCD
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.
