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Clinical psychology > Brain structure > Flashcards

Brain structure Flashcards

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1
Q

What do people with SZ have?

A

-Abnormally large ventricles in the brain

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2
Q

What are ventricles?

A

-Cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid in the brain that supply nutrients and remove waste

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3
Q

What does having abnormally large ventricles mean for someone with SZ?

A

-Their brains are lighter than normal

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4
Q

On average, how much bigger are a person with SZ’s ventricles?
-What study was this according to?

A

-15% larger than normal
-Torrey 2002

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5
Q

What are the 7 key a01 points to include?

A

-Enlarged ventricles
-Specific brain areas/parts (frontal lobe, temporal, hypothalamus, hippocampus, basal ganglia)
-Brain damage and pfc
-PFC and grey matter
-reduction in grey matter in temporal and frontal
-visual and auditory cortices
-Reduced metabolic rate in PFC

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6
Q

Enlarged ventricles

A

-SZ’s have enlarged ventricles
-caused by death of brain tissue around ventricle
-Fluid expands to fill gap
-Ventricles fluid filled cavities providing nutrients and removing waste

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7
Q

What symptoms can enlarged ventricles explain?

A

Negative symptoms like cognitive disturbances

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8
Q

Why could enlarged ventricles occur?

A

-Factors during womb, birth or after birth
-Cause brain lesions making vulnerable to SZ
-Impacts dev of brain
-Damage might impair ability to grow

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9
Q

Study which supports enlarged ventricles as a cause of SZ

A

-Suddath et al
-Used MRI for pics of brain structure of MZ twins
-One twin SZ
-SZ twin had larger ventricles and reduced anterior hypothalamus.
-large difference: SZ easily identified by image in 12/15 pairs

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10
Q

Weakness of enlarged ventricles explanation

A

-Deterministic
-If have enlarged ventricles, doesn’t mean will develop SZ
-Brains scans used after diagnosis so don’t know if SZ caused the ventricles
-Assumed to have SZ if large ventricles, treated as SZ. Look for diagnosis

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11
Q

Specific brain areas

A

-Frontal and temporal lobes, hypothalamus, hippocampus an basal ganglia of those with SZ have structural problems

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12
Q

How does structural issues of the basal ganglia impact SZ?

A

-Linked to dopamine.
-Linked to development of negative symptoms like cognitive dysfunctioning

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13
Q

Study to support brain areas and structures

A

-Turner et al
-MRI scans from 2,028 SZ patients and 2540 healthy
-SZ= smaller vol in brain regions like hippocampus, amygdala and thalamus.
-Also larger ventricles

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14
Q

Strength of the method used in Turner et al

A

-Largest structural brain meta analysis for SZ using primary and secondary data
-Researchers had standardized measurements, MRI scans, controlled environment. Accurate readings

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15
Q

Brain damage and PFC

A

-If damage early but SZ not until later, could be due to interaction w normal dev
-PFC matures late in adolescence
-Injury in this area wouldn’t show until area matures

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16
Q

How can dev in adolescene impact SZ?

A

-Dopamine activity peaks in adolescence.
-Might show pos symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, linked to high dopamine

17
Q

What study supports the idea of brain damage and adolescence?

A

-Castner
-Monkeys brain damaging x-rays during foetal dev
-no effect in childhood
-In puberty developed symptoms like hallucinations
-Supports that effects of brain damage may not be present until later

18
Q

Weakness of castner’s research

A

-Animal study
-only area showing causal link
-may show sympt diff to humans
-what causes them may not be the same
-Hard to know they are having hallucinations
-Animals have lower cog functioning
-Reduces cred as can’t gen

19
Q

Grey matter (PFC)

A

-Speech, decisions, rational thinking
-Disrupted in SZ by reduction in grey matter

20
Q

What do people with SZ show before the onset of the disorder?

A

-Abnormality in cog, beh, social and emotional development years before onset
-Consistent with neurodevelopmental hypothesis

21
Q

Study that supports PFC and grey matter

A

-Andreasen
-Changes in MRI’s of 200 ppts starting w first episode and continuing for 15 yrs.
-Most brain tissue loss in 2yrs after first, then plateaued
-Helps docs know when most effective time to prevent loss

22
Q

Strength for grey matter and PFC

A

-Analysed medication on brain tissue
-Higher the anti-psychotic medication, greater loss of tissue
-Longer relapses associated with tissue loss

23
Q

Where else does grey matter impact?

A

-Frontal and temporal regions

24
Q

What is the effect of loss of grey matter?

A

-More severe symptoms
-Esp neg sympt like loss of cognition
-Inc risk of psychosis and pos symptoms

25
Q

Weakness of bio explanation (C)

A

-Reductionist
-Alt explanations that NT’s and genetics can impact and social (environmental stressors, ses)
-Doesn’t take other explanations into account

26
Q

Strength for grey matter

A

-Brain scans used
-MRI, PET and CAT
-can see structure and activity
-See how much grey matter reduced
-Obj and scientific
-Improves cred
BUT brain scans correlational, not diagnostic tools

27
Q

Visual and auditory cortices

A

-Show reduced activity or structural abnormality

28
Q

What symptoms does visual and auditory cortices show?

A

-Hallucinations
-Parts process vision and sound

29
Q

Study to contrast visual and auditory cortices

A

-Pahl, Swayze and Andreasen reviewed 50 studies and found abnormally large lateral ventricles in SZ’s. goes against visual and auditory cortices.

30
Q

Study to contrast Pahl Swayze and Andreasen

A

-Fusar and Poli
-Meta analysis
-Patients given anti-psychotics showed reduced brain vol, more reduction of grey matter, inc in venticles. Something else could cause differences in structure.
-LACK consistency in nature of brain abnormalities

31
Q

Reduced metabolic rate

A

-Don’t use brain responsible for logical thinking
-Pos symptoms like delusions and neg like disordered thinking

32
Q

Young et al

A

Structural diffs using MRI comparing SZ and non SZ patients
-Brain diffs linked with dev of SZ

33
Q

Implications

A

-If say only due to brain structure then create labels which are hard to change.
-Docs look to confirm labels
-Don’t use drug or psych treatment, use sedation and ECT.

34
Q

Conclusion: best explanation

A

-interactions between biological: NT, genes and brains structure
-Diathesis stress model also
-Takes bio predisposition and environmental triggers

Clinical psychology (10 decks)

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