Ch.14 Flashcards
Aberrant Salience Hypothesis
Heightened levels of dopamine increase attentional and motivational circuits to make ordinary environmental features seem significant.
Acute
Referring to symptoms that develop suddenly and are usually more responsive to treatment.
Bipolar Disorder
Depression and mania that occur together in alternation.
Chronic
Referring to symptoms that develop gradually and persist for a long time with poor response to treatment.
Circadian Rhythm
A rhythm that is a day in length, such as the wake-sleep cycle.
Circannual Rhythm
A rhythm that is a year in length, such as migration and seasonal mood.
Depression
An intense feeling of sadness.
Dopamine Hypothesis
The hypothesis that schizophrenia involves excess dopamine activity in the brain.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
The application of 70–130 volts of electricity to the head of a lightly anesthetized patient, which produces a seizure and convulsions; a treatment for major depression.
Glutamate Theory
The hypothesis that NMDA receptor hypofunction results in glutamate and dopamine increases that produce positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
Lithium
A metal administered in the form of lithium carbonate; the medication of choice for treating bipolar disorder.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
A disorder involving feelings of sadness to the point of hopelessness for weeks at a time, along with slowness of thought, sleep disturbance, and loss of energy and appetite and the ability to enjoy life; in some cases, the person is also agitated or restless. Sometimes called unipolar depression.
(An individual that has lost all hope and is also referred to as unipolar depression)
Mania
A disorder involving excess energy and confidence that often leads to grandiose schemes, decreased need for sleep, increased sexual drive, and, often, abuse of drugs.
Monoamine Hypothesis
The hypothesis that depression involves reduced activity at norepinephrine and serotonin synapses.
Negative Symptoms
Aspects of schizophrenia characterized by the absence or insufficiency of normal behaviors, including lack of affect (emotion), inability to experience pleasure, lack of motivation, poverty of speech, and impaired attention.
