Chap 27: Psychiatric Disorders

Question 1

What are the 2 classifications of dementias ?

Answer 1

1. neurodegenerative: slow and insidious
2. vascular: step wise pattern of decline

Question 2

What is vascular dementia ?

Question 3

What are 5 major brain changes in dementia ?

Answer 3

1. neuritic plaques
2. Paired helical filaments
3. atrophy of cortex and entorhinal cortex
4. loss of neurons, and dendrites
5. Loss of noradrenaline, dopamine & serotonin

Question 4

What are the 4 A’s & 1 E related to cognitive decline?

Answer 4

1. Amnesia
2. Agnosia
3. Apraxia
4. Aphasia
5. Executive function

Question 5

Describe Lewi-body spectrum ?

Answer 5

Experience Parkinson’s symptoms paired with neurocognitive decline associated with dementias
- may also experience perceptional distortions

Question 6

What is MCI ?

Answer 6

impairment of one or more cognitive processes
- 50% of MCI patients will develop a degenerative neuro disorder
- 25% may recover from disorder at follow up

Question 7

Describe Narcolepsy, sleep attacks & cataplexy

Answer 7

Narcolepsy: excessive sleep at inappropriate times
Sleep attacks: Brief sleep episodes of non-REM sleep lasting 15 minutes at any given time
Cataplexy: loss of muscle tone that may be triggered by heightened emotion

Question 8

Describe Insomnia

Answer 8

• inadequate sleep related to :
  (1) sleep apnea: inability to breathe during sleep
  (2) obstructive sleep apnea: collapse of oropharynx during dream sleep

Question 9

What are the symptoms of clinical depression ?

Answer 9

1. Feelings of worthlessness & guilt
2. Disrupted eating habits
3. Disrupted sleep
4. Slowed behavior
5. Thoughts of suicide

Question 10

What is a mediating and modulating transmitter ?

Answer 10

Mediating: Glutamate (excitatory) and GABA (inhibitory)
Modulating: serotonin, acetylcholine, dopamine etc.

Question 11

What are 3 distinct brain regions altered in depression ?

Answer 11

Reduced cortical thickness in the (1) orbitofrontal cortex, (2) hippocampus and (3) cingulate cortex

Question 12

What is the glutamate hypothesis of depression ?

Answer 12

Chronic stress and anxiety leads to glutamate dysregulation that contributes to symptoms of depression and anxiety

Question 13

What is the psychosocial theory of mood disorders ?

Answer 13

psychosocial stressors precipitate many mood disorders initially, but mood episodes may recur spontaneously unrelated to external stressors

Question 14

How does the HPA axis implicate depression and anxiety disorders ?

Answer 14

Prolonged stress disrupts the feedback loops of the HPA axis causing disruption to homeostatic mechanisms

Question 15

What are the 5 DSM symptoms of Schizophrenia ?

Answer 15

1. Delusions
2. Hallucinations
3. Disorganized speech
4. Agitated behavior
5. Other symptoms impairing every day function

Question 16

What are 4 major brain abnormalities in schizophrenia ?

Answer 16

1. Enlarged ventricles (lateral and 3rd)
2. Reduced grey matter in the lobes, temporal gyrus, hippocampus, plan temporal etc.
3. reduced white matter in the cerebral lobes and cerebellum
4. Reduced GABA