Chapter 13 Flashcards
Adoption Studies
Comparison of biological and adoptive relatives with and without a given disorder to assess genetic versus environmental influences
Antispsychotics
Medications that alleviate or diminish the intensity of psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions
Cognitive Remediation
Training efforts designed to help patients improve their neurocognitive (e.g., memory, vigilance) skills. The hope is that this will also help improve patients’ overall levels of functioning
Delusions
False belief about reality maintained in spite of strong evidence to the contrary
Disorganized symptoms
flat emotions to extreme stimuli
Dopamine
Neurotransmitter from catecholamine family that is inittially synthesized from tyrosine, an amino acid common in the diet. Dopamine is produced from L-DOPA by the enzyme dopamine decaroxylase.
Expressed Emotion (EE)
Type of negative communication involving excessive criticism and emotional overinvolvement directed at a patient by family members
Glutamate
An excitatory neurotransmitter that is widespread throughout the brain
Hallucination
an experience involving the apparent perception of something not present.
Linkage analysis
Genetic research strategy in which occurrence of a disorder in an extended family is compared with that of a genetic marker for a physical charateristic or biological process that is known to be located on a particular chromosome.
Negative symptoms
Symptoms that reflect an absence of deficit in normal functions (e.g., blunted affect, social withdrawal)
Positive symptoms
Symptoms that are characterized by something added to normal behavior or experience. Includes delusions, hallucinations, motor agitation, and marked emotional turmoil.
Psychosis
Severe impairment in the ability to tell what is real and what is not real.
