Chapter 18 - Biopsychology of Psychiatric Disorders Flashcards
Psychiatric disorders
A disorder of psychological function sufficiently severe to require treatment by a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist
DSM-5
The fifth and current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; produced by the American Psychiatric Association
Reserpine
The first monoamine antagonist to be used in the treatment of schizophrenia; the active ingredient of the snakeroot plant
Haloperidol
A butyrophenone used as an antipsychotic drug
Phenothiazines
A class of antipsychotic drugs that bind effectively to both D1 and D2 receptors
Butyrophenones
A class of antipsychotic drugs that bind primarily to D2 receptors
Typical antipsychotics
The first generation of antipsychotic drugs
Atypical antipsychotics
Drugs that are effective against schizophrenia but yet do not bind strongly to D2 receptors. Also known as second-generation antipsychotics.
Clozapine
An atypical antipsychotic that is used to treat schizophrenia, does not produce Parkinsonian side effects, and has only a slight affinity for D2 receptors
Psychedelic drugs
Drugs whose primary action is to alter perception, emotion, and cognition
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
Hallucinogenic drug that alters perception, emotion, and cognition
Anhedonia
A general inability to experience pleasure
Clinical depression (major depressive disorder)
Depression that is so severe that it is difficult for the patient to meet the essential requirements of daily life
Reactive depression
Depression that is triggered by a negative experience
Endogenous depression
Depression that occurs with no apparent cause
Comorbid
The tendency for two or more health conditions to occur together in the same individual
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Type of major depressive disorder in which episodes of depression typically recur during particular seasons—usually during the winter months
Peripartum depression
The intense, sustained depression experienced by some females during pregnancy, after they give birth, or both
Iproniazid
The first antidepressant drug; a monoamine oxidase inhibitor
MAO inhibitors
Antidepressant drugs that increase the level of monoamine neurotransmitters by inhibiting the action of the enzyme monoamine oxidase
Cheese effect
The surges in blood pressure that occur when individuals taking MAO inhibitors consume tyramine-rich foods, such as cheese
Tricyclic antidepressants
Drugs with an antidepressant action and a three-ring molecular structure
Imipramine
The first tricyclic antidepressant drug
Positive symptoms
Symptoms of schizophrenia that seem to represent an excess of typical function
Negative symptoms
Symptoms of schizophrenia that seem to represent a reduction or loss of typical function
Selective-serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Class of drugs that exert agonistic effects by blocking the reuptake of serotonin from synapses; typically used to treat depression
Fluoxetine
The first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) to be developed. It was initially marketed under the tradename Prozac.
Selective norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
Any of a class of drugs (e.g. reboxetine) that inhibit the inactivation of serotonin and norepinephrine by blocking their reuptake by presynaptic nerve cell endings
(via Merriam-Webster)
Atypical antidepressants
A catch-all class for antidepressant drugs that do not fit into the other categories of antidepressants (e.g., monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants). Each of the drugs in this class has its own unique mechanism of action.
Ketamine
A drug that is a type of dissociative hallucinogen
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
A form of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that involves the delivery of repetitive magnetic pulses at either high frequencies (e.g., five pulses per second; high-frequency rTMS) or low frequencies (e.g., less than one pulse per second; low frequency rTMS) to specific cortical areas.
Up-regulation
An increase in the number of receptors for a neurotransmitter in response to decreased release of that neurotransmitter
Bipolar disorder
A category of psychiatric disorders that involves alternate bouts of depression and mania or hypomania
Hypomania
A state that is characterized by a reduced need for sleep, high energy, and positive affect. During periods of hypomania, people are talkative, energetic, impulsive, positive, and very confident.
Mania
A state that has the same features as hypomania but taken to an extreme; it also has additional symptoms, such as delusions of grandeur, overconfidence, and distractibility. Mania usually involves psychosis.
Bipolar disorder type II
A psychiatric disorder that involves alternate bouts of depression and hypomania
Bipolar disorder type I
A psychiatric disorder that involves alternate bouts of depression and mania
Mixed state
A state that can occur in bipolar disorder type I, where the patient simultaneously displays symptoms of both depression and mania
Mood stabilizers
Drugs that effectively treat depression or mania without increasing the risk of mania or depression, respectively
Lithium
A metallic ion that is a mood stabilizer; used in the treatment of bipolar disorder
Euthymic
Individuals who are not currently displaying symptoms of depression, hypomania, or mania
Anxiety
Chronic fear that persists in the absence of any direct threat
Antipsychotic drug
A drug that is meant to treat certain symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Chlorpromazine
The first antipsychotic drug
Psychosis
A loss of touch with reality
Anxiety disorder
A psychiatric disorder that involves anxiety that is so extreme and so pervasive that it disrupts normal functioning
Generalized anxiety disorder
An anxiety disorder characterized by stress responses and extreme feelings of anxiety and worry about a large number of different activities or events
Specific phobia
An anxiety disorder that involves strong fear or anxiety about particular objects (e.g., birds, spiders) or situations (e.g., enclosed spaces, darkness)
Agoraphobia
Pathological fear of public places and open spaces
Panic disorder
An anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent rapid-onset attacks of extreme fear and severe symptoms of stress (choking, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath)
Panic attacks
Rapid-onset attacks of extreme fear and severe symptoms of stress (e.g., choking, heart palpitations, shortness of breath)
Benzodiazepines
A class of GABA_A agonists with anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant properties; drugs such as chlordiazepoxide (Librium) and diazepam (Valium)
Anxiolytic drugs
Drugs that have antianxiety effects
Elevated-plus-maze test
An animal model of anxiety; anxious rats tend to stay in the enclosed arms of the maze rather than venturing onto the open arms
Defensive-burying test
An animal model of anxiety; anxious rats will bury objects that generate anxiety
Risk-assessment test
An animal model of anxiety. After a single brief exposure to a cat on the surface of a laboratory burrow system, rats flee to their burrows and freeze. Then they engage in a variety of risk-assessment behaviors.
Tourette’s disorder
A disorder of tics (involuntary, repetitive, stereotyped movements or vocalizations)
Tics
Involuntary, repetitive, stereotyped movements or vocalizations; the defining feature of Tourette’s disorder
Translational research
Research designed to translate basic scientific discoveries into effective applications (e.g., into clinical treatments)
Clinical trials
Studies conducted on human subjects to assess the therapeutic efficacy of an untested drug or other treatment
Active placebos
Control drugs that have no therapeutic effect but produce side effects similar to those produced by the drug under evaluation in a clinical trial
Orphan drugs
Drugs for which the market is too small for the necessary developmental research to be profitable
Translational bottleneck
A barrier keeping promising ideas and treatments from becoming the focus of translational research; largely created by the massive cost of such research
