Exam 4 - Biopsychology of psychiatric disorders Flashcards
Schizophrenia
mental disorder characterized by loss of contact with reality
What are the hallmark symptoms of schizophrenia?
- disturbances in thought - delusions (erroneous beliefs)
- disturbances in perception - hallucinations (sensory experience with no stimuli)
- disturbances in movement - psychomotor agitation or retardation, or catatonia
- disturbances in affect - show inappropriate emotion or no emotion
What are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
- delusions and hallucinations
- normal people do not exhibit these symptoms
What are the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
- decreased speech, emotion, or movement (catatonia)
- absence or deficit of normally present behaviors
What is the course of schizophrenia?
- prodromal phase - person becomes socially withdrawn and school or work performance declines
- active phase - more acute symptoms of the disorder appear, such as hallucinations and delusions
- residual phase - some recovery of functioning occurs
What is the dopamine hypothesis/theory of schizophrenia?
- excess of activity in the dopamine system results in the positive symptoms (delusions and hallucinations)
What does Chlorpromazine do?
dopamine antagonist, which blocks dopamine receptors, which in turn improves positive symptoms
What drugs produce the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
amphetamine, cocaine, and L-dopa, because they increase dopamine levels
What percentage of people do not experience relief from the positive symptoms?
30%
There are low levels of what two neurotransmitters in people with schizophrenia?
GABA and glutamate
What is one of the side effects of DA antagonists (drug to treat schizophrenia)?
- tardive dyskinesia - a motor disorder with facial tics and involuntary limb movements
- dopamine is important for movement, and DA antagonists block the uptake of it
What are the neural changes in people with schizophrenia?
- enlarged lateral ventricles
- loss of dendritic material in the prefrontal cortex
- neurons in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex are disorganized
What is the hypofrontality theory?
- the negative symptoms of schizophrenia are caused by decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex
The more closely related to someone with schizophrenia, the ______ likely someone is to have it.
more, the concordance rate for identical twins is 50%
What type of schizophrenia did John Nash have?
paranoid schizophrenia
Depressive disorder
disorder in which depression is the only mood state
Depression
feelings of extraordinary sadness and dejection, characterized by intense, continuing feeling of sadness and worthlessness
Major Depression
a type of depressive disorder characterized by a depressed mood for at least two weeks, no intermittent moods
Dysthymia
also called persistent depressive disorder, a chronic form of depression, usually of a low level
Bipolar disorder
affective disorder characterized by episodes of mania and depression
What is the difference between bipolar 1 & 2 disorder?
- bipolar 1 has mania and depression
- bipolar 2 has hypomania and depression
Cyclothymia
one of the bipolar disorders characterized by less intense episodes of mania and depression
Hypomania
a milder form of mania in which occupational or social functioning is not impaired, also occurs for less time than manic episodes
What are some symptoms of depression?
- loss of energy and concentration, sleep disturbance, change in appetite, loss of interest in activities, agitation, suicidal ideation
What are the structural abnormalities in the brain that are seen in affective disorders (depressive and bipolar disorders)?
- reduction in volume of gray matter of orbital frontal cortex, and prefrontal in individuals with bipolar disorders
- reductions in brain volume in the hippocampus, amygdala, entorhinal cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamic nuclei (limbic system)
In depression, there is a reduction of metabolic activity where in the brain? Where is there decreased blood flow and metabolic activity?
- left frontal cortex
- cingulate gyrus and the basal ganglia
What is the monoamine hypothesis of depression? What are other findings related to this?
- depression is caused by decreased activity at noradrenic and serotonergic synapses
- 5-HIAA (a serotonin metabolite) is lower in people with major depression
- Norepi. metabolites increases during manic episodes
Drugs that increase ________ levels are associated with a reduction in depression.
monoamine, norepi and serotonin
What mood stabilizing drug is clinically effective in treating mania? What NT does it decrease?
lithium carbonate, decreases the reuptake of norepi, dopamine, serotonin, GABA, neuropeptides, and glutamate
Locus coeruleus
a major site of norepi. synthesis, located in the pons
What does stimulation of the locus coeruleus cause? What do these behaviors resemble? What does this mean?
- excessive arousal, hypervigilance, and suppression of exploratory activity in primates
- resemble behaviors of depressed humans
- suggests that the locus coeruleus has a role in depression
Depressed patients may have hyperresponsive cholinergic systems. What does this mean?
these systems create acetylcholine, which hyperstimulates the locus coeruleus
What NTs do depressed people lack?
GABA, serotonin and norepi.
What drugs are used to treat the affective disorders? Explain what each does.
- Tricyclic compounds: increase norepi and serotonin by interfering with their reuptake, can cause dizziness a drowsiness
- Monoamnie oxidase inhibitors: increase norepi and serotonin by preventing their breakdown
- Serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor (SSRI): decreases serotonin reuptake, most affective with atypical depression
What is ECT? What is it used to treat? What might be a more effective application of this therapy in order to get less side effects?
- electroconvulsive therapy
- affective disorders
- a right unilateral ECT may be as effective, and cause less side effects
What is TMS?
- transcranial magnetic stimulation
- alternative treatment to ECT
Concordance rate, what is it for bipolar disorder and major depression?
- the rate at which any characteristic occurs in both members of a pair of relatives
- bipolar: 20-75% in identical twins
- major depression: 50% in identical twins
Learned helplessness, what is this associated with?
- pattern of depression-like behavior produced by repeated exposure to an inescapable noxious event
- heightened locus coeruleus activity
People with depression enter REM ______.
earlier
What hormone do depressed people have an excess of?
cortisol
Dexamethasone suppression test
test to determine whether the administration of dexamethasone suppresses ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) and cortisone secretion; many depressed people have an abnormal response
What are the animal models for anxiety?
- elevated-plus-maze
- defensive-burying
- risk-assessment test
What part of the brain is thought to be involved in anxiety? What NTs?
- amygdala
- serotonin and GABA
Tourette’s syndrome
a disorder of tics, involuntary movements or vocalizations
The pathway involved in which other disorder is believed to be involved in Tourette’s? Which pathway is this?
- OCD
- basal ganglia circuit
What is Tourette’s usually treated with?
neuroleptics, antipsychotics
Generalized anxiety disorder
chronic or excessive worry about multiple events and activities despite the absence of causal stimulus - has to occur for at least 6 months
What are some symptoms of anxiety?
restlessness, trouble concentrating, fatigue, irritability, muscle tension, etc.
Anxiety
fear in the absence of threat
Phobia
strong and persistent fear recognized as excessive or unreasonable, triggered by a specific object of situation
Panic disorder
occurrence of panic attacks that seem to come “out of the blue” - worry about additional attacks
Obsessive-compulsive disorders
obsessive thoughts alleviated by compulsive actions
Posttraumatic stress disorder
trauma memory reexperienced involuntarily, with some emotional force
What is used to treat anxiety disorders?
- benzodiazepines: GABA agonists
- SSRIs: decreases serotonin reuptake
