Exam Slides Flashcards
4 symptoms of SCH
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Disorganized speech
- Alterations in executive functions
The age of onset of SCH coincides with what?
The maturation of the PFC
What is the cause of SCH
Unknown
What are the 4 main hypotheses of SCH
- Neurodevelopmental
- Dopamine
- Hypofrontality
- Glutamate
What is the environmental model of SCH
Suggests that the late onset is caused by the increased cognitive and social demands of that stage of life
What are the genetic models of SCH
Suggests that there could be a genetic basis, and that genes may interact with the environment
What is the neurodevelopmental model of SCH
Suggests that disrupted/abnormal brain development could cause SCH and it only becomes apparent later when those brain areas are needed/matured
Heterogeneity genetic contribution to SCH
It is separate distinct diseases, each inherited based on specific gene mutations
Monogenetic genetic contribution to SCH
A dominant single gene mutation resulting in highly variable phenotypic expression
Polygenetic genetic contribution to SCH
The phenotype is caused by multiple gene mutations
Combinatorial model of genetic contribution to SCH
It results from complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and environment
What receptor is thought to be involved in SCH
D2 receptor
What is the issue with the D2 receptor in SCH
it is overactive
What is the evidence that supports the dopamine hypothesis of SCH
D2 receptor agonists are effective in the treatment of some people with SCH
What is the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of SCH
Brain abnormality present at or shortly after birth is “unmasked” as a result of normal maturation events that occur in late adolescence and early adulthood
What are the 7 stages of neurodevelopment
- Neurogenesis
- Migration
- Growth of axons
- Synaptogenesis
- Synaptic pruning
- Neuronal death
- Myelination
Emergence of SCH symptoms correlate with the stage of development occupied by significant __________
synaptic pruning
Abnormalities to what gene has been associate with the symptomology of SCH
DISC-1
The DISC-1 gene is involved in what brain process?
Glutamate
–> Neurotransmission and plasticity
What brain region is DISC very active in?
Forebrain
DISC-1 is highly expressed in areas where there is what?
Neurogenesis
DISC-1 interacts with many proteins and plays a role in (3)
- Neuroplasticity
- Axon growth
- Neural migration
In SCH there is an issue with ________ and a lower number of ________
Synaptic elimination
Dendritic spines
SCH is considered a disorder of _______
cortical connectivity
What are the 2 types of imaging to detect SCH
Diffusion tensor imaging and fMRI
What brain region seems most affected in SCH
Frontal lobe
Stage 1: Presymptomatic SCH
<15 y
The negative symptoms start
Stage 2: Prodrome SCH
15-18y
Cognitive and social deficits
Stage 3: Psychosis SCH
18-25 y
Diagnosis and start to see positive symptoms
Stage 4: Chronic illness SCH
> 25y
Positive and negative symptoms, start to seek treatment
What are the 3 types of treatment for chronic SCH
Medical
Psychological therapy
Rehabilitation
During stage 3 of SCH, what starts to be seen in the brain in terms of grey matter
Deficient myelination and excessive excitatory pruning
There is decreased white matter in what brain regions in SCH
Frontal lobe
Cerebellum
Limbic structures
What NT are altered in SCH
Dopamine
Serotonin
Glutamate
There are brain abnormalities in what 2 brain regions in SCH
PFC
Hippocampus
3 brain pathology in SCH
- Lateral ventricle enlarged
- Reduced brain volume (particularly grey matter)
- Abnormal/reduced neuronal complexity
Abnormal neurodevelopment results in _______ dopamine activity in the _______ in SCH
excessive
limbic system
Abnormal neurodevelopment results in ________ activation within the ______ in SCH
Reduced
Prefrontal cortex
What are the 3 things that result from hypofrontality in SCH
- Lower frontal lobe activity
- Reduces axon density in the PFC
- Reduced dopamine in the PFC
Abnormal limbic system = _______ symptoms SCH
positive
Abnormal PFC = _______ symptoms in SCH
negative
What type of life events have been correlated with the onset of SCH
stressful
What happens to a person with SCH when they get stressed
Their symptoms get worse
Stress response mechanisms appear to be ______ in some people with SCH
abnormal
What are the 2 types of medication for treating SCH
Typical and atypical antipsychotics
What is the main atypical antipsychotic
Clozapine
What is Clozapine reserved for?
Patients with treatment resilience
Why isn’t Clozepine used more often in people with SCH
It has sever side effects like agranulocytosis and seizures
Agranulocytosis
lower production of white blood cells
Without medication, schizophrenics relapse at a rate of _____ within the first year of diagnosis
60-70%
Damage to what area of the brain has been shown to have masked effects of depression until 2 y in monkeys
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
What is the cause of mood disorders?
Unknown
Thought to maybe be affected by biological, psychological and social factors
What are the 2 main types of depression
Major depressive disorder Bipolar disorder (depression and mania)
What is the prevalence of depression in women compared to men?
Women are 2x as likely
What is the most common type of mood disorder
depression
What are the 2 major types of mood disorders
Depression
Mania
Diagnosis of depression depends on what two things?
Symptoms and the duration of the symptoms
What is diagnosis of depression often based on?
Self report
What demographic is most likely to get depression
Women of child-bearing years
Major depression:
Exhibit episodes of depressed mood for 2+ years
what is a major physiological disturbance of major depression
sleep problems
What characterizes bipolar disorder
the presence of one or more manic episodes
The exact consequence of maternal depression on the child depends on what
the specific stage of development that the disruptions occured in
Children of depressed mothers often show these 6 characteristics
- More drowsy or fussy
- Less relaxed or content
- Engage in less toy exploration
- Less focused play
- Rated as crying more, difficult to sooth
- Higher rates of psychiatric illness at school age
What 3 factors might cause the effects of maternal depression on the child
- Genetics
- Prenatal environment
- Parenting style/home environment
Prenatal stage effects of maternal depression (4)
- Poor nutrition
- Inadequate prenatal care (not taking vitamins)
- higher preterm birth and low birth weight
- higher incidence of spontaneous abortion
Maternal depression effects/symptoms of infants (3)
- Anger and protective style of coping
- Passivity and problems with attention
- Lower cognitive performance compared to peers
The effects on toddlers with depressed mothers (2)
- Less mature expression of autonomy and lower peer interactions
- Cognitive: less creative play and lower cognitive performance
Developmental effects of adolescents with depressed mothers (4)
- Difficulty adapting to new situations
- Affective disorders, anxiety, conduct disorders and panic disorders
- ADHD and learning disorders ***
- Higher incidence of substance abuse and alcohol dependence
What is the genetics of depression
There has been no clear link found
What is the current focus in research on genes in childhood depression
Trying to see what depression looks like in children and find potential risk factors
Epigenetic effects of a depressed mother
Could inherit an abnormal stress response
Mother’s depressive behaviours can train the child’s brain to act in a certain way to a stressor
What is the controversy in diagnosing depression in children
Do not want to label them that young
What medical treatment for depression works in adults but not in children or adolescence
Tricyclic anti-depressants (TCA)
What drug treatment is more effective with some children and adolescents with depression
SSRIs
What is the main SSRI drug
Fluoxetine
Other than affect serotinin, what do SSRIs do?
They can induce epigenetic factors (increase neuroplasticity)
Differences in action of SSRI verses TCA could provide clues on _________ pathogenesis of depression
early-onset
How do TCAs and SSRIs increase NT
block reuptake
How do MAOIs increase NT
inhibit breakdown
What techniques is used to study sleep?
EEG –> monitors brain waves
What are the 5 sleep alterations in depressed children and adolescents
- Sleep continuity disturbance
- Reduced time until REM stage
- Increased time spent in REM stage
- Decreased delta waves (stage 3 and 4 sleep)
- Difficulty waking up
Paroxetine (Paxil) is what type of drug
Anti-depressant
Why are TACs not used in children and adolescents
They are not very effective
They can cause severe side effects (even death)
There are higher levels of what in adults with depression
Cortisol during the day and night
About __% of depressed adults show hyper cortisol secretion
50`
Do depressed children show excess cortisol
Not usually
In depressed adults and children there is decreased volume of _____ and decreased volume of _____ only in adults
Amygdala
Hippocampus
What are the 4 neurological characteristics associated with depressed adults
- Excess cortisol
- Reduced size of frontal lobe and amygdala
- Hippocampal atrophy
- Abnormality in orbitofronal cortex linked to early onset
Abnormality in what brain region has been linked with early onset of depression? What does this result in?
Orbitofrontal cortex
> Abnormal serotonergic function
What is used to test white matter abnormality?
Diffusion tensor imaging
What is DTI used for
It evaluates the integrit of white matter tracts
>Specifically subcortico structures
DTI has shown what is depressed in individuals
Abnormality in the corpus callosum
What gene is implicated in SCH that might also be implicated in bipolar disorder
EGR3
What CNS protein does EGR3 affect?
BDNF
Lower EGR3 leads to _____ BDNF
reduced
What is the direction of the relationship between EGR3 and BDNF
Bi-directional
They affect each other
What are the brain effects of reduced EGR3? (2)
- Impaired neuroplasticity and resilience
2. Increased vulnerability to stress
Prevalence of down syndrome
1 in 1000
What are the 2 gender differences in DS
- More in males
2. Higher infant mortality in females
What is the first prenatal test for DS? Then what happens?
Nuchal translucency (ultra sound) >> If it indicates DS then other tests like karyotyping are performed
What does karyotyping test/
The number and structure of chromosomes
Probability of infant having DS increases with mother’s ___
age
|»_space;But this is going down
Aneuploidy =
abnormal number of chromosomes
What is the problem with aneuploidy in DS?
There is an “over-expression” of many genes and proteins
What are the 2 types of aneuploidy in DS, what are the prevalences
Complete trisomy (95%) Mosaic or partical trisomies (5%)
What are the 2 hypotheses for DS
- Gene dosage effect hypothesis
2. Amplified developmental instability hypothesis
What is the gene dosage effect hypothesis
The extra distal genes on the 21st chromosome (DSCR genes) that are present in DS are important for regulating neurodevelopment. The presence of the extra genes can disrupt development and cause specific DS phenotypic traits
The severity of DS according to the gene dosage effect depends on what?
The extent of trisomy in the DSCR
What is the amplified developmental instability hypothesis
- DS phenotypes result from the elevated activity of specific genes (DSCR) that result in the over production of DSCR proteins, which in turn cause global disruption of protein homeostasis
> Causes pervasive developmental instability/ abnormality
Full trisomy =
Complete extra chromosome
Partial trisomy =
One part of chromosome 21 moves to another chromosome
Mosaicism -
Still see trisomy 21, but only in some cells
|»_space; Error in cell division after fertilization
What are the cognitive abilities with ppl with Mosaicism DS
They have higher mean cognitive scores than those with full trisomy
How could XIST, the X-inactivation gene, be potentially used to treat DS?
XIST activation produces RNA that coats the surface of the chromosome 21.
–> Blocks genes on the extra chromosome 21 from being accesses and thus suppresses expression
When would XIST have to be given to be an effective treatment for DS?
Early in development to try to normalize the expression of genes
Brushfield spots =
White spots in the iris of the eye
What disorder are brushfield spots associated with?
Down Syndrome
What disorder is commonly present in DS that is also present in a lot of neurodevelopmental disorders?
Gastrointestinal issues
What are the 2 ways that trisomy 21 interferes with the fetal nervous system development
- Reduction in total numbers of neurons in cortical areas
2. Proposed “accelerated aging”
What is the trend of brain weight for ppl with DS
Tends to fall below average
What are the 2 structure/function of neurons in DS
- Reduced neuronal density (especially in cortical areas)
2. Poop synaptic connections
4 difficulties in learning and cognitive processing of DS
- Attention
- Info processing
- Short and long term memory processing
- Language skills
What do MRI scans of ppl with DS show? 3
Generalized atrophy:
- Smaller total brain size in adults
- Smaller size of the hippocampus and amygdala
6 Co-Morbidities of DS
- Alzheimers
- ADHD
- Aggressive behaviours
- Anxiety disorders
- Self injury
- Autism spectrum disorder
Growth and stature appear “normal” during the first ________ of life in ppl with DS
3 years
When is DS typically diagnosed?
35% at birth
46% by 2 years
Very small number after 3 years
In addition to Karyotyping, what other things are screened for when there is the potential for DS (4)
- Cataracts
- Blockages in gastrointestinal tracts
- Congenital heart disease
- Hearing problems
Are there pharmacotherapies for DS
Nothing to directly treat DS, but there are medications to treat the co-morbid symptoms (ADHD, aggression)
What is the treatment focus for DS?
Social, emotional, cognitive and motor abnormalities
What are 4 medical / social concerns for people with DS
- Independent living and employment challenges
- Difficulty developing social skills
- Improvement in symptom management has resulted in longer life (more time being dependent)
- Neurodegeneration (AD) is common
What is implicated in both DS and Alzheimers disease?
Amyloid precursor protein (APP)
Why is there such a high prevalence of Alzheimers in ppl with DS
Because the APP gene is located on Chromosome 21, and it is triplicated in DS
What does a brain of a person with DS look like in comparison with Alzheimers?
Even more cortical atrophy
What are the two directions of axonal transport
Anterograde and retrograde
Anterograde transport:
Transportation from the cell body to the terminal
Retrograde transport:
Transportation from the terminals to the soma
Which type of axonal transport is affected in DS
Retrograde
Why is retrograde transport affected in DS?
Because the excess of APP causes enlarged endosomes, and they block the axon so things cannot pass them
What is the animal model for DS, specifically for retrograde transport problems?
Ts65Dn mice
Why is abnormalities in retrograde transport a problem?
Because then the axon cannot communicate with the soma, it cannot tell it what it needs so there might be the over or under production of proteins
PKU is the mutation in the gene from what enzyme?
Phenylalanine Hydroxylase (PAH)
What does PKU stand for
Phenylketonuria
What genetic inheritance pattern does PKU follow?
Autisomal recessive
Other than genetics, what can PKU be caused by?
Abnormals levels of dietary phenylalanine
What is phenylalanine? What is it classified as?
An essential amino acid
Classified as a Large, Neutral Amino Acid (LNAA)
What are essential amino acids?
Amino acids that you can only get from your diet
The mutation if PAH impaired the conversion of phenylalanine to _________
Tyrosine
What is tyrosine essential for creating in the body?
Dopamine
If you don’t have PAH enzyme or it is dysfunctional, it can results in excess ______ . Why is this bad?
Phenylpyruvic acid
> > Can be toxic
What 2 metabolic things cause most if the symptomology of PKU
Excess phenylpyruvic acid
Lack of dopamine
DOPA (dopamine) is also involved in the production of what? What does this phenotypically result in in the brain?
Melanin pigments
Results in the lighter coloured dopamine cells
How is PKU detected? When is this done?
A blood test
Done right after birth (heel prick)
Why is early detection of PKU important
Early treatment prevents associated intellectual disabilities
If PKU is not treated, what metabolites can be seen in the blood and urine?
Urine : phenylpyruvic acid
Blood : Phenylalanine
If PKA is left untreated, what problems occur
Intellectual disability/mental retardation
Research suggests that increased levels of what in blood contribute to the neuropsychological deficits in PKU
Phenylalanine metabolites
What are the names of the 3 neuropsychological hypotheses in PKU
- Myelin synthesis and turnover
- Competition for transport
- Dopamine reduction
Myelin Synthesis and Turnover PKU Hypothesis
High levels of phenylalanine or metabolites inhibit myelin development
> > There is a delay in development of myelin and there is myelin degradation in ppl with PKU
What do imaging techniques show in the brains of people with PKU
Reduction in white matter (myelin)
What causes the degradation of myelin in PKU
Phenylpyruvic acid
Is it maternal or infant diet that has the most effect on PKU? Why?
Infant, because most myelination happens post natally
What is the Competition for Transport Hypothesis Hypothesis (3)
Phe competes with other essential amino acids for transport across the BBB
Phe tends to have a higher affinity for transporter than other LNAA
Results in an accumulation of Phe in the bloodstream and other amino acids cannot come into the brain because the Phe is tying up all the transporters
What other essential acid cannot enter the brain in PKU? What NT requires it?
Tryptophan
Serotonin
What is the dopamine Reduction Hypothesis of PKU
Phenylalanine is not converted to tyrosine in the absence of PAH, which results in a lack of dopamine
What is the effect of the lask of dopamine in PKU
It effects the prefrontal cortex, which impacts executive functions
Why is it difficult to make an animal model of PKU
Because there are over 600 possible mutations on the PAH gene
What is the phenotypes of the PKU animal model with a mutation in the PAH gene? (2)
- Lighter coloured coat (because of the tyrosine –> melanin pigment deficiency)
- Abnormal motor skills (inability to swim)
What treatment of the PKU mice result in noticable changes
Phe-restricted diet
How is myelin affected in PKU (2)
- Delayed development
2. Demyelination
What dietary compound contains a LOT of phenylalanine
Aspartame (“diet” food)
Early treatment with Phe-restricted diet reduces the ________ manifestations of PKU
Behavioural
2 individual differences in ppl with PKU
- Some do not respond to treatment
2. Some with high levels of phenylalanine metabolites do not suffer neurological impairment
Which chromosome is the PAH gene on
12
Classical PKU
No PAH activity, enzyme is formed but not effective
Mild PKU
~25% residual PAH activity
Severity of PKU depends on ________
Genotype
> whether there is some residual PAH activity
What is the main treatment for PKU
Phe restricted diet
What foods are permmited in a Phe restricted diet? (2)
- Measures amounts of fruits and vegetables
2. Low protein: pasta, grains, and breads
What foods are not allowed in Phe restricted diet (6)
Meat Fish Eggs Dairy Nuts Soy
What happens when a person with PKU strays from the diet
They become fatigued and start showing signs of cognitive deficits
How does BH4 PKU therapy work?
BH4 boosts the activity of PAH, in individuals with residual PAH activity
How does LNAA supplemental therapy work for PKU
The LNAA comete with Phe to cross the BBB which allows for more amino acids to enter the brain
What is Glycomacropeptide
A Phe-free source of protein
PFC in PKU
Pattern of deficits affecting projections of dopamine neuron in the frontal lobe, resulting in cognitive problems
What is the probable cause of the cognitive deficits in PKU
Myelin abnormalities
What imaging technique best shows white matter in the brain
DTI
What are the 2 essential and one non-essential amino acids we need to know
Essential:
- Phenylalinene and Tryptophan
Non-Essential:
- Tyrosine
Fear
Negative neurological state brought on by perceived presence of threatening stimuli