Lecture 1 Flashcards
Symptomology
What are the symptoms and signs of mental health conditions
Aetiology
What are the causes of mental health conditions
If the alleles are the same
Homozygous
If the alleles are different
Heterozygous
If alleles are different they can either be
-dominant
-recessive
-co-dominant
Search for candidate genes is
Not very effective
Who did studies into alleles and peas
Mendel
Watson and crick 1953
Discovered double helix
Rosalind Franklin 1952
X ray diffraction image of DNA
How many genes are there
Around 23000
What are exons
Stretches that code for amino acids and are translated into proteins
What are introns
Stretches that do not code for amino acids and are not translated into proteins (junk DNA)
A set of three bases (triplet codes) codes for
1 of 20 amino acids
How many possible ways are there to code for amino acids
64 codons
If mutations happen in germ cells they
Will be passed on to the offspring
If mutations happen in somatic cells they
May affect the host (de novo mutations)
Most variations are
SNPs which are Single Nucleotide Polymorphism
Ik bio bank 2015
Findings suggest that a very large number of genes may have effects on a given disease, polygenic diseases
Effects of SNPs tend to be
Very small
Unfavourable early conditions can
Program the organism for later life disease
Glucose metabolism in 16-18yr olds is
20% greater compared to adults
High fat diets during pregnancy can cause
-An increase in inflammatory signals
-Alter spine density
-Dendritic branching and myelination
Babies conceived during the Dutch famine (1941) had
-Increased rate of neural tube defects such as spina bifida
-2 fold increase in risk of developing schizophrenia later in life
What’s a crucial component of the thyroid hormone
Iodine
A lack of iodine during the end of the 1st trimester and early 2nd can
-Lead to severe growth restriction ‘cretinism’
-Although infants may appear fine at birth they may have learning disabilities later
Feral growth restriction complicates
3-9% of pregnancies in higher income countries and even more in lower income countries
Feral growth restriction is due to
Competition for nutrients or space with twins or multiples
Placental insufficiency due to
Disease, poor nutrition, toxins (i.e. nicotine)
Feral growth restriction abnormalities include
-Reduced brain volume
-Reduced number of brain cells
-Delayed myelination
-Deficits in neuronal migration which result in abnormal connection patterns
Prematurity is associated with
Higher rates of psychopathology
White matter is particularly vulnerable in
Pre-term infants
Loos of white mater around the lateral ventricle is associated with
Cerebral palsy
30% of babies born after
Less than 30 weeks of gestation are likely to develop some kind of disability
Lack of oxygen is known as
Perinatal asphyxia
What percentage of newborns with perinatal asphyxia do not survive
15-20%
Those who survive perinatal asphyxia are at a greater risk of
-Developmental delays
-motor functions
-episodic memory
-risk of schizophrenia
Prenatal exposure to stressful events in rodent studies resulted in
Greater stress sensitivity in adulthood
Mueller and Bale 2008 glucocorticoids
Excess glucocorticoids can reach the fetus through the placenta
Neonatal handling for the first 10 postnatal days can
Induce persistent increase in glucocorticoids
Impaired mother-infant interactions can
Impair the neuroendocrine regulation of the infant
High LG mothers had offspring with
Decreased levels of DNA methylation and increased transcription for the GR
Offspring exhibited lower levels of stress responsivity
What amount of women consume alcohol or smoke during pregnancy
10%
Sensory areas are present at
Birth
Experience dependent is
Not predetermined but are generated in response to the environment
Experience expectant is
Development will not happen unless an experience happens during its critical period
Epigenetic mechanisms may
Enhance ur inhibit the expression of our DNA
In 1970s, sepsis was first linked to
White matter damage
There is now strong evidence linking perinatal infection to
Cerebral palsy
Perinatal exposure to infectious agents influences later life with
-Disease susceptibility
-Increased vulnerability to cognitive disorders
Early reports of epidemics associated with
Increased prevalence of schizophrenia and ASD
Most common consequence of perinatal infection are
Cognitive in nature
Male pups seem to be
More vulnerable to maternal immune activation
Maternal Immune Activation is associated with
-Decreased number of precursor cells in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus
-Deficits in pre-pulse inhibition
-Decreased exploratory behaviour
Glia interact with
Neurons and blood vessels
Types of glia
-Microglia,
-Astrocytes
-Oligodendrocytes
Microglia’s role involves
Maintenance of tissue homeostasis and removal of waste
Adult brains are comprised of how much Microglia
5-15%
Microglia are traditionally thought of existing in either of 2 states
-Ramified state
-Activated state
Sexual differentiation is moderated by
Microglia
Microglia are active modulators of
Sexual dimorphism behaviours
Microglia seem to respond
Perinatally
Microglia are primed to respond in an
Exaggerated way later in life
There is diversity in Microglia depending on
The brain area and age of the organism
What mental health conditions are more prevalent in men
-ASD
-ADHD
What mental health conditions are more prevalent in women
-Depression
-Anxiety
The female placenta is more responsive to
Stress signals resulting in more viability
