Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Brain Dysfunction > Lecture 13 - Psychatric Disorders > Flashcards

Lecture 13 - Psychatric Disorders Flashcards

1
Q

What distinguishes psychiatric and mental disorders from other medical conditions ?

A
  • Dramatic abnormalities in cognitive functions without an obvious lesion to the brain
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

How does the DSM-5 contribute to the understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders ?

A
  • Categorizes psychiatric conditions
  • Leading to better treatment approaches
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What does RDoC stand for and how does it contribute to treatment approaches ?

A
  • Research Dominant Criteria
  • Understand basic biological functions underlying mental disorders to enhance treatment strategies
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Name two major mood disorders

A
  • Major depressive disorder
  • Bipolar disorder
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are the different types of psychiatric disorders ?

A
  • Schizophrenia
  • Mood disorders
  • Dementia
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Sleep disorders
  • Psychosurgery
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are the 3 categories of symptoms in schizophrenia ?

A
  • Positive symptoms
  • Negative symptoms
  • Cognitive symptoms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

According to the dopamine theory, which symptoms of schizophrenia are primarily influenced ?

A
  • Positive symptoms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How does cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) contribute to the treatment of schizophrenia ?

A
  • Helps improve coping strategies
  • Change dysfunctional beliefs
  • Enhance social skills
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are some of the major neurochemical changes associated with schizophrenia ?

A
  • Decreased dopamine metabolites in CSF
  • Increased striatal receptors
  • Decreased cortical glutamate
  • Altered GABA function
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What was the initial biochemical abnormality identified in schizophrenia ?

A
  • Elevated dopamine activity in frontal lobe (dopamine theory)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the five symptoms listed in the DSM-5 for diagnosing schizophrenia ?

A
  • Delusion
  • Hallucinations
  • Disorganized speech
  • Disorganized or excessively agitated behavior
  • Other symptoms causing social or occupational dysfunction
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What structural abnormalities are commonly observed in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia ?

A
  • Enlargement of lateral & third ventricles
  • Decreased in brain volume
  • Reduction in GM volume in various brain regions (frontal lobe, PFC, temporal lobe, hippocampus)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What role does the prefrontal cortex play in the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia ?

A
  • Abnormalities in dopamine, GABA & glutamate inputs
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How does pharmacological intervention contribute to the treatment of schizophrenia ?

A
  • Restore monoamine function
  • Restore GABA/Glutamate function
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Which symptoms of schizophrenia are primarily influenced by serotonin & adrenaline ?

A
  • Negative symptoms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What effect do dopamine agonists (cocaine, amphetamine) have on schizophrenia symptoms ?

A
  • Induce psychotic symptoms similar to paranoid schizophrenia
  • Worsen symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What are some mood symptoms associated with depression ?

A
  • Sad mood
  • Reduced motivation
  • Indecisiveness
  • Prolonged feelings of worthlessness & guilt
  • Disruption of normal eating habits
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Motor slowing
  • Suicidal thoughts
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

According to the monoamine hypothesis, what neurotransmitters are implicated in depression ?

A

Serotonin, Dopamine & Norepinephrine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hypothesis in depression ?

A

Suggests that prolonged high level of cortisol, due to impaired feedback regulation, play a role in the pathophysiology of depression

20
Q

How does the immuno-metabolic depression hypothesis differentiate from typical depression ?

A

Links depression with inflammation & metabolic changes (often seen in conjunction with physical illnesses like cardiovascular disease)

21
Q

To what can lead prolonged high cortisol levels ?

A
  • Change in monoamine (serotonin)
  • Brain derived neurotrophic factor BDNF (neurogenesis)
22
Q

What is the role of fluoxetine (SSRI) in treating depression ?

A
  • Enhances serotonin levels
  • Stimulates brain-derived neurotrophic factors
  • Stimulates neurogenesis in hippocampus
23
Q

What are some proposed treatments for depression besides pharmacological options ?

A
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Lifestyle changes
  • Light therapy (for seasonal affective disorder)
  • Electroconvulsive therapy
  • DBS
24
Q

Which brain regions show neuropathological changes in depression ?

A
  • Reduced GM in OFC, posterior cingulate & hippocampus
  • Decreased connectivity in DMN
  • Altered blood flow metabolism in regions like ACC & vmPFC
25
Q

How do dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate interact with cortisol and inflammation in the context of depression ?

A
  • Dopamine : effects reward processing, motivation, energy allocation, mood & cognition
  • Serotonin& glutamate : interact with cortisol & inflammation
26
Q

What are the primary symptoms associated with bipolar disorder ?

A
  • Episode of depression & mania
27
Q

What is the sensitization hypothesis in bipolar disorder ?

A
  • Repeated exposure to stress & drugs sensitizes brain regions responsible for affect regulation, potentially contributing to the cycling between depressive & maniac episodes
28
Q

Which brain regions show decreased gray matter in bipolar disorder ?

A
  • Fusiform gyrus
  • Hippocampus
  • Cerebellum
29
Q

How does epigenetics contribute to bipolar disorder ?

A
  • Genetic predispositions
  • Stress events
30
Q

What relationship exists between bipolar disorder and dopaminergic drug use ?

A
  • Heightened risk for drug abuse
  • Cocaine : induce mania
31
Q

What are the primary symptoms associated with anxiety disorders ?

A
  • Intense fear or anxiety that is inappropriate to the circumstances
32
Q

Name the categories of anxiety disorders

A
  • Panic disorders
  • PTSD
  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
  • OCD
  • Phobias
33
Q

What neuropathological dysregulations are associated with anxiety disorders ?

A
  • Dysregulations of fear & emotional circuits : vmPFC-Amygdala-Hippocampus & hippocampus-DLPFC
  • Dysregulations of autonomic circuits : anterior insula-Amygdala-OFC
34
Q

What are some treatments for anxiety disorders ?

A
  • Benzodiazepines (medication)
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Exposure therapy
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
35
Q

What’s dementia ?

A
  • Substantial cognitive decline from previous level of performance
  • Decline in cognitive performance
  • Interfering with independent functioning
36
Q

What are the different types of dementia ?

A
  • Tauopathiesor Synucleinopathies
  • Vascular dementias
  • Mixed dementias
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Other dementias
37
Q

What are the primary neuropathological features of Alzheimer’s disease ?

A
  • Aggregation of neuritic plaques (amyloid plaques) & neurofibrillary tangles
  • Lead by infection & neuro-inflammation
38
Q

What are the neuropathological changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease ?

A
  • Cortical shrinkage, apoptosis, cell death
  • Degeneration of cholinergic projections from basal forebrain to neocortex
  • Reductions in monoamines (dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline)
  • General decrease in cerebral blood perfusion & glucose consumption
39
Q

Outline the stages of Alzheimer’s disease progression

A
  • Early stage : involves olfactory dysfunction, retrograde amnesia (most recent memories affected first), difficulty acquiring new information & orientation problems
  • Mild stage : extends to frontal lobe involvement, leading to loss of fluency, executive dysfunction, apathy & further loss of episodic memory
  • Moderate to severe stages : progress to severe cognitive impairment, including profound memory loss, problems with complex motor tasks, emotional disturbances & spatial disorientation
40
Q

What is Capgras delusion, and how is it related to Alzheimer’s disease ?

A
  • Psychiatric disorder where a person believes that a close family member or friend has been replaced by an identical imposter
  • Occur in Alzheimer’s due to impairments in recognition & memory
41
Q

What are the areas of the brain affected for each stages of Alzheimer’s disease ?

A
  • Early stage : medial temporal lobe & enthorinal cortex
  • Mild stage : extends to frontal & temporal lobe
  • Moderate to severe stages : extends to temporal, frontal & parietal lobe
42
Q

Name & define 2 sleep disorders

A
  • Narcolepsy : condition of excessive sleep or sudden brief sleep episodes during the day
  • Insomnia : inadequate sleep (difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently)
43
Q

What is the neuropathology associated with narcolepsy ?

A
  • Loss of hypothalamic neurons that produce peptide neurotransmitter hypocretin (orexin)
  • Allele of HLA-DBQB1 gene on chromosome 6 involved ( = important for immune system functioning)
44
Q

What does orexin has an influence on ?

A
  • Regulates monoamines & cholinergic nuclei to regulates sleep/wakefulness
45
Q

What are the symptoms of narcolepsy ?

A
  • Sleep attacks
  • Cataplexy : complete loss of muscle tone & paralysis triggered by emotional excitement (remains conscious/awake)
  • Sleep paralysis
  • Hynagogic hallucinations
46
Q

What are the EEG findings associated with insomnia ?

A
  • Takes longer to fall asleep
  • Decreased periods of dream (REM) sleep
  • More transitions between sleep stages
  • More movement
  • Do not benefit from restorative properties
47
Q

What are some symptoms of insomnia ?

A
  • Nightmares
  • Restless leg syndrome
  • Sleep apnea

Brain Dysfunction (14 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions