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PSYC 211 > Lecture 22: Psychological Disorders ll > Flashcards

Lecture 22: Psychological Disorders ll Flashcards

1
Q

autism

A

Describes a wide range of developmental disorders that are characterized by troubles with social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behaviour

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2
Q

autism incidence

A

around 1% of the population

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3
Q

when do autism symptoms typically appear?

A

Parents usually notice symptoms during the first 2-3 years of a child’s life

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4
Q

what are the first symptoms of autism to appear?

A

Social impairments

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5
Q

causes of autism

A

combination of environmental and genetic factors

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6
Q

heritability of autism

A

70%

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7
Q

heritability of autism spectrum disorder

A

90%

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8
Q

autism and genes

A

Many cases have been linked to rare gene mutations. These include chromosome abnormalities involving deletions, duplications, or inversions of genetic material. Other cases are associated with multigene interactions across common gene variants.

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9
Q

maternal health and autism

A

Some cases have been linked with maternal viral infection during pregnancy

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10
Q

prevalence of speech in people with autism

A

⅓ of people with Autism do not develop enough natural speech to meet their daily communication needs

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11
Q

Asperger’s syndrome

A

Mild forms of Autism that mostly involve deficient or absent social interactions and repetitive and stereotyped behaviours along with obsessional interest in narrow subjects

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12
Q

autism in males vs. females

A

Autism is 4x more common in males than females. If only cases with intellectual disability are considered, the ratio is 2:1. If only cases of high-functioning autism are considered, the ratio is 7:1

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13
Q

hypothesis for why autism is more prevalent in males

A

Within species, the heterogametic (males in humans, females in birds, butterflies, some reptiles and fish) shows slightly more variability on all kinds of traits

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14
Q

brain development and autism

A

Smaller brain at birth, but grows abnormally fast and by 2-3 years is about 10% larger than a normal brain. Then, the growth of an autistic brain slows down and by adolescence is only about 1-2% larger than normal

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15
Q

hypothesis for differing brain activity in people with autism

A

Altered neuronal migration during early gestation
Abnormal formation of synapses and dendritic spines
Overconnectivity of key brain areas
Unbalanced excitatory-inhibitory neural networks

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16
Q

fusiform area & autism

A

There is little or no activity in the fusiform face area of autistic adults looking at pictures of human faces.

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17
Q

goal of autism treatment

A

lessen the impact of the associative deficits & family distress and increase quality of life & independence

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18
Q

medications used for autism

A

Anticonvulsants
Antidepressants
Antipsychotics
Stimulants

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19
Q

anticonvulsants

A

↑ GABA receptor activity

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20
Q

antidepressants

A

↑ serotonin receptor activity

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21
Q

antipsychotics

A

↓ dopamine receptor activity

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22
Q

stimulants

A

↑ dopamine receptor activity

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23
Q

affect

A

feelings and emotions

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24
Q

mood (affective) disorder

A

serious mood disorder

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25
Q

types of mood disorders

A

Bipolar disorder and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

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26
Q

bipolar disorder

A

Serious mood disorder characterized by cyclical periods of mania and depression

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27
Q

bipolar disorder prevalence

A

1% of the population

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28
Q

heritability of bipolar disorder

A

~80% of the risk is attributed to genetics.

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29
Q

major depressive disorder

A

Serious mood disorder that consists of unremitting depression or periods of depression

30
Q

major depressive disorder prevalence

A

7% in women and 3% in men

31
Q

heritability of mdd

A

~40%

32
Q

mania

A

Characterized by a sense of euphoria that does not seem to be justified by circumstances. Usually, exhibit nonstop speech and motor activity

33
Q

treatment for bipolar disorder

A

lithium salts (for manic phase) and anticonvulsants. Once mania is eliminated, depression usually doesn’t follow

34
Q

tricyclic antidepressants

A

inhibits reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine but also affects other neurotransmitters

35
Q

Serotonin specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

A

A class of drugs that specifically inhibit the reuptake of serotonin without affecting the reuptake of other neurotransmitters. The most common one is Prozac (fluoxetine). Similar drugs are Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, etc…

36
Q

Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI)

A

Antidepressant drug that specifically inhibits reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin without affecting reuptake of other neurotransmitters

37
Q

treatments for depression include

A
  • Drugs that increase serotonin and/or norepinephrine signalling by inhibiting their enzymatic breakdown (e.g., monoamine oxidase inhibitors, MAOi)
  • Drugs that increase serotonin and/or norepinephrine by blocking their reuptake (e.g., tricyclics and serotonin specific reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs).
  • Ketamine (NMDA glutamate receptor blocker)
  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
  • Deep brain stimulation
  • Transcranial magnetic stimulation
  • Vagus nerve stimulation
  • Bright-light therapy (phototherapy)
  • Sleep deprivation
38
Q

monoamines

A

Serotonin, Norephipherine, Dopamine

39
Q

monoamine hypothesis

A

States that depression is caused by insufficient monoamine receptor activity

40
Q

what monoamines are of most interest to researchers?

A

serotonin and norepinephrine because symptoms of depression are generally not relieved by potent dopamine receptor agonists such as amphetamine or cocaine

41
Q

tryptophan

A

The molecular precursor to serotonin

42
Q

tryptophan and depression

A

Giving people a low-tryptophan diet, then a tryptophan-free amino acid cocktail lowers brain tryptophan levels and decreases the synthesis of serotonin (5-HT)

43
Q

tryptophan depletion in people susceptible to depression

A

can elicit a depressive episode

44
Q

SSRIs and SSNIs onset

A

increase the levels of 5-HT and norepinephrine in the brain very rapidly, but they don’t relieve symptoms of depression until they have been taken for several weeks. Something other than a simple increase in monoamine receptor activity is responsible for the normalization of mood

45
Q

anterior cingulate cortex and depression

A

One area of the anterior cingulate cortex (the subgenual region known as area 25) becomes less active after successful depression treatments

46
Q

where is deep brain stimulation for depression performed

A

in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and in the nucleus accumbens

47
Q

what are new promising approaches to treating depression

A

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) directed to areas of the PFC or vagal nerve stimulation (VNS)

48
Q

electroconvulsive therapy

A

Seizures are electrically induced by applying brief electrical shocks to the head. Used to treat severe depression and bipolar disorder. reduces symptoms within days

49
Q

characteristics of sleep in people with depression

A
  • Shallow, fragmented sleep
  • Awaken frequently, especially in the morning
  • Spend more time in stage 1 sleep
  • Spend less time in stage 3-4 sleep
  • Enter REM sleep soon after falling asleep
50
Q

total sleep deprivation

A

has an immediate antidepressant effect. Depression returns after a normal night’s sleep. This suggests that a chemical builds up during waking hours that has some antidepressant effect and it gets cleared away during sleep

51
Q

rem sleep deprivation

A

also works, although more slowly, over the course of several weeks (similar to SSRIs)

52
Q

anxiety disorder

A

A variety of psychological disorders characterized by unrealistic and unfounded fear and anxiety. Includes muscle tension, over activity of the autonomic nervous system, expectation of an impending disaster, and continuous vigilance for danger

53
Q

generalized anxiety disorder

A

Disorder characterized by excessive anxiety and worry serious enough to cause disruption of their lives

54
Q

social anxiety disorder

A

Disorder characterized by excessive fear of being exposed to the scrutiny of other people that leads to avoidance of social situations in which person is called on to perform

55
Q

panic disorder

A

Disorder characterized by episodic periods of severe and unremitting terror. Includes symptoms such as shortness of breath, irregularities in heartbeat, and other autonomic symptoms, accompanied by intense fear

56
Q

anticipatory anxiety

A

Fear of having a panic attack promotes anticipatory anxiety that sometimes leads to the development of agoraphobia

57
Q

agoraphobia

A

Fear of being away from home or other protected places

58
Q

comorbidity of anxiety disorders

A

People often have more than one type of anxiety disorder.

59
Q

prevalence of anxiety disorders

A

In a given year, about 12% of people are affected by anxiety disorder

60
Q

females vs. males anxiety disorders

A

appears twice as often in females as males

61
Q

age of anxiety onset

A

generally begins before the age of 25.

62
Q

prevalence of phobias

A

12% of people will develop a specific phobia

63
Q

prevalence of social anxiety disorder

A

10% will develop social anxiety disorder at some point in their life

64
Q

anxiety disorders causes

A

Combination of genetic and environmental factors

65
Q

anxiety disorder and dementia

A

Older people with dementia often have anxiety disorders

66
Q

what brain structures are involved in anxiety?

A

the amygdala and prefrontal cortex are involved in anxiety disorders

67
Q

adolescents with anxiety and angry faces

A

showed increased activation of the amygdala and decreased activation of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex while looking at angry faces

68
Q

amygdala activity in anxious college students

A

is increased

69
Q

treatment for anxiety disorders

A
  • lifestyle changes
  • cbt
  • medications
70
Q

medications for anxiety disorders

A
  • benzos sometimes used, particularly in emergency settings because of their rapid onset
  • ssris are frequently used as a first-line treatment

PSYC 211 (23 decks)

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