Mental health across the lifespan Flashcards
What is the average life expectancy reduction in people with drug/alcohol use?
9-24 years
What are mental health presentations that may present in childhood/adolescence?
Disruptive/behavioural disorders
ADHD, ASD
Separation anxiety (SAD) and school refusal
Trauma and attachment disorders
Autism is equally common in males and females TRUE/FALSE
FALSE
M:F ratio is 4:1
What age group is separation anxiety normal in?
7 months through preschool years
TRUE/FALSE
Puerperium is a period of increasing risk of new maternal illness and relapsing existing illness
TRUE
What are the risk factors for puerperal psychosis?
Thyroid disorder Previous episode FH Unmarried 1st pregnancy C section Perinatal death
What percentage of 65+ have a mental illness?
25%
Demyelinating disorders typically affect functionally and anatomically related groups of neurones TRUE/FALSE
FALSE
Degenerative disorders affect functionally and anatomically related groups of neuornes
What are degenerative disorders pathologically characterised as?
Simple neuronal atrophy and loss with subsequent gliosis
Which degenerative disorders affect the cerebral cortex?
Alzheimer’s disease
Picks disease
CJD
Which degenerative disorders affect the brainstem and basal ganglia?
Parkinson’s disease, progressive supra nuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy and Huntington’s
Which degenerative disorders affect the spinocerebellar area?
Spinocerebellar ataxia (e.g. Friedreich Ataxia)
Which degenerative disorder affects the motor neurones?
Motor Neurone disease
What is dementia?
Progressive loss of neurones typically affecting functionally related groups, often symmetrical insidious impairment
In dementia consciousness is clouded TRUE/FALSE
FALSE
What are the primary dementias?
Alzheimers disease
Lewy body dementia
Pick’s disease (frontotemporal dementia)
Huntington’s disease
What are other disorder that give risk to dementia?
Multi-infarct (vascular)
Infection (HIV, Syphillis)
Trauma
Metabolic
If cognitive impairment then alongside a full screen what else should you check?
B12 and folate
What is the most useful investigation for frontotemporal dementia?
SPECT
true/false
dementia must be reported to the DVLA
TRUE
With Alzheimers disease the later the onset the more severe and rapid changes TRUE/FALSE
TRUE
How does a familial presentation of alzeimers disease differ from that of a regular presentation?
Early onset
Unusual presentation
More relatives affected
A family history of which gene mutations would increase the risk of Alzheimers disease?
APP
Presenillin (PSEN) 1&2
ApoE4
Which gene variant decreased the risk of alzheimers?
ApoE2
Why does Down syndrome increase the risk of Alzheimers disease?
As amyloid precursor protein (APP) is on chromosome 21
What 3 things would be found on histology of someone with Alzheimers disease?
Excess accumulation of extracellular B-amyloid plaques
Intracellular neurofibrillary tangles
Amyloid angiopathy
What is the central component of neuritic plaques produced by?
Cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP)
What protein are intracellular neurofibrillary tangles accumulations of?
Tau
Explain amyloid angiopathy
Extracellular eosinophilic accumulation in the walls of the arteriole which stiffens and thickens the vessel walls
Disrupts BBB leading to serum leaking, oedema and local hypoxia
In Alzheimers there is narrowing of the gyro and widening of the sulci TRUE/FALSE
TRUE
What are the 3 areas first to be affected in alzhimers?
Nucleus basalis of meynert
Enthorhinal cortex
Hippocampus
Clinically what does alzhimers look like?
Insidious, progressive onset of worsting memory (esp short term), dysphagia, dyspraxia and agnosia
With alzheimers disease all tasks are affected including well practised tasks TRUE/FALSE
FALSE- Well practised tasks are not affected
All dementias are associated with behavioural or personality changes in the early stages of the disease?
FALSE
AD- not associate din the early stages. however as it progresses these become more prominent
Frontotermporal and vascular dementia are
What do CSF markers in Alzheimers disease show?
Increased in phosphorylated tau protein
Decrease in B-amyloid
What drug is used for patients with mild-moderate AD?
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors
When would you not used acetylcholinesterase inhibitors?
Active peptic ulcer
Severe asthma
COPD
What is used if AchE is contraindicated in the treatment of AD?
Memantine
What drugs would be given if someone was having visual hallucinations?
Cholinesterase inhibitors
Antipsychotics
Give some examples of BPSD (behavioural and psychological problems of dementia)
Hallucinations Delusions Insomnia Depression Anxiety Aggression Agitation anxiety Disinhibition
In Alzheimer’s what is haemorrhage stroke due to?
B-amyloid deposits weakening cerebral blood vessels (cerebral amyloid angiopathy)
Frontotemporal dementia presents late in life TRUE/FALSE
FALSE
It presents early in life (one of the most common <65)
What is frontotemporal dementia characterised by?
Progressive changes in character and social deterioration leading to impairment of intellect, memory and language
What are the 3 variants of frontotemporal dementia?
BEHAVIOURAL VARIANT
Primary progressive aphasia (split into SEMANTIC DEMENTIA and PROGRESSIVE NON-FLUENT APHASIA)
What is the most common variant of FTD?
Behavioural variant (frontal lobe)
What does the behavioural variant look like?
Causes loss on inhibition and social skills
What does semantic dementia look like?
Impaired word comprehension and object naming
What does progressive non-fluent aphasia look like?
Slow hesitant speech
Word-finding difficulties and agrammatism
What are the histological hallmarks of frontotemporal dementia?
Swollen Neurones (Picks cells) and intracytoplasmic filaments (picks bodies)
Picks bodies are enriched in the protein Tau and Tau mutations are one of the causes of this dementia
What should you not use to treat frontotemporal dementia and why?
Cholinesterase inhibitors - they make it worse
How do you treat picks disease?
SSRIs
Trazodone
What is used to distinguish picks disease from Alzheimers?
Lumbar puncture
What is the second most common dementia in the west?
Multi-Infarct dementia
What is multi-infarct dementia caused by?
Vascular changes secondary to cerebrovascular disease
Why are suffers of multi-infarct dementia prone to depression and anxiety?
As they have insight
Name 5 characteristic symptoms of multi-infant dementia?
Executive/attentional difficulties Cognitive slowing Behavioural changes (disinhibition) Focal neurological problems Difficulty walking/falls
Multi-infarct dementia is difficult to distinguish from alzhimers however it has…
Abrupt onset
Stepwise progression
History of hypertension or stroke
What are large vessel infarcts related to?
Atheroma of large cerebral arteries provoke thromboembolism
What are small vessel infarcts related to?
Longstanding hypertension and atherosclerosis of small vessels
MRI scans show the presence of lacunar infarcts TRUE/FALSE
TRUE
What is Creutzefeldt-Jacob disease?
Transmissible prion neurodegenerative disease, causes cell death (spongiform changes in the cortex) and astrocytosis
How does Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease present?
Rapidly progressing dementia, ataxia and myoclonic jerks
What is the difference between explicit and implicit memory?
Implicit- performance of task facilitated in absence of conscious recollection
Explicit- Performance of test requires conscious recollection of past experiences
What is Antegrate amnesia?
Difficulty in acquiring new material
What is retrograde amnesia?
Difficulty in remembering information prior to the onset of the illness/injury
What are classic reports of a memory problem?
Forgetting a message Inability to remember a familial place Losing track of a conversation Increased misplacing of things Forgetting to do things Struggling to remember names
How does the onset of dementia, delirium and depression differ?
Dementia- insidious
Delirium- Acute
Depression- Gradual
What is 4AT a rapid test for?
Delerium
What are the 4 things tested for in 4AT?
ALERTNESS
AMT-4
ATTENTION
ACUTE OR FLUCTUATING COURSE
What is MoCA a test for?
mild cognitive dysfunction
MMSE is used in the diagnosis of what?
Dementia
What are the 6 questions used in GP land in order to test cognitive ability
1- More trouble remembering things that happened recently used to?
2-Trouble recalling conversations a few days later?
3-Difficulty in finding the right words or tend to use the wrong words more often?
4- Less able to manage money and financial affairs?
5-Less able to manage medication?
6- Need more assistance with transport?
What does clock drawing test?
Fronto-parietal functioning
- Executive function (planning)
- Visuospatial ability
- Abstraction (ability to use symbols)
What is the ICD-10 criteria for dependence?
A strong desire to take the substance Difficulties in controlling substance use A physiological withdrawal state Tolerance Neglect of alternative pleasures Persistence despite evidence of harm
What are the CAGE signs of addiction?
Cut down
Annoyed
Guilty
Eye-opener
What is incentive salience due to?
Dopimanergic activity in the mesolimbic pathway- it is a motivating signal
When someone takes lots of drugs a tolerance develops. Why?
Downregulate the dopamine receptors
(OVERSTIMULATION–> DESENSITISATION)
What is addiction driven by?
Initial stages- driven by reward (positive reenforcement)
Eventually becomes a thirst (negative reenforcement)
How is the pre-frontal cortex involved in the neurobiology of addiction?
Helps intention guide behaviour
Modulates effects of the reward pathway, keeps emotions/impulses under control to achieve long-term goal
When is the pre-frontal cortex fully developed?
Not until mid-20s (as cortical maturation is in a back to front direction, vulnerable while developing)