Midterm 1 Flashcards
define/explain the significance of PKU
-PKU is a disorder in which phenylanine cannot be metabolized and has a negative effect on brain development (causes retardation). PKU is caused by a defect in only one gene (no environmental causes, not polygenic)
treatment for PKU
removal of Phenylanine from the diet until development has completed.
polygenic traits
-intelligence, behavior, personality are all polygenic
-defined as being caused by the expression of multiple genes
how much of a role do genetics generally play in determining psychological disorders?
genetics play some role in all psychological disorders, but they only cause 40% of psychological disorders. This means that environmental factors dictate whether or not genetic predisposition will result in a genetic disorder.
Diathesis-stress model
-type of multidimensional population model
-argues that genetic predispositions for disorders can increase likelihood
-ALSO argues that predispositions will only lead to a psychological disorder if there are sufficient environmental conditions to “activate” the genes
multidimensional model
-model where multiple factors contribute to the outcome of psychological issues
-“cannot be caused out of context or in isolation”????
gene environment correlation model
-argues that the amount of risk genes a person inherits their likeliness to have a psychological disorder
main approaches to current understanding of mental illness
supernatural, biological, psychological
supernatural tradition
-deviance is the battle between good and evil
-use of trepnation, exorcisms, and witchcraft to explain mental illness and treat mental illness
etiology
-use of moon and stars to explain psychological disorders, similar to astrology
syphillis/neurosyphillis
-marks the beginning of the biological tradition
-demonstration of how biological factors can determine psychological problems
Louis Pasteur
-developed germ theory
-led to the identification and treatment of bacterial infections (neurosyphyllis) with antibiotics
-helped in demonstrating how biological factors can determine psychological problems
biological tradition
-the understanding of mental illness as a medical disorder
-emphasis on diet, rest, and room temp.
psychological tradition
-reflects the change of viewing mental illness as having an environmental, social, and interpersonal context (environmental factors)
what is a psychological disorder?
-disturbances in cognition, emotional regulation, and and behavior
-IMPORTANT: Causes personal distress and individual dysfunction
Potential areas of individual dysfunction
-cognitive(how you think)
-behavioral(how you act)
-emotional(how you feel)
all of these relate to CBT
cultural competance
-assessing an individual’s disorder in the context of their culture
-“culture bound sydromes”/ “cultural idioms of distress”
-lack of cultural competance can lead to over and underdiagnosis
Does personal impairment and individual dysfunction appear in all disorders?
-No, you can have disorders with no personal impairment but still individual dysfunction (ex. mania)
CAN YOU HAVE DISORDERS WITH NO INDIVIDUAL DYSFUNCTION BUT YES PERSONAL IMPAIRMENT? MASKING?
categorical approach
-population model where a division of individuals w symptoms at a certain threshold determines when intervention is appropriate
-DSM 5 generally follows this approach
dimensional approach
-argues that all members of the population have some degree of a disorder
-allows us to focus on causal factors of the disorder
characteristics of a good diagnostic test
-reliable, valid, standardized
test-retest
-a measure of reliability, ensures that a test produces reliable results if taken twice (assuming nothing significant changed in bw tests)
inter-rater
-measure of reliability, agreement bw two different raters about the results of the same test
methods of psychological assessment
-mental status exam
-clinical interview
-questionaires
-behavioral observations
mental status exam
-gives a broad understanding of the patient, can be used to determine a possible disorder/focus area
clinical interview
-narrows down all different disorders using DSM criteria, ensures every possible disorder is considered
questionaires
-easy to administer, can result in poor validity (DOUBLE CHECK) if patients are dishonest for any reason
purpose of neuroimaging
-determining structure and function of different brain areas
genetic research techniques
-twin studies
-adoption studies
-family studies
why are high risk studies useful in determining the genetic component of a disorder?
-you have a group of individuals with a similar genetic component but naturally varied environments. If there is a significant genetic component to a disorder, you would see it across the individuals in the longitudinal study
monozygotic twins
twins with 100% of the same genes
dizygotic twins
twins which share 50% of their genes (fraternal twins)
liability threshold model
-based on polygenic inheritence
-says that your liability for a disorder(number of risk genes) are correlated with the phenotypic expression of disorder symptoms
-i.e. more anxiety risk genes means more intense level of anxiety
endophenotypes
-expression of genes which add to the physiological link between genotype and phenotype
-ex. expression of a new channel in sensory neurons causing a heightened response to environmental threats
-endophenotypes refer to effects on the central nervous system
Why is it difficult to narrow down genes which cause different disorders?
-Because (according to the endophenotype model), there are various different genes (1a, 1b, etc.) which contribute to various different endophentypes, phenotypes, etc.
-a mosaic of these traits make up a disorder
epigenetics
when the environment can affect the structure and function of a gene or whether she
john hughlings jackson
mapped on the brain what section corresponds to what part of the body’s function on the motor cortex
brocas aphasia
-can understand words but cannot get them out
-nonfluent expressive aphasia
wernicke’s aphasia
-can speak fluently but words do not make sense to anyone else, they don’t understand others
-fluent receptive aphasia
brodman’s regions
showed that you can divide the brain up into different areas using the microstructures
blood brain barrier
-selectively permeable barrier between the cns and circulatory system
-drugs and medications must be able to cross this barrier in order to work
cerebrospinal fluid
-circulates via ventricular system
-similar to seawater
brainstem
-all connections through the body pass through the brainstem
-regulate important basic functions such as walking and breathing
jean-dominique bauby
-stroke in the brainstem
-mental functions remain in tact but motor functions are gone (paralysis)
cerebellum
-helps coordinate movements so that they are smooth
-integrates motor, visual, balance-related, and somatosensory info
midbrain
-contains a dopamine system involved in addiction, schizophrenia, etc.
hypothalamus
-fight, flight, feeding, mating
-controls pituitary hormone release
thalamus
gateway to the cortex, all info passes through the thalamus
limbic system
-memory and emotions
-learning
-contains hippocampus, amygdala, cingulate cortex, anterior thalamus, and mamallian bodies
hippocampus
-memory
-spatial maps of the environment
-not necessary for forming new skills
amygdala
-emotional memory
-fear
-interacts w the hippocampus
-disregulation could play an important role for PTSD
basal ganglia
-important for action selection and motor control
-highly dopaminergic
cerebral cortex
higher level/complex thinking
-ex. language, memory, reasoning, thought, learning
occipital lobe
-vision
parietal lobe
-somatosensation (touch)
temporal lobe
-hearing and memory
frontal lobe
-motor control, executive function
cingulate
-motor control, emotion, attention
personality disorder
-enduring pattern of inner experience which deviates from the expectations of the individual’s culture in 2 of the following categories;
-cognition, affect, interpersonal function, impulse control
-chronic disorders
-early onset (childhood)
odd/eccentric type A
-schizoid, schizotypal, paranoid
schizoid
-“aloof”
-generally indifferent to intimacy
schizotypal
-acute discomfort within relationships
-magical thinking/odd beliefs
-overelaborate/ metaphorical
-ideas of reference
dramatic/emotional/erratic type B
antisocial, histrionic, borderline, narcissistic
