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Psychiatry > Neurobiology of Abnormal Mood > Flashcards

Neurobiology of Abnormal Mood Flashcards

1
Q

What skills do we need to be able to survive?

A

To identify stimuli predicting appetitive or aversive consequences and to generate then integrate behaviour or other psychological consequences to these stimuli

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2
Q

What is the function of the appetitive system?

A

To mediate seeking and approach behaviours

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3
Q

What does the appetitive system involve?

A

Ascending dopamine systems

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4
Q

What are the components of the ascending dopamine systems involved in the appetitive system?

A

Mesolimbic/cortical projections (ventral striatum)
Dorsal striatum = movement
Amygdala = conditioning and learning
Anterior cingulate = attention, conflict, response selection
Orbitofrontal cortex = relative reward preference, rule learning

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5
Q

What is the function of the aversive system?

A

Promote survival in event of threat

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6
Q

What is involved in the aversive system?

A 
Ascending serotonin systems
NA/CRF/peptide neurotransmitters
Central nucleus of amygdala
Hippocampus
Ventroanterior and medial hypothalamus
Periaqueductal grey matter
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7
Q

What is depression?

A

Altered sensitivity/accuracy of brain systems evaluating rewards and cues predicting reward within the environment

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8
Q

What is anxiety?

A

Altered sensitivity/accuracy of brain systems evaluating threat and cues predicting threat within the environment

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9
Q

What are some reasons why mood disorders are recurrent?

A

Abnormal brain development, endocrine/metabolic causes, genetic and developmental effects, adverse life effects, lack of psychological resilience, cultural aspects

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10
Q

Deficiency of which neurotransmitters are linked with depression?

A

Serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, GABA, BDNF, somatostatin

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11
Q

Excess of which neurotransmitters are linked with depression?

A

Acetylcholine, substance P, CRH

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12
Q

How does serotonin influence depression?

A

Decrease in receptor binding through cortical and subcortical regions
Reduction in reuptake sites
Blunting of serotonin-mediated endocrine responses

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13
Q

How does norepinephrine influence depression?

A

Decrease neurotransmission leading to anergia, anhedonia and decreased libido

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14
Q

How does dopamine influence depression?

A

Hypoactive D1 receptor
Increase binding of D2/D3 receptors in striatal regions
Low levels of HVA in CSF

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15
Q

What effect do antidepressants have on GABA?

A

Receptors are upregulated

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16
Q

What happens to the HPA axis in depression?

A

Its upregulated with a down regulation of its negative feedback controls

17
Q

What happens to CRF in depression?

A

It’s hypersecreted from the hypothalamus and induces release of ACTH from the pituitary

18
Q

What is the action of ACTH in depression?

A

Interacts with receptors on adrenocortical cells and cortisol is released from adrenal glands = may cause adrenal hypertrophy

19
Q

What happens to negative feedback of cortisol in depression?

A

It is impaired = leads to continual activation of HPA axis and excess cortisol release

20
Q

What effect does excess cortisol have in depression?

A

Receptors become desensitised leading to increased activity of pro-inflammatory immune mediators and disturbances in neurotransmitter transmission

21
Q

What is serotonin function like in depression?

A

Abnormal before, during and after episodes = may explain why 80% of patients have recurrences of major depressive episodes

22
Q

What receptor plays a major role in how serotonin communicates with the rest of the brain?

A

5-HT1A = involved in pathology of mood disorders and action of antidepressants

23
Q

What happens to the norepinephrine system in depression?

A

Seems hyperactive but since there are fewer noradrenergic neurons, this can lead to deficiency

24
Q

How can adverse childhood experiences influence the norepinephrine system?

A

Produce overactive responsiveness that persists into adulthood = adult will deplete NE in stressful situations

25
Q

What is the mesolimbic dopaminergic system involved in?

A

Control of motivation and rewarding experiences

26
Q

What has hypofunction of the dopamine system been associated with?

A

The loss of pleasure or interest that occurs in depression

27
Q

What neurotransmitters are associated with mania?

A

Deficient serotonergic neurotransmission
GABA deficiency
Increased norepinephrine and dopamine activity

28
Q

How has competition influenced the development of the brain?

A

We need to compete for resources which brings us into conflict with others = when we lose we have a built in mechanism to retreat to prevent further damage

29
Q

How is competition linked with depression?

A

Defeatist and submissive behaviour are more marked in depressed people

30
Q

What areas of the brain have reduced 5-HT2 receptor expression in depressed people?

A

Frontal cortex, temporal cortex, parietal cortex, occipital cortex and amygdala

31
Q

How does having a first degree relative affected by depression or bipolar disorder increase the risk of their family having a unipolar disorder?

A

Increases risk by 20-30%

32
Q

What gene has been implicated in depression?

A

Short allele of serotonin transporter gene linked polymorphic region

33
Q

What psychiatric disorders have the highest degree of heritability?

A

ADHD, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

34
Q

Has a gene been identified as the cause of mood disorders?

A

No = no single gene has been identified. environmental influences during brain development play a major role

35
Q

What areas of the brain have been implicated in mood disorders?

A

Orbital frontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala

36
Q

What are some features of depression?

A

Involves a range of cognitive deficits which aren’t always related to the severity of symptoms
Low mood shows cognitive impairment

37
Q

What ability can people with mood disorders lack?

A

The ability to recognise different emotional states

38
Q

What response system has depression been shown to activate?

A

The inflammatory response system

39
Q

What effect does depression have on hippocampal volume?

A

Hippocampal volume decreases more with age in people with depression

Psychiatry (36 decks)

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