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Fundamentals of neuroscience > Neurochemical disorders (diseases of NS) > Flashcards

Neurochemical disorders (diseases of NS) Flashcards

1
Q

What is SZ?

A

Mental health disorder characterised by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis

Can be relapsing & remitting or progressive

Long term disorder that impairs daily functioning

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2
Q

When is the onset of SZ usually?

A

During adolescence

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3
Q

What is the incidence of SZ?

A

1% (which is high)

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4
Q

What are the 2 main causes of SZ?

A
  • Hereditary
  • Environmental factors
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5
Q

What are the herediatery causes of SZ like?

A

Strong but not complete

50% risk in identical twins

12% if one parent has the disease

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6
Q

What are the two branches of environmental factors for SZ?

A
  • Foetal or neonatal event
  • Childhood/adolescence events
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7
Q

How can a foetal or neonatal event cause SZ?

A

Hypoxia, infection, stress and malnutrition during pregnancy

Premature birth

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8
Q

How can childhood/adolescence events cause SZ?

A
  • Trauma
  • Living in an urban environment
  • Social isolation
  • Cannabis
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9
Q

Name other risk factors for SZ

A
  • Genetics/family history
  • Viral infections
  • Lead exposure
  • Neurochemical irregularities
  • Prenatal exposure to hunger
  • Dense living environment
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10
Q

What are the 2 types of SZ symptoms?

A
  • Positive = gain of function
  • Negative = loss of function
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11
Q

What are some positive symptoms of SZ?

A
  • Hallucinations
  • Agitation
  • Delusions
  • Disordered thoughts and speech

Gain of function

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12
Q

What are some negative symptoms of SZ?

A
  • Social withdrawl
  • Decreased emotional response

Loss of function

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13
Q

What are the neuroanatomical changes with SZ?

A
  • Enlarged ventricles
  • Reduced temporal lobe
  • Abnormal dendritic fields in the prefrontal area, hippocampus and entorhinal cortex
  • Timing of abnormalities not fully determined - neurodevelopmental (present at birth)
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14
Q

What are the two main neurochemical changes with SZ?

A
  • Dopamine
  • Glutamate
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15
Q

How does dopamine affect SZ?

A
  • First NT implicated in SZ
  • Increased dopamine activity
  • Dopamine agoistst produce psychotic symptoms
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16
Q

How does glutamate affect SZ?

A
  • Dopamine antagonists poor at controlling -ive symptoms
  • Reduced cortical glutamate
  • NDMA antagonists induce psychosis and exacerbate SZ
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17
Q

What pathway does dopamine affect?

A

The mesocortical pathway

It is related to mood etc

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18
Q

What are the treatments for SZ?

A

Antipsychotics

Psychological therapies

19
Q

What are the antispcyhotics used for treating SZ?

A

D2 receptor antagonists

20
Q

What do D2 receptors do to treat SZ?

A

They reduce the levels of dopamine using dopamine antagonists

Can develop a tremor as they aren’t specific to the mesocortical pathway only

21
Q

What is the most common mood disorder?

A

Depression

22
Q

What are the 3 types of mood disorders?

A
  • Depression
  • Mania
  • Bipolar disorders
23
Q

What is the incidence level of depression?

A

8.4% of all US adults experienced at least 1 major depressive episode in 2020

High incidence level, very prevalent in society

24
Q

How does depression affect you?

A

Symptoms vary patient to patient

Lasts for weeks or months and affects your daily life

25
Q

What are the symptoms of depression?

A
  • Prolongued feelings of worthlessness and guilt
  • Distruption of normal eating habits
  • Sleep disturbances
  • General slowing of behavoiur
  • Frequent thoughts of suicide
26
Q

What are the 3 main causes of depression?

A
  • Genetic
  • Stress
  • Seasonal
27
Q

How can genetics cause depression?

A
  • Link between severe depression is stronger than that of mild
  • No specific gene associated
28
Q

How can stress cause depression?

A
  • Disrupted HPA axis
  • HPA axis controls production and release of of hormones related to stress
  • In depression over release of cortisol (stress hormone) from the adrenal gland
  • Chronically high levels lead to death of neurones in hippocampus
29
Q

How does chronic stress work?

A

Normally there is a -ive feedback loop for cortisol but in depression this doesn’t happen

Under chrinic stress there is a constant release of cortisol, this is toxic to cells, leads to cell death

30
Q

How does seasons cause depression?

A

Melatonin & disregulation of biological rhythms

Malatonin released according to light levels

Lot of bodily processes have circadian rhythms, this leads to distruption in melatonin which leads to disregulation of rhythms

31
Q

What are the neuroanatomical changes with depression?

A
  • Reduced neurogenesis in the hippocampus
  • Decreased hippocampus volume
32
Q

What are the neurochemical changes with depression?

A
  • Reduced Brain Dervied Neurotrophic Fator (BDNF)
  • Reduced levels of serotonin and noradrenaline
33
Q

What is BDNF?

A

Trophic factor, promotes neuronal survival

Reduced BDNF in depression

34
Q

What is neurogenesis?

A

Produciton of new neurones, only a couple of places in adult brains that new neurones can be produced

Hippocampus is one, plays important roe in learning and memory

Is reduction in it cause or effect of depression?

35
Q

What are the 3 main treatments for depression?

A
  • Talking therapies
  • Lifestyle changes
  • Antidepressants
36
Q

What talking therapies are used to treat depression

A
  • CBT
  • Councelling
  • Self help groups
37
Q

What lifestyle changes are used to treat depression?

A
  • Exercise
  • Diet
  • Sleep
38
Q

What antidepressents are used to treat depression?

A
  • SSRIs e.g. fluoxetine
  • Serotonin and noradrealine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) e.g. duloxetine
  • Monoamine oxidase ihibitors (MAOIs)
  • Tricyclics and tricyclic related drugs
39
Q

What do lifestyle changes aim to do?

A

Help with low mood symptoms

40
Q

What do antidepressants aim to do?

A

Target the NT that are reduced by depression

41
Q

Which antidepressents are usually prescribed?

A

SSRIs

42
Q

What do SSRIs do?

A

Directly target serotonin reuptake receptors

This means that serotonin stays in the synapse - this inc serotonin levels

Blocks serotonin reuptake

43
Q

What do SNRIs and tricyclics do?

A

Target noradrenaline and serotonin uptake

44
Q

What do MAOIs do?

A

Target enzyme involved in breakdown of serotonin when taken back up - stops it being broken down

Fundamentals of neuroscience (38 decks)

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