Psychopathology

Question 1

Mental illnesses and psychological disorders

Answer 1

MDD, BPD, schizophrenia etc

Question 2

Neurological disorders

Answer 2

Don’t need a cognitive component

e.g. chronic numbness, MS

Question 3

Brain dysfunctions

Answer 3

Brain damage that leads to symptoms

Question 4

should psych disorders, neurological disorders, and brain dysfunctions be considered separately?**

Answer 4

No, they all have a biological basis and some interconnectedness

Question 5

principles of psych disorders

Answer 5

• developmental in nature
• represent multiple disorders categorized together by symptoms
• biological predisposition interacts with environment (diathesis stress model)
• represent extreme ends of normal spectrum of NS functioning, not fundamentally different

Question 6

PDs relation to crime

Answer 6

not any more likely to commit crimes, more likely to be a victim of crime

Question 7

psychosis is not…

Answer 7

Dissociative identity disorder

psychopathy

Question 8

what type of assessment is psychopathy?

Answer 8

forensic, not psychological

Question 9

types of symptoms related to schizophrenia

Answer 9

positive
negative
cognitive
mood

Question 10

positive symptoms (schiz)

Answer 10

hallucinations (auditory), delusions, and disorganized thought/speech/behaviour
similar symptoms associated with drug use (hallucinations are more likely somatosensory)

Question 11

negative symptoms (schiz)

Answer 11

decrease in emotional range, poverty of speech, difficulty manifesting motivation

Question 12

what symptoms do schizophrenic drugs usually target?

Answer 12

positive symptoms

Question 13

cognitive symptoms (schiz)

Answer 13

deficit in working memory, attention, executive functioning

Question 14

mood symptoms

Answer 14

extremely sad or cheerful when they shouldn’t be. general mood disorder component

Question 15

schizoaffective disorder

Answer 15

aspects of schizophrenia and MDD

Question 16

prevalence/onset of schizophrenia

Answer 16

0.5-1.5%, slightly more in men

teens to early 30s, can see atypical behaviour in childhood processes

Question 17

risks with schizophrenia

Answer 17

unemployment, poverty, homelessness (1:2 ratio)

Question 18

Causes of schizophrenia

Answer 18

big role of genetics

marijuana as big of a risk factor as urbanicity or maternal prenatal infection

Question 19

brain changes in schizophrenia (structural)

Answer 19

reduced grey matter, reduces as time passes. results in large ventricles
abnormal connectivity of white matter, disorganized
hippocampus; atypical layering structure and neuronal shape
PFC: fewer dendritic spines and GABAergic interneurons

Question 20

brain changes in schizophrenia (functional)

Answer 20

hypoactive frontal and temporal lobes (executive functioning and theory of mind)
dysfunctional dopamine neurotransmission

Question 21

brain difference in schizophrenia show us the illness is most likely….

Answer 21

neurodevelopmental

Question 22

pharmacological treatments (schiz)

Answer 22

antipsychotic drugs for positive symptoms

no successful treatment of negative symptoms because a psychostimulant would increase positive symptoms

Question 23

dopamine theory of schizophrenia

Answer 23

schizophrenia is caused by too much activity at the receptors for the NT dopamine

Question 24

findings that support dopamine theory (schiz)

Answer 24

• brains with Parkinson’s disease have dopamine depletions in the substantia nigra, antipsychotic drugs produce symptoms similar to Parkinson’s
• drugs that increase dopamine levels produce symptoms of schizophrenia
• efficient antipsychotic drugs correlates with degree to which it blocks activity at dopamine receptors
• individuals with schizophrenia have hypersensitive dopamine release

Question 25

what was the study showing that people with schizophrenia have hypersensitive dopamine release

Answer 25

administered amphetamine to 15 control and 15 experimental people and measured dopamine receptor availability before and after administration
there was decreased receptor availability in exp. group

Question 26

problems with dopamine theory**

Answer 26

• newer antipsychotic drugs were just as good as traditional antipsychotics (both D2 antagonists)
• it takes 2-3 weeks for drugs to work yet their effect on dopamine receptor activity is immediate (downstream instead?)
• no improvements after first antipsychotic given

Question 27

glutamate hypofunction theory

Answer 27

Dysfunction in glutamate NMDA receptors on GABAergic interneurons leads to decreased GABA especially in the PFC
lost inhibition meant for synchrony and organized thought

Question 28

support for glutamate theory

Answer 28

• brains show fewer glutamate receptors
• glutamate antagonists (PCP, ketamine) can mimic symptoms and cog problems of schizophrenia
• NMDAR co-agonists provide small improvements
• activating cannabis receptor has inhibitory effects that cause CB1-NMDA receptors to internalize**
• chronic NMDAR antagonism changes dopamine transmission

Question 29

problems with glutamate theory

Answer 29

• positive symptoms don’t respond to glutamatergic medication
• previous support has confounds such as studies not only targeting NMDA receptors, but others simultaneously

Question 30

support for schizophrenia being an autoimmune disorder

Answer 30

bone marrow transplants between individuals with and without schizophrenia seemed to “transfer” the schizophrenic symptoms
autoimmune disorders are more prevalent in schizophrenia therefore hypothesize bone marrow transplants restores microglia functions
Auto immune disorders also target NMDA receptors

Question 31

“success” of psychopaths

Answer 31

how well psychopaths go about society without being noticed