Psychosis: Basic Science Flashcards
What are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
Delusions
Hallucinations
Thought disorder
What are the negative symptoms of schizphrenia?
Apathy
Lack of volition
Social withdrawal
Cognitive impairment
What are schnieders first rank symptoms in schizphrenia?
Thoughts spoken aloud Running commentary Third person voices Delusional perception Passivity phenomena Though withdrawal Thought broadcasting Thought insertion
What is the suicide rate of schizophrenia?
10 - 15%
What symptoms predict a better prognosis in schizophrenia?
Older age of onset
Female gender
Marked mood disturbance esp elation
Family history of mood disorder
What symptoms predict a poorer prognosis in schizophrenia?
Longer duration of untreated psychosis Poor pre-morbid adjustment Insidious onset Early onset - childhood / adolescence Cognitive impairment Enlarged ventricles
What in - utero factors are thought to increase the likelihood of schizophrenia?
2nd trimester viral illness
Obstetric such as pre eclampsia. fetal hypoxia and emergency caesarian section
What kind of childhood infection increases the risk of schizophrenia by 50%?
Viral CNS infection
What is seen on a brain scan of patients with schizophrenia (mostly in patients with a poorer prognosis)
- Reduced frontal lobe volume
- Reduced frontal lobe grey matter
- Enlarged lateral ventricle volume
In schizophrenia are the brain changes seen a reduction in grey or white matter?
Grey
What causes the grey matter loss seen in schizophrenia?
Reduced arborisation - the neurones have less connections/synapses (NOT less neurones)
Where is most of the grey matter loss in patients with schizophrenia?
Temporal cortex (especially the superior temporal gyrus)
Medial temporal lobe (especially the hippocampus)
Also see in orbitofrontal cortex, parietal cortex and basal ganglia.
Overactivity of which neurotransmitter pathway is thought to be related to schizophrenia?
Dopamine
What pathway do amphetamines work on?
D2 receptor pathway
What channel do dopamine receptors block?
D2