Schizophrenia Flashcards
Learn general information on Schizophrenia.
What are the subtypes of Schizophrenia?
Paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, and residual.
Explain the splitting of psychic functions.
People with Schizophrenia have a breakdown of integration of emotion, thought, and action. ACT happy, THINK sad, FEEL mad.
Who is Schizophrenia more common in?
Men. 7 to 5.
What are the symptoms of Schizophrenia?
Positive (Hallucinations, Delusions), Negative (social withdrawal, poor speech), Cognitive, (poor attention, low IQ), and Affective (inappropriate, odd).
Which symptoms are more common in men and women respectively?
Affective symptoms in Women. Cognitive symptoms in Men.
Why do men have onset of Schizophrenia at age 20?
Because myelination is complete. Why are women’s onset later then when they myelinate first? Nobody knows..
What are the environmental factors in Neurodevelopmental Disorder?
Maternal malnutrition, season of birth (higher in winter), cytokine exposure (fighting off fever), obstetric complications (forceps to extract baby), urban birth and upbringing, social stress, drug abuse, migration, childhood adversity.
How many genes are involved with Schizophrenia?
1000 genes.
What is the Dopamine Hypothesis?
Blockade of D2 receptors associated with improvement of positive symptoms. SUBCORTICAL INCREASE in dopamine levels and CORTICAL DECREASE in DA levels. No metabolic evidence of dopamine abnormalities.
What is the Glutamate Hypothesis?
PCP and ketamine antagonize NMDA glutamate receptors; induce positive and negative symptoms. NMDA glutamate receptors found throughout brain. NMDA agonists (glycine analogs, glycine transporter inhibitors) show clinical benefit. Higher glutamate = lower DA = cytotoxic (influx of + ions).
What is the COMT?
Common Genetic Findings gene. Catechol-O-methyltransferase. Degrades DA. Val -> Met SNP decreases activity significantly.
What is DISC1?
Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1. Important in brain development and polymorphisms affect hippocampal function and connectivity.
What is NRG1?
Neruegulin-1. Important in brain development and axon guidance. Activity-dependent plasticity at glutamate synapse.
What are some structural abnormalities?
Ventricles, MTL, frontal lobe, basal ganglia, corpus callosum, thalamus, cerebellum
What was found in brain imaging?
White matter connections between frontal and temporal lobes abnormal. Oligodendrocytes implicated in schizophrenia.
What are the abnormalities in activation paradigms?
Motor tasks, working memory, attention, word fluency, emotional processing, and decision making.
Describe the relationship between patients and emotional task.
Lack of amygdala activation during sad mood. Decreased activity and accuracy identifying emotions. Negative faces hyperactivated left amygdala.
Describe the neurochemical therapy of the typical antipsychotic.
Blocks D2 receptors, treats for positive symptoms in the mesolimocortical system, and blocks DA in mesostriatal system(tardive dyskinesia tremors and involuntary movements).
Describe the neurochemical therapy of atypical antipsychotics.
Seldom produce movement problems, more effective at treating negative symptoms and are now more widely used. Less effective on DA D2 receptors. More strongly antagonize serotonin type 5-HT2 receptors.
How are the lateral ventricles different in patients with Schizophrenia?
Larger than normal Lateral ventricles.
What are other common brain differences?
Reduced hippocampus, increased basal ganglia, abnormalities in prefrontal cortex.
What is found in catatonic schizophrenia?
Motor immobility, extreme negativism, echolalia or echopraxia.
What is found in paranoid schizophrenia?
Delusions and Hallucinations. Not present, disorganized speech. Inappropriate behavior
What is found in disorganized schizophrenia?
Disorganzied thought, speech, flat/inappropriate affect, and no catatonic symptoms.
What is dissociative identity disorder?
The myth that schizophrenia gives you multiple disorders.
What is the alpha7-nicotinic cholinergic receptor?
Auditory sensory gating. Release of GABA stimulates GABAb receptors and decreases release of glutamate. Muscarinic antagonists DO NOT affect inhibitory gating. p50 gating, smoking helps return baseline to normal. CHRNA-7 = gene of cause.
What two genes are a cause of high risk?
Dysbindin DTNBP1 and neuregulin NRG1
What does dysbindin do?
Alterations in glutamate and DA signaling. Decreased levels in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
What does Neuregulin (NRG1) do?
(Family of genes) encode proteins that act on epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs). Induces growth and differentiation of epithelial, neuronal, glial, and other types of cells. Important in neural functioning and plasticity. Increased levels lead to hyperactivity, memory difficulties, and inability to focus or pay attention.
What can’t schizophrenics do considering visual illusions?
They can’t associate context.
