Schizophrenia

Question 1

what are 3 types of positive symptoms?

Answer 1

1. thought disorder
2. delusions
3. hallucinations

Question 2

give 3 examples of negative symptoms

Answer 2

• social withdrawal
• lack of affect
• reduced motivation

Question 3

positive symptoms are known by their

Answer 3

presence

Question 4

negative symptoms are characterized by

Answer 4

absence

Question 5

define heritability

Answer 5

estimation of the relative contribution of genetic factors to variability in a trait

Question 6

what are 2 potential causes of schizophrenia?

Answer 6

1. heritability
2. paternal age

Question 7

studies show that the concordance rates for identical twins suggest that if one twin has schizophrenia, what range of percent chance will the other?

Answer 7

25-48%

Question 8

what chance range do fraternal twins have for concordance rates?

Answer 8

5-20%

Question 9

how can paternal age effect potential development of schizophrenia?

Answer 9

with increased age means more cell division occuring causing a higher chance of random mutations to increase risk for developing schizophrenia

Question 10

why don’t we have a good grasp on what causes schizophrenia

Answer 10

because there are thousands of genes on 15 different chromosomes that could potentially be affected when schizophrenic symptoms present

Question 11

explain the dopamine hypothesis

Answer 11

schizophrenia is caused by excessive dopamine activity in the mesolimbic system

Question 12

what types of drugs are used to treat schizophrenia

Answer 12

• typical neuroleptic
• antipsychotic drug

Question 13

what do typical neuroleptic drugs do

Answer 13

nonspecific dopamine receptor blocker

Question 14

what do antipsychotic drugs do

Answer 14

blocks dopamine and serotonin receptors

Question 15

which type of drugs are used as last resort because of the adverse effects

Answer 15

antipsychotics

Question 16

from pre-synaptic dopamine release, what 2 things can be concluded?

Answer 16

1. schizophrenics had more dopamine release
2. greater dopamine release correlated with more positive symptoms

Question 17

from a post synaptic scan, what does the schizophrenic brain show compared to a normal brain?

Answer 17

nucleus accumbens had a higher density of receptors for dopamine causing increased activity in the striatum in a schizophrenic patient

Question 18

tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder that can occur after..

Answer 18

prolonged treatment with dopaminergic antagonist antipsychotic medication

Question 19

tardive dyskinesia is characterized by

Answer 19

involuntary movements of the face and neck

Question 20

by taking dopaminergic drugs, you affect…

Answer 20

the body’s ability to to stay at rest

Question 21

supersensitivity is the…

Answer 21

increased sensitivity of neurotransmitter receptors

Question 22

supersensitivity is caused by

Answer 22

long term blockage of neurotransmitter release

Question 23

what is a main problem with drugs used for the dopamine hypothesis?

Answer 23

none of the medications are solely a dopamine receptor antagonist.

Question 24

drugs from the dopamine hypothesis are better at treating what kinds of symptoms?

Answer 24

positive,

Question 25

what is a common structure among psilocybin, mescaline, LSD, ecstasy, and serotonin

Answer 25

indole ring structure

Question 26

define atypical antipsychotics

Answer 26

a drug with lesser pyramidal effects and greater efficacy to treat negative symptoms

Question 27

what is the action for atypical antipsychotics?

Answer 27

they block both serotonin and dopamine receptors or many other neurotransmitter receptors

Question 28

what is the advantage/disadvantage of atypical antipsychotics?

Answer 28

-advantage: cause little to no pyramidal effect
-disadvantage: very expensive

Question 29

what does pyramidal mean

Answer 29

involuntary, unconscious movement. Motor system impacted

Question 30

give one example of an atypical antipsychotic drug

Answer 30

abilify

Question 31

schizophrenics with negative symptoms have similar symptoms to those with…

Answer 31

frontal lobe damage

Question 32

describe the difference between normal and schizophrenic ventricle sizes

Answer 32

schizophrenics have 2x larger ventricles as normal

Question 33

larger ventricle size means what

Answer 33

severe loss of tissue

Question 34

what area of the brain dies off in patients with schizophrenia

Answer 34

thalamic sensory processing areas

Question 35

schizophrenic patients lose _____ at a faster rate than controls, as both age.

Answer 35

cerebral gray matter

Question 36

old antipsychotic drugs were found to accelerate what

Answer 36

shrinkage of cerebral gray matter

Question 37

brain atrophy may start in….

Answer 37

adolescence but worsen with age

Question 38

what promotes dopamine release?

Answer 38

reduced activity of PFC

Question 39

the study from cannon et.al. suggests a role for

Answer 39

hypofrontality in positive and negative symptoms

Question 40

the DLPFC is most important for

Answer 40

memory and executive function

Question 41

what loses activity in schizophrenia?

Answer 41

DLPFC

Question 42

what does abilify do to the dopamine receptors in the PFC

Answer 42

partially activate (like a partial agonist)

Question 43

in a patient with schizophrenia, abilify acts as a ___________ in the mesolimbic system when too much dopamine is present.

Answer 43

antagonist

Question 44

positive symptoms [activate/block] mesolimbic DA

Answer 44

block

Question 45

negative symptoms and other cognitive symptoms [activate/block] prefrontal DA

Answer 45

activate