Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is the DSM criteria for schizophrenia? (2)
deteriorating ability to function in everyday life for at least 1 month with continuous disturbance for 6 months
at least 2 symptoms not attributable to other disorders
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia? (6)
at least one of the following:
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Disorganized speech
plus any one of the rest
- Grossly disorganized behaviour
- Inappropriate emotional expression
- Social withdrawal
Name the 2 subtypes of schizophrenia
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizophreniform disorder
What are the symptoms of schizoaffective disorder? (3)
- meets criteria for MDD or mania
- meets criteria for schizophrenia
- psychosis for 2 weeks w/out mood disorder
What are the symptoms for schizophreniform disorder?
schizophrenia symptoms for 1 month but no disruption for 6 months
What are disorders/symptoms that may get misdiagnosed for schizophrenia? (5)
- Mood disorder with psychotic features
- Substance abuse
- Brain damage
- Undetected hearing difficulties
- Huntington’s
Give the demographic data for schizophrenia (3)
- more common in men
- more severe and early onset in men
- half the patients with schizophrenia attempt suicide
Define delusions
fixed beliefs that aren’t amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence
Define hallucinations
perception-like experiences that occur w/out an external stimulus
Distinguish between acute and chronic schizophrenia
Acute - sudden onset and good recovery prospect
Chronic - gradual onset and long term course
Distinguish between positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia
Positive - behaviours that are present that should be absent
Negative - behaviours that are absent that should be present
Name the positive symptoms (3) of schizophrenia and their 2 categories
What causes the symptoms in each category? (2)
Psychotic - overstimulation of dopamine
- delusions
- hallucinations
Disorganized - increased activity in thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus
- difficulty using and understanding abstract concepts
Name the negative symptoms of schizophrenia (4)
- weak social interaction
- flat effect (lack of emotional expression)
- incoherent speech
- impaired attention and working memory
What are risk factors that may trigger schizophrenia (5)
- genes
- neonatal environment impacting early brain development
- mild brain abnormalities
- traumatic childhood events
- complications during delivery
What gene does schizophrenia depend on?
DISC1
What is the neurodevelopmental hypothesis? (2)
abnormalities in neonatal development of the nervous system leads to:
- subtle abnormalities of brain anatomy
- major abnormalities in behaviour
What brain abnormalities are found in schizophrenia patients? (4)
- Decreased volume in left temporal and frontal lobes
- Smaller than average thalamus
- Larger than average ventricles
- Abnormal activity in PFC
What is the treatment for schizophrenia? (3)
Antipsychotic/neuroleptic drugs - block dopamine:
- phenothiazines
- Butyrophenones
What is the Dopamine Hypothesis?
schizophrenia results from excess activity at dopamine synapses in certain brain areas - resulting in elevated dopamine turnover
What evidence supports the Dopamine Hypothesis?
Drugs such as amphetamines/cocaine cause prolonged activity of dopamine, resulting in positive symptoms of schizophrenia
What are the side effects of schizophrenia medication? (2)
block dopamine in the mesostriatal system projecting from the substantia nigra to the basal ganglia
the effect on the basal ganglia produces tardive dyskinesia and bradykinesia
Distinguish between tardive dyskinesia (2) and bradykinesia (3)
Tardive dyskinesia:
- involuntary movements
- tremors
Bradykinesia:
- reduction in automatic movements
- trouble initiating intentional movements
- delayed responses
What is the Glutamate Hypothesis?
schizophrenia is partially related to deficient activity at glutamate receptors and fewer glutamate receptors
What evidence supports the Glutamate Hypothesis
Drugs such as phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine block glutamate receptors, producing symptoms of schizophrenia
How are the excess-dopamine and deficient-glutamate hypotheses compatible? (2)
- Antipsychotics that block dopamine pathways also stimulate glutamate receptors
- Glutamate receptors regulate dopamine neurons, hence the inhibiting of glutamate receptors contribute to increased activity of dopamine
