Schizophrenia

Question 1

What is schizophrenia

Answer 1

Dopamine hypothesis
Glutamate hypothesis
Integrated DA-GLU hypothesis
Genetic and environmental risk factors
Neurodevelopmental hypothesis

Question 2

Positive symptoms

Answer 2

Excess of normal functions:
Psychotic episodes
-delusions and hallucinations

These can also be apart of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder

Question 3

Hallucinations

Answer 3

Perceiving things that don’t exist
Usually auditory but can occur in any sensory modality - visual, tactile, gustatory, olfactory

Question 4

Paranoid delusions

Answer 4

Persecution, espionage, conspiracy
Delusions that you are poisoned
Referential delusion - thinking that many things refer to oneself

Question 5

delusions 2

Answer 5

Grandiose delusions (Megalomania)
- thinking that one is a powerful person
Religious delusion - thinking you are god
Sexual delusion - one is convinced to be irresistible , more common in bipolar

Leaky mind - thoughts a leaking out and can be read by others
Thoughts are not from person but are transplanted into the brain

Question 6

Negative symptoms

Answer 6

Reduction in normal functions
Blunted affect - restrictions in range and intensity of emotional expression
Dysfunction of motivation - passivity, reduced ability to undertake tasks, may have poor personal hygiene
Anhedonia - dysfunction of capacity for pleasure, decreased interest in hobbies, reduced ability to experience pleasure
Asociality - reduced social drive, little sexual interest, few friends and little interest in spending time with them

Question 7

Cognitive symptoms

Answer 7

Executive dysfunction - problems with planning, maintaining goals, problem solving, prioritising
Disorganised speech and behaviour
Attentional problems
Agitation

Question 8

Dopamine hypothesis

Answer 8

Cocaine and amphetamine are DAT repair inhibitors
First antipsychotics are DA receptor blockers

Question 9

Revised dopamine hypothesis

Answer 9

Hyperdopaminergic activity in Mesolithic pathway - increased dopamine activity in the Mesolithic pathway is linked to positive symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders
Hypodopaminergic activity in the mesocortical pathway = reduced dopamine activity in here may underlie negative symptoms and cognitive deficits

Question 10

Antipsychotics D2 antagonist

Answer 10

Dopamine D2 receptor antagonists
Block hyperactive Mesolimbic circuit
Extrapyramidal side effects by blocking nigrostriatal DA pathway

Question 11

Glutamate hypothesis

Answer 11

NMDA antagonists like ketamine show similar symptoms to schizophrenia in normal people. Used in brain imaging research.
Positive symptoms - delusions and hallucinations
Negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms