Schizophrenia

Question 1

what symptoms are helped by Sz drugs?

Answer 1

positive

delusions, hallucinations, inappropriate affect, incoherent speech or thought, odd behaviour

Question 2

negative symptoms

Answer 2

affective flattening (emotion)
alogia (speech)
avolition (motivation)
anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure)
catatonia (stop moving - wax like figure)

Question 3

accordance rates

Answer 3

Mz = 45%
Dz = 10%

– not 100%, must be some environmental basis

Question 4

social causes

Answer 4

birth complications
infections
autoimmune reaction
toxins
traumatic injury 
stress

all alter neurodevelopment

Question 5

chlorpromazine

Answer 5

receptor blocker (1st to be discovered)
start working after 2-3 weeks

Question 6

reserpine

Answer 6

snake root plant (2nd to be discovered)

start working after 2-3 weeks

Question 7

dopamine theory

Answer 7

high levels of dopamine activity at receptor D2

Striatum of those with PD = depleted of dopamine

Question 8

Haloperidol

Answer 8

binds to D2 receptors reducing activity
led to D2 theory of Sz
neuroleptics block activity within hours, why does it take so long to take effect?
benefits only 1 in 7 patients

Question 9

atypical neuroleptics

Answer 9

clozapine
- affinity for D1 and D4 receptors
briefly antagonises D2 as well

Question 10

hallucinogenic drugs

Answer 10

dissociative anaesthetics (ketamine) and cannabinoids

similar effects to those of psychiatric disorders

serotonin agonists - effect negative symptoms by antagonising glutamate receptors

Question 11

mechanisms of Sz related genes

Answer 11

disrupt neural myelination and transmission (glutamanergic and GABAnergic synapses)

Question 12

Sz and brain damage

Answer 12

enlarged ventricles and fissures - reduced brain size

neuron loss (grey and white matter in temporal lobe)

brain damage takes place at different rates