Schizophrenia Flashcards
1
Q
Gross changes in schizophrenia
A
- decrease in brain weight, brain length and volume of cerebral hemispheres
- enlargement of the lateral ventricles, especially the temporal horns
- reduced tissue volume in the thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus
- white matter reductions in the parahippocampal gyrus or hippocampus
- increased incidence of cavum septi pellucidi seen
- basal ganglia volume reduction
- planum temporale on the posterior superior surface of the superior temporal gyrus- left is larger than right
2
Q
Histological changes in schizophrenia
A
- no evidence of astrogliosis seen
- increased neuronal density and decreased size
3
Q
White matter hyperintensities
A
- strongly associated with mood disorder
- confer a poor prognosis in depression and bipolar disorder
4
Q
Lithium
A
- treatment increases cortical grey matter volume suggesting that lithium is neurotrophic
- lithium may also enhance neurogenesis and inhibit apoptosis
5
Q
Antidepressants
A
- may affect neuronal morphology
- help regenerate monoaminergic axons
- promote hippocampal neurogenesis
- revent loss of dendritic spines in animal models
6
Q
Wernicke’s encaphalopathy
A
- characterised by degenerative changes including gliosis and small hemorrhages in structures surrounding the third ventricle and aqueduct
- mamillary bodies, hypothalamus, mediodorsal thalamic nucleus, colliculi and midbrain tegmentum
- cerebellar atrophy
7
Q
Uncomplicated alcoholism
A
- brain shrinkage seen
- largely accounted for by the loss of white matter
- some of this damage may be reversible
8
Q
Alcohol related neuronal loss
A
- documented in specific regions of cerebral cortex
- superior frontal association cortex, the hypothalamus, supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei and cerebellum
9
Q
Autism
A
- Hypoplasia of cerebellar vermis and cerebellar hemispheres is documented
- Purkinje cell count in the cerebellum is significantly lower
- sometime increased cortical volume- may be related to less neuronal pruning
