Schizophrenia + Behavioral Dx/Neuroanatomy Flashcards
What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
hallucinations or delusions (phenomena that are added on to reality)
What are the diagnostic implications of deficits to the wakefulness/arousal/attention networks?
not localizable to discrete cortical/subcortical areas
can suggest: toxic drugs/metabolic disorders, brainstem lesions that disrupt origins, numerous cortical/white matter lesions that disrupt connectivity
What are the protein and lipid dynamics of antipsychotics?
highly protein bound (85-90%) and highly lipophilic
What is an example of a low-potency first-generation antipsychotic?
chlorpormazine
What are the emotional regulation and social-interpersonal skills neuroanatomical networks?
amygdala, orbitofrontal components of prefrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus
What are the normal behavioral manifestations of learning and memory networks?
learning new info; retention/recall of info/events; orientation to current location; time; people in the environment; knowledge of important current events
What is decisional capacity?
the ability to give or withhold informed consent for a specific procedure or to make a specific decision about their care
it relates to a specific decision and can wax and wane over time
What are the side effects of histamine blockade?
sedation
weight gain
What is a delusion?
a firmly-held, fixed (even in the presence of evidence), false belief that can be bizarre (violates laws of physics) or non-bizarre
What type of network is the executive functions network?
channel network
What are the clinical uses and side effects of aripiprazole?
a second-generation antipsychotic that is a partial agonist of D2 and 1A serotonin receptor and antagonist of 2A serotonin receptor
side effects: nausea, sedation, anxiety, akathisia
What clinical symptoms are associated with damage to language networks?
aphasia - errors in word selection or production; grammatical errors; alexia - errors in reading; agraphia - errors in writing
What is the neuroanatomical network of the wakefulness/arousal/attention network?
brainstem ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) - cholinergic, adrenergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic, GABAergic projection systems
What are disorganized symptoms of schizophrenia?
disorganized speech or behavior (symptoms that represent disordered versions of normal functions)
What are the normal behavioral manifestations of visuospatial perception networks?
object and spatial perception for recognition and navigation
What type of networks are language networks?
channel networks
What is the general metabolism of anti-psychotics?
usually 50% hepatically metabolized with the Cytochrome P450 system, 50% renally excreted
What is an example of a moderate potency first-generation antipsychotic?
perphenazine
What are the clinical uses and side effects of perphenazine?
a medium-potency antipsychotic
has some anti-muscarinic and anti-histaminic side effects and some extrapyramidal side effects
What types of networks are formed by the major neurotransmitter projection systems (ex. cholinergic, serotonergic)?
state networks (regionally concentrated groups of neurons with diffuse projections)
What is the difference between illness, disease, syndromes, and disorders?
Illness = person-based
Disease = system/pathology based
Syndrome = description based
Disorder = comparison based
What are the clinical uses and side effects of clozapine?
a second-generation antipsychotic (serotonin and dopamine blockade)
side effects: agranulocytosis (can be fatal), blocks alpha-1/histamine/muscarinic receptors
not associated with tardive dyskinesia
What is the organization of channel networks?
regional, distributed cortical areas that interconnect reciprocally with one another and also with shared subcortical areas to form “large-scale” distributed neural networks
What is tardive dyskinesia?
long term, often permanent, neurological impairment occuring after extensive use of first-generation antipsychotics
characterized by involuntary choreiform, writhing movements that may affect any striate muscle and results in permanent dysfunction of facial, truncal, esophageal, neck, or extremity motor function
What are the clinical uses and side effects of lurasidone?
strongest affinity for D2 and 2A/7 serotonin receptors, partial antagonist of 1A receptors
side effects: occasional akathisia
What is the difference between competence and decisional capacity?
competence is a legal term that is global and pertains to all decisions
competence is determined by a judge whereas decisional capacity is determined by medical professionals
What are the normal behavioral manifestations of the mood/motivation networks?
appropriate modulation of mood and affect; initiative
What lab studies/imaging orders are important for evaluation of a psychotic patient?
electrolytes, hematology, renal/hepatic/thyroid function, B12
syphillis test, HIV test
test for drugs of abuse or blood levels of psychiatric medications
EEG, CT/MRI, CSF studies
What is the neuroanatomical network for learning and memory?
“limbic system”: hippocampus, amygdala, dorsomedial nucleus of the thalamus, mammillary bodies of the hypothalamus, fornix (papez circuit)
Which antipsychotic has the greatest efficacy? What strategies are used to mitigate the potentially fatal side effect?
clozapine
potentially fatal side effect: agranulocytosis (neutropenia)
national registry is used to track when people had side effects and prevent them from being put back on the drug
What is a “petition” in the context of psychiatric hospitalization?
a document that asks for someone to be evaluated for psychiatric issues
when a patient is in a hospital with a valid petition, they cannot leave until a psychiatric evaluation is performed
Blockade of which dopamine pathway is responsible for the clinical efficacy of dopamine blockers?
mesolimbic dopamine pathway
What neurophysiological abnormalities may be associated with schizophrenia?
abnormal smooth pursuit eye movements, failure to attenuate startle responses, etc.
What is the effect of blocking dopamine on the nigrostriatal pathway?
extrapyramidal side effects (ex. tremor, slurred speech, distress)
What are the neuranatomical networks of language networks?
left hemisphere peri-Sylvian region in most people (some left-handers have it on the right side)
What type of network are wakefulness/arousal/attention networks?
state networks
What are examples of high potency first-generation antipsychotics?
fluphenazine, haloperidol
effective at low doses, less blockade of cholinergic, adrenergic, and histaminic receptors
What are the side effects of anticholinergic blockade?
memory and cognitive deficits
constipation
tachycardia
blurred vision
urinary retention
hyperthermia
What is an acute psychotic disorder?
psychosis with a duration of less than 30 days
What are neurologic “soft signs” associated with schizophrenia?
higher incidence of asteroeognosis, agraphesthesia, right/left confusion, problems in gait or fine motor control
What is the effect of dopamine blockade to the tuberoinfundibular dopamine pathway?
removes inhibition of prolactin, causing hyperporlactinemia (and thus galactorrhea, gynecomastia, amenorrhea, sexual dysfunction, and increased risk of osteoporosis)
What are dystonic reactions?
painful, acute involuntary muscle spasms associated with first-generation antipsychotics
reversible with anticholinergics
What are the clinical uses and side effects of fluphenazine?
a high-potency antipsychotic, available in depot form
few side effects other than extrapyramidal side effects
What other changes can be associated with schizophrenia that are not required for diagnosis?
- cognitive deficits
- neurophysiological abnormalities
- structural brain abnormalities
- functional brain abnormalities
- mild physical changes
- neurologic “soft signs”
What is the structure and function of the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway?
cell bodies in the ventral tegmental areas of the mesencephalon with projections to the basal ganglia that are involved in controlling movement
What type of networks are emotional regulation and social-interpersonal skills networks?
channel networks
What are the overarching purposes of diagnosis?
1) clinical utility
2) facilitation of resesarch
What treatment modality can be used for schizophrenia when adherence is an issue or if patients cannot swallow pills?
depot formulation - IM injections every 2-4 weeks