Symp 4 - Developmental Psychopathology Flashcards
What is Developmental Psychopathology?
- What are the processes that go wrong during development that result in problems with thinking and behaviour?
- Genes / Environment / biological processes
The normally developing brain:
During early childhood, the brain continues to grow and mature - what age is it fully mature?
At age 2, the brain is 75% its adult weight. By age 6, it’s at 95 percent its adult weight. And by 7, the brain is about 100% its adult weight
what happens as the cortex matures?
Changes in the child’s ability to override emotional outbursts and to coordinate movement are seen
what happens as visual pathways mature?
child becomes able to reproduce what is seen on paper when drawing
what happens as the left and right hemispheres mature?
The left hemisphere has a growth spurt between ages 3 and 6: language skills
The right hemisphere: spatial skills, and the recognition of shapes and patterns
what happens as the corpus colosum matures?
Corpus callosum also grows between 3-6 years; integration of both hemispheres and development of fine and gross motor skills through play
do genetic factos play a part in psychopathology?
- Calculate % of variance due to environment and % due to genetics
- NB: Variance in PKU is 100% genetic but is actually caused by an environmental factor (dietary phenylalanine)
- These studies have shown that disorders such as ADHD and Autism are highly genetic
- Depression and anxiety are also substantially genetic, as is Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD)
what are Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)?
- Increasingly used to identify genetic risk factors for psychiatric disorder
- Indicate that many genes are implicated, mostly of small effect
- Many implicate micro-RNA and epigenetic modulation
- Genetic factors serving modulation of gene expression are likely to be important
- They control influence of environmental factors on genetic expression
- May be linked to traits e.g. ‘irritability’ and ‘defiance’ in ODD
- Inflammatory and autoimmune mechanisms are being implicated as well as genes controlling synapse formation, neurotransmission and modification
what are some Intra-uterine and perinatal factors?
These factors have been linked to mental ill health
- Maternal health – Maternal antibodies, obesity, diabetes
- Substance misuse – alcohol, marijuana
- Toxins – lead, mercury and PCB’s
- Drugs - esp psychotropics/antiepileptics (lipid soluble)
- Epigenetics – folate controlled methylation
- Endocrine environment – esp androgens
- Immune environment
- Premature birth/Perinatal complications
- Twinning
- Impressive levels of resilience
Fetal alcohol syndrome – as a model disorder
Exposure to alcohol especially in the first trimester especially
what occurs?
- Growth retardation - body, head, brain (inc cerebellum), eyes
- Multiple neuro-developmental effects: Sensorimotor, Cognitive Development, Executive function, Language
ADHD, DCD, LD
White matter connectivity - what is it important for?
Important for functions that require interplay between brain areas e.g. working memory between hippocampus and anterior cingulate
what does low connectivity lead to of the white matter in the brain?
- Low connectivity associated with more neural ‘noise’ in the system, intra-individual variability and ‘cognitive instability’
- In developing brains this is typically associated with ADHD – poor concentration, distractibility
what is Grey matter gyrification? and what happens if this process is decreased or increased?
Getting all lumps and bumps and ridges
Decreased ridges = LD (learning disability)
Increased ridges = Schizophrenia and more
what are some Environmental factors during childhood?
- Carer - child relationship (attachment)
- Parenting skill and parental mental disorder e.g. post-natal depression, substance misuse
- Marital harmony, family function
- Nutrition, poverty, deprivation
- Abuse, neglect
- Discipline
- Day-care and schooling
- Peer relationships
- Life events
- Physical disability
Toxic stress and ACES:
Normal stress includes everyday frustrations and disappointments and minor illness. These stressors can in fact be good life lessons for children and do not cause harm
what is toxic stress?
But toxic stress is long-term and undermines a child’s sense of safety and support
Prolonged stress leads to the production of stress hormones such as cortisol. Normally, these hormones help the body prepare to take action and get out of harm’s way
But prolonged exposure reduces our immunity to disease and leads to problems with digestion, blood pressure, and muscle tensions. A child who undergoes chronic, intense stress can develop a low threshold to stress within the brain circuitry. Such a child may be nervous or hyper-vigilant. Having a caring, supportive parent or other caregiver can reduce the impact of toxic stress
Experience of adversity trains the brain to adapt to a hostile environment - what is the process?
Head injury and behaviour - do head injruies have an impact?
What is the Experience of adversity and the reward deficiency model of addiction?
Dopamine neurons fire when you associate an action with a subsequent reward
