Test 4 - Psychiatric Disorders Flashcards
Anxiety symptoms
- nervous/restless/tense/weak/tired
- sensing impending doom
- increased heart-rate and breathing rate
- sweating
- trembling
- trouble concentrating and sleeping
- gastro problems
- desire to avoid things that trigger anxiety
Depression symptoms
- prolonged cognitive abnormalities (memory deficit)
- sad/empty/irritable
- anhedonia (lack of affect)
Bipolar & schizophrenia symptoms
- mood: swings, anxiety, euphoria/mania, depression
- behavioral: irritable, risky, aggressive, impulsivity, restless, self-harm
- cognitive: delusions, hallucinations, slow activity, “word salad”
- psychological: paranoia, depression, manic episodes, agitation
- sleep difficulties: fatigue, difficulty falling asleep
Why may someone with schizophrenia/bipolar disorder be diagnosed with anxiety/depression initially?
the manic swings get worse overtime and generally just start off with depression - others become more obvious with time
Which areas of the brain are mostly involved with anxiety disorders?
- amygdala
- hypothalamus
What is the dysregulation in physiology of the amygdala in anxiety?
hyperactivity due to excess glutamate
What is the dysregulation in physiology of the hypothalamus in anxiety?
changes behavior of hypothalamus and its secretion of different hormones that regulate different body parts
What are the brain regions/neurotransmitters affected in depression (7)?
- decreased serotonin transporter binding in midbrain, amygdala
- decreased 5-HT1A receptor binding in frontal, temporal, limbic
- increased MOA
- lack of serotonin’s precursor, tryptophan
- low GABA b/w prefrontal and occipital cortices
- decrease glutamate in anterior brain
- HPA-axis abnormalities (affects fight or flight)
How do the affected brain regions lead to symptoms of bipolar and schizophrenia?
loss of volume due to hypofrontality (loss of glutamate signaling in frontal -> decrease glucose -> use of neurons decrease -> activity in frontal decreases = hypofrontality)
How are the neurotransmitters affected in bipolar and schizophrenia?
- dopamine (increase)
- NER (increase)
- GABA (increase)
- serotonin (decrease)
- glutamate (decrease)
Why is autism considered a spectrum?
there are low to high functioning individuals with autism
What are possible signs/symptoms of autism (7)?
- unusual body language/gestures/facial expression
- seizures
- lack of eye contact
- lack of interest in others/sharing achievements and interests
- difficulty understanding others’ feelings, actions, nonverbal cues
- repetitive behaviors
- in childhood, difficult making friends with children their age
Why is autism more difficult to diagnose in female patients?
they are better at mirroring so may be okay with eye-to-eye contact
What are the changes in brain tissue associated with Autism patients?
- decrease in cortex volume and connections
- decrease in corpus callosum size
- cortical network and organization is different (wiring)
- dendritic spine over-expression in some places - leading to sensory overload
What are the changes in neurotransmitters in autism patients?
same as bipolar/schizo - both involve the entire brain and every neurotransmitter
