The Biological Approach to Explaining OCD Flashcards
What does polygenic mean?
The idea that a genetic disorder is caused by more than one gene.
What is the dopamine gene called?
COMT
What do dopamine levels look like in a person with OCD?
They are higher than in a normal person.
What is the serotonin gene called?
SERT
What was the concordance rate for OCD in MZ and DZ twins found by Nestadt?
68% concordance in MZ, 31% in DZ
Marini found that if you have a family member with OCD, you are how many times more likely to be diagnosed with it?
4x
In Lewis’s research, what percentage of patients with OCD had a parent with OCD?
What percentage had siblings with OCD?
31% had a parent with OCD
21% had a sibling with OCD
What do high levels of dopamine cause?
High energy, high anxiety and high impulsiveness
What do low levels of serotonin cause?
Low mood, sleep issues and anxiety
Abnormal functioning in which part of the brain leads to illogical thinking and desicions?
Lateral frontal lobes
The left para hippocampal gyrus is known for processing which symptom of OCD?
Unpleasant emotions caused by OCD
Explain the strength of there being research support from twin and family studies for the role of genes in OCD.
What was the concordance rate for MZ and DZ twins with OCD? (Nestadt)
If concordance for MZ is not 100%, what other factors must influence OCD?
Cromer found that clients who had experienced ______ were likely to have more severe OCD?
For example, Nestadt reviewed twin studies and said MZ twins more likely to share OCD (68%) than DZ twins (31%). However, as concordance rates aren’t close to 100%, this means there are other factors that contribute to the onset OCD. For example, Cromer found that over half of OCD clients in her sample had experienced trauma. OCD was also more severe in clients who had experienced more than one trauma. This tells us that there are other environmental factors that can cause OCD.
Explain the strength of there being research support for neural explanations for OCD.
Evans found that OCD patients have more hyperactivity where in their brain?
This was found using what type of brain scan?
The more hyperactivity there was, the …..
What are the benefits of using fMRI scans?
For example, Evans found that patients with OCD exhibited functional hyperactivity in their orbitofrontal cortexes compared to a control. This means that they have more brain activity than usual which can be seen in fMRI scans. Evans found that those with more functional hyperactivity had more severe symptoms of OCD. fMRI scans are valid when explaining OCD as they are objective and unbiased, suggesting that the neural explanation for OCD is valid.
Explain the strength of the biological explanation being supported by the success of biological treatments.
Soomro found that SSRIs alleviated symptoms in what percentage of OCD patients?
Which biological explanation of OCD does this support?
However, as the treatment did not work for 30% of people, what does this mean?
Soomro found that SSRIs alleviated symptoms in around 70% of OCD patients. SSRIs are drugs that prevent the reuptake of serotonin in the brain. This supports the neural explanation for OCD by suggesting neurotransmitters are a cause of the condition. However, as the treatment didn’t work for the other 30%, this suggests that there are alternative causes of OCD which are not related to serotonin levels.
Explain the limitation of the biological approach to treating OCD being reductionist.
The approach assumes which 2 things are the sole cause of OCD?
What approach does this one ignore - what might OCD be acquired and maintained by instead?
Why might the diathesis stress model be more appropriate instead?
This approach only assumes that OCD is a result of genes and neurochemistry and doesn’t take cognitions into account. For example, some have said OCD may be learnt and maintained through a two-process theory, where compulsions negatively reinforce anxiety caused by obsessions. An explanation that ignores these factors may be oversimplistic and fail to give a full explanation of the condition. A diathesis stress explanation may be more appropriate as it considers environment and genes.
