Week 1.2.1: Biological Underpinnings Flashcards
A severe mental disorder characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, language, sense of self, and behavior.
Schizophrenia
The original term for schizophrenia, coined by Emil Kraepelin, meaning “early dementia.”
Dementia Praecox
A disorder that affects the development of the nervous system, leading to abnormal brain function.
Neurodevelopmental Disorder
Tim Crow and Eve Johnstone were pioneers in using brain scanning to study schizophrenia. They found that people with chronic schizophrenia had larger fluid-filled spaces in the brain and less cortex compared to healthy individuals. These patients also had cognitive difficulties.
1970s Schizophrenia Research
Researchers, including the author and Danny Weinberger, proposed that schizophrenia might be a neurodevelopmental disorder. This means that the illness could be due to problems in brain development rather than degeneration.
Shift in Theory (1987)
Techniques like MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and CT (Computed Tomography) scans allow researchers to see detailed images of the brain’s structure. These scans revealed differences in the brains of people with schizophrenia.
Brain Scanning
Developmental VS Degenerative
Think of the developmental hypothesis as a problem that starts early in life, like a building with a flawed foundation.
In contrast, the degenerative hypothesis is like a building that starts strong but gradually falls apart over time.
The outer layer of the brain involved in many complex functions including memory, attention, perception, cognition, awareness, thought, language, and consciousness.
Cortex
An older antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
Haloperidol
A newer antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Olanzapine
The darker tissue of the brain and spinal cord, consisting mainly of nerve cell bodies and branching dendrites.
Grey Matter
One of the first antipsychotic drugs used to treat schizophrenia.
Chlorpromazine
A study showed that people with their first episode of psychosis had a decline in the cortex (grey matter) when treated with haloperidol over a year. This was interpreted as intrinsic degeneration in schizophrenia.
2005 Study
Studies on monkeys and rats showed similar declines in cortical volume when given antipsychotics, indicating that the medication itself might contribute to brain changes.
Animal Studies
