McCance Chapter 19 Neurobiology of Schizophrenia, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)

A class of medications responsible for blocking the enzyme that degrades serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine

Affective flattening

Near absence of emotional or facial expression

Agoraphobia

Phobic avoidance of places or situations where escape or help is not readily available

Alogia

The loss of a previously held ability to speak or understand spoken or written language, due to disease or injury of the brain

Anhedonia

Inability to experience pleasure from things that would normally be pleasurable.

Avolition

Lack of desire, motivation, and persistence resulting in the unwillingness to start or complete even simple daily tasks.

Bipolar disorder

Psychiatric disorder characterized by alternating mania or hypomania and depression, often with periods of normal mood in between, and changes in energy and behavior according to mood.

Cortisol

Steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands that increases blood glucose through gluconeogenesis, suppresses the immune system, aid in lipid, protein and carbohydrate metabolism and decreases bone formation

Delusions

Persistant belief contrary to the educational and cultural background of an individual that may involve grandiose, nihilistic, persecutory, somatic, sexual and religious themes

Depression

Unremitting feelings of sadness and despair frequently accompanied by changes in sleeping and eating habits, reduced interest in pleasurable activities and interpersonal relationships

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter in the brain that regulates movement and emotion including reward-driven learning

Hallucinations

Perception experienced without external stimulation of the sense organs that can be auditory, tactile, visual, gustatory and olfactory

Hypervigilance

Abnormal awareness of environmental stimuli

Major (unipolar) depression

Severely depressed mood and loss of pleasure that may begin suddenly or slowly, persists for at least 2 weeks, and may recur throughout life.

Mania

Elevated levels of euphoria and energy characterized by inflated self esteem and feelings of grandiosity. May result in psychoses such as delusions and hallucinations

Norepinephrine

Neurotransmitter released by adrenergic nerve terminals in the autonomic and possibly the central nervous system, that has such effects as constricting blood vessels, raising blood pressure, and dilating bronchi

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

An anxiety disorder characterized by repetitive, intrusive thoughts and compulsive actions, such as cleaning, checking, or counting.

Panic disorder

A psychologic disorder that is characterized by recurrent attacks of anxiety or terror and usually results in the development of one or more phobias.

Perinatal

Occuring during birth or surrounding the time of birth

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

A psychologic disorder in individuals who have experienced or witnessed a terrifying or life-threatening event characterized by recurrent flashbacks of the event, nightmares, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, forgetfulness, and social withdrawal.

Schizophrenia

A psychotic disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, loosening of associations, disturbances in mood and sense of self and relationship to the external world, and bizarre, purposeless behavior.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

A class of medications responsible for blocking the reuptake of 5 hydroxytryptophan

Serotonin

Neurotransmitter, derived from tryptophan, that is involved in sleep, depression, memory, and other neurological processes

Tourette syndrome

A neurological disorder characterized by recurrent involuntary movements, including multiple neck jerks and sometimes vocal tics, as grunts, barks, or words, esp. obscenities

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)

A class of medications responsible for blocking the reuptake of 5 hydroxytryptophan and norepinephrine