Lecture Notes on Vision and Psychiatric Disorders

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions related to vision, psychiatric disorders, and language processing as discussed in the lecture notes.

Ciliary Muscles

Muscles that adjust the focus of the lens by changing its shape.

Photoreceptors

Retinal cells that absorb light and include rods and cones.

Rods

Photoreceptors that are active under low light conditions and are not color-sensitive.

Cones

Photoreceptors that are active under daylight conditions and are color-sensitive.

Visual Acuity

A measure of how much detail we can see, better in the center of our visual field.

Blind Spot

The area of the retina where no photoreceptors are present, resulting in a lack of vision.

Receptive Field

The specific area that activates a sensory neuron, significant for sensory systems.

Convergence

The process by which multiple neuronal inputs combine to form a larger receptive field.

Lateral Inhibition

A phenomenon where sensory receptors inhibit information from neighboring cells, enhancing contrast.

Trichromatic Hypothesis

A theory that color perception is based on the activity of three types of cones corresponding to primary colors.

Opponent Process Theory

The theory that color perception is controlled by opposing responses to different colors.

Schizophrenia

A psychotic disorder characterized by disturbances in cognition, emotion, and behavior.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5-TR)

A manual used to diagnose psychiatric illnesses, categorizing various mental disorders.

Positive Symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia that include hallucinations and delusions.

Negative Symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia that include lack of emotional responsiveness and apathy.

Cognitive Symptoms

Impairments in cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and executive function due to schizophrenia.

Antipsychotic Drugs

Medications used to treat schizophrenia, categorized into first-generation and second-generation.

Monoamine Hypothesis

The hypothesis that depression is due to reduced levels of monoamines in the central nervous system.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A therapeutic approach that is effective in treating depression by changing negative thought patterns.

Anxiolytics

Medications that relieve tension and anxiety, often sedative-hypnotics.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

An anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions).

Aphasia

A disorder resulting from damage to areas of the brain responsible for language, affecting speech production and comprehension.

Broca's Aphasia

A type of aphasia where patients have impairments in speech production but understand language.

Wernicke's Aphasia

A type of aphasia characterized by fluent but nonsensical speech and impaired comprehension.