psy346 EXAM!!

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

a. People with a genetic vulnerability for MDD are considered pre-kindled.

b. What distinguishes the very normal mood fluctuations from the changes seen

in clinical mood disorders are their duration and severity, and also their cause.

c. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is more common in women than men

d. Having two long alleles for the serotonin transporter makes a person less

vulnerable to developing MDD.

e. Statistically speaking, the average person is expected to have a clinical

depressive episode in their lifetime

e. Statistically speaking, the average person is expected to have a clinical

depressive episode in their lifetime

Depressed people have lower than average brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Which of the following neurobiological abnormalities does not appear to be directly

related to this decreased BDNF in a depressed person’s brain?

a. Smaller than average hippocampus

b. Larger orbitofrontal cortex

c. Impaired learning

d. Decreased synaptic plasticity

b. Larger orbitofrontal cortex

How are the compulsive behaviours observed in both substance use disorders and

obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) neurobiologically related?

a. Orbitofrontal cortex

b. Nucleus accumbens

c. Amygdala

d. Hypothalamus

e. Ventral Tegmental Area

a. Orbitofrontal cortex

A smaller hippocampus in PTSD is caused by:

a. Decreased BDNF

b. Increased negative feedback by CRF

c. Dysregulated receptor activity

d. Excessive glucocorticoid

d. Excessive glucocorticoid

The maintenance of the “urge” to take drugs once a person is dependent is thought to

be due in part mediated by the:

a. Nucleus accumbens

b. Hippocampus

c. Hypothalamus

d. Amygdala

d. Amygdala

What evidence suggested that a specific pattern of dopaminergic activity signals drug

withdrawal in Dr Grieder’s research?

a. Electrophysiological recordings suggested decreased tonic activity during

withdrawal.

b. Both agonist and antagonist treatment prevented withdrawal aversions.

c. The withdrawal-paired environment was avoided unless an injection of

nicotine was given.

d. Selective blockade of phasic dopaminergic activity prevented acute nicotine

aversions but not withdrawal aversions.

e. Dopamine D2 receptor knockout mice didn’t show withdrawal aversions

TK

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

a. Evolutionary theory says that drugs of abuse send a message to the brain that

the individual has just experienced a large fitness benefit.

b. Pathological gambling is the only behavioural addiction in the DSM5 that is

considered a diagnosable psychological disorder.

c. ΔFosB accumulates rapidly in the hippocampus following drug use.

d. BDNF is thought to switch a subject to a drug dependent state, even without

prior exposure to the drug.

e. The developmental-genetic model considers substance use disorders a result

of the interaction of genes with the environment

c. ΔFosB accumulates rapidly in the hippocampus following drug use.

How would a biopsychosocial model explain the fact that people with

psychological disorders such as early-onset depression, obsessive-compulsive

disorder or schizophrenia are more likely to have relatives with any other

psychological disorders? (7 Total Marks)

TK

Alicia was neglected as a child and is now experiencing occasional episodes of

depression. After deciding to volunteer for a study that analyzed the brains of

depressed people, it was observed that Alicia had abnormal signaling in her brain.

a) What would the kindling hypothesis say about Alicia’s depressive episodes

(2 marks)?

b) Alicia’s mother and aunt also experienced depression. Explain a genetic

abnormality we would expect to see in this family and how it would alter

serotonin function in their brains (3 marks).

c) If Alicia had a fMRI, what are some neurobiological abnormalities that we

would expect to see in Alicia’s brain function? (4 marks)

d) Based on therapeutic research discussed in this course, briefly describe a

treatment program that would likely work best for Alicia? (2 marks)

e) If Alicia were to take an antidepressant drug, what would be the expected

effect on her brain after 3-4 weeks compared to when she was in a depressed

state? (3 marks)

a) the kindling hypothesis would say that over time, her depressive episodes will be triggered easier over time because the threshold to trigger the episode gets lowered.

b) A genetic abnormality could be the presence of the short 5HTT allele. The short allele has a smaller transcription region, which leads to less protiens made, causing less serotonin transporters = less recycling of serotonin = more vulnerable to depression

c) Reduction of volume + blood flow + glucose metabolism in the PFC, longer activation of neurons in the amygdala + reduced volume in the hypothalamus, decrease activity in the left PFC + increased activity in the right PFC

d) A treatment program that would likely work best for Alicia is a combination of antidepressants, to help the abnormalities with serotonin, and therapy. It would be required for her to take the antidepressants for a month or so as the effects on the brain dont show until a few weeks in

e) the expected effect on her brain after 3-4 weeks would be increased neurogenesis which would be much lower during her depressed state.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) involves abnormal responses to threats.

a) Describe the flow of information that occurs during a normal reaction to a

threat (such as seeing toxic waste) from sensory recognition to the

actionable response, including the neural areas involved (5 marks).

b) Which aspects of this threat response are dysfunctional in OCD?

(2 marks)

c) How do benzodiazepines act on the brain to help decrease the anxiety

associated with OCD, and where in the brain would they act? (2 marks)

d) Why does deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc)

achieve a similar effect to benzodiazepines and other anxiolytic drugs?

(2 marks)

TK

Kyle impulsively began drinking alcohol for its positive reinforcing effects, but

very quickly became tolerant and experienced withdrawal when he tried to stop.

He would then compulsively drink alcohol for its negative reinforcing effects.

a) Describe the within-system and between-system neuroadaptations that

occurred to switch Kyle’s impulsive drug taking to compulsive drug use

and from positive to negative reinforcement (4 marks)

b) What would the reward prediction error model suggest occurs when Kyle

experiences withdrawal? (2 marks)

TK

What is the Adaptative Rumination Hypothesis?

states that depression is a condition that helps us solve problems, and is a response similar to a fever from an infection. Depression causes impairment and distress similar to a fever and it is actual a normal adaptive function of a system.

• ruminating is the brain becoming more analytical and problem solving to solve the issue and isolating and having no motivation to do things like eat allow more time to think abt the problem and break it down.

What is the genetic explanation for depression?

Having a short allele (or two short alleles) for the 5HTT gene increases risk for depression because there is less transcription occuring = less protiens being made for the gene = less serotonin transporters = less serotonin reuptake = higher chance of developing depression

• the risk can increase due to stressful/harmful environmental factors being present

What is the kindling hypothesis, what does it show

• depressive episodes become more easily triggered over time because the threshold to trigger them gets lowered the more episodes a person has.

• this shows that mdd id a progressive illness

What are the altered areas in the brain in MDD? (9)

subgenual PFC - lowered glucose metabolism + blood flow + volume + dysregulation

left PFC: decreased activity

right PFC: increased activity

Cingulate cortex - decreased activity + dysfunction over amygdala control

amygdala - neurons are activated for longer + overactive

Thalamus - abnormalities cause issues with sleep

hypothalamus: reduced volume

hippocampus: reduced volume

nucleus accumbens - dysregulation (causing issues for motivation)

What do tricyclic antidepressants do?

block transporter protiens from reabsorbing serotonin, dopamine, norepinhephirne.

Is serotonin low in those with MDD?

• low serotonin found in the CSF in those with MDD but an increase in trp (the protien that gets turned into serotonin) did not reduce depressive symptoms, therefore, a genetic vulnerability to MDD may be more indirect such as postsynaptic sensitivity to serotonin

What is the catalamine hypothesis?

depression results in a deficiency of norepinephrine, mania results in an abundance of norepinephrine