Stress, Neurocognitive Disorders, and Substance Use Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering stress responses and disorders, neuroanatomy, neurocognitive disorders, and substance use disorders based on lecture notes.

Stressor

An event that creates physical or psychological demands.

Stress response

A person's physical, emotional, and cognitive reaction to demands.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

A principle explaining that performance is generally best at moderate arousal, whereas motivation and alertness drop if arousal is too low, and concentration, decision-making, and performance suffer if arousal is too high.

Bouma (2008)

A study that found adolescents with depressed parents were more vulnerable to depression after stress.

Caspi (2003)

A study examining the interaction between 5-HTTLPR gene variants and stressful life events, finding greater depression vulnerability in individuals with two short alleles (s/s), especially after multiple stressful events.

Gene-environment interaction

A dynamic where genetic vulnerability can become more consequential under environmental stress.

Resilience

The ability to adapt or recover after stressful experiences.

Hans Selye

The researcher who developed the General Adaptation Syndrome model of the stress response.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

A three-stage physiological stress response model consisting of alarm (immediate activation), resistance (adaptation to a continuing stressor), and exhaustion (depletion of resources and increased vulnerability).

Fight-or-flight response

The body's rapid preparation to confront or escape a threat, activated by the sympathetic nervous system.

Parasympathetic nervous system

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that helps the body return to baseline after a stress response.

Cortisol

A hormone strongly associated with stress that impacts immune functioning and affects the hippocampus.

Cytokines

Immune-system signaling proteins involved in inflammation.

Telomeres

Protective structures at chromosome ends that shorten with cell division.

Type A personality

A behavioral pattern associated with competitiveness, urgency, and hostility.

Type D personality

A behavioral pattern characterized by negative affectivity and social inhibition.

Adjustment disorder

The development of emotional or behavioral symptoms following an identifiable stressor.

Acute stress disorder (ASD)

Trauma-related symptoms lasting from 3 days to 1 month following a traumatic event.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Trauma-related symptoms lasting longer than 1 month, commonly categorized into intrusion, avoidance, negative mood/cognition, and arousal/reactivity.

Exposure therapy

A treatment involving gradual, controlled confrontation with feared memories or situations.

Flooding

A therapeutic technique involving intense exposure to a feared stimulus for an extended period.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing; a trauma treatment using guided eye movements during the processing of traumatic memories.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

A psychological treatment that targets unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.

Psychological debriefing

An intervention involving discussion of a traumatic event; it is not universally beneficial.

Neurocognitive disorders (NCDs)

Disorders involving a decline in previously acquired cognitive abilities.

Delirium

An acute, fluctuating disturbance in attention and awareness with additional cognitive changes, typically developing over hours to days and caused by medical conditions, intoxication, or withdrawal.

Mild neurocognitive disorder

Measurable cognitive decline that does not cause a loss of independent everyday functioning.

Major neurocognitive disorder

Significant cognitive decline that interferes with independent everyday functioning.

Six cognitive domains

Complex attention, executive function, learning/memory, language, perceptual-motor function, and social cognition.

Diffuse brain damage

Widespread injury affecting multiple brain areas or networks.

Focal brain damage

Localized injury affecting a specific brain region.

Anoxia

A lack of oxygen reaching the brain.

Aphasia

Difficulty with language or communication.

Apraxia

Difficulty performing learned movements despite having adequate physical strength.

Agnosia

Difficulty recognizing objects or information despite having adequate sensory perception.

Ataxia

Poor coordination of movement.

Hypothalamus

A brain structure that helps regulate stress responses and activates systems involved in fight-or-flight.

Amygdala

A brain structure that processes emotional significance, especially fear and threat.

Hippocampus

A brain structure that supports memory and helps regulate the stress response.

Frontal lobe

The cerebral lobe supporting planning, judgment, decision-making, and impulse control.

Parietal lobe

The cerebral lobe that processes body sensations and spatial information.

Occipital lobe

The cerebral lobe responsible for processing visual information.

Cerebellum

A brain structure that controls balance, posture, and coordinated movement.

Brainstem

The lower extension of the brain that regulates basic vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, and arousal.

Substantia nigra

A midbrain structure associated with dopamine production and Parkinson's disease.

Ischemic stroke

A brain injury caused by blocked blood flow to part of the brain.

Hemorrhagic stroke

A brain injury caused by bleeding in or around the brain.

Alzheimer's disease

A progressive neurocognitive disorder involving worsening memory and other cognitive abilities, beginning early in the hippocampus and nearby temporal-lobe regions.

Beta-amyloid plaques

Abnormal protein deposits found between brain cells in Alzheimer's disease.

Tau tangles

Abnormal accumulations of tau protein inside neurons.

ApoE e4

A genetic variant associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Vascular neurocognitive disorder

Cognitive decline caused by cerebrovascular disease or impaired blood flow, often following strokes and presenting with a stepwise pattern of decline.

Closed-head injury

A traumatic brain injury occurring without an object penetrating the skull.

Open or penetrating head injury

A traumatic brain injury in which an object penetrates both the skull and brain tissue.

Concussion

A mild traumatic brain injury caused by a blow or jolt to the head or body, presenting with symptoms such as headache, dizziness, confusion, memory problems, and sensitivity to light or noise.

Addiction

A pattern of compulsive engagement despite harmful consequences.

Psychoactive substances

Chemical substances that alter mood, perception, or consciousness.

Depressants

Drugs that slow central nervous system activity.

Stimulants

Drugs that increase central nervous system activity.

Hallucinogens

Substances that alter perception and sensory experiences.

Inhalants

Volatile substances whose vapors are inhaled to produce psychoactive effects.

Tolerance

Needing more of a substance to achieve the same effect, or experiencing less effect from the same amount.

Withdrawal

Physical or psychological symptoms that emerge after reducing or stopping substance use.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

The DSM-5 diagnostic term for problematic alcohol use, defined by meeting at least 2 criteria within a 12-month period (classified as mild with 2–3 symptoms, moderate with 4–5 symptoms, and severe with 6 or more symptoms).

Blood alcohol level/concentration (BAL/BAC)

The metric representing the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream, influenced by drink concentration, volume, consumption speed, body weight, and presence of food.

Alcohol blackout

A temporary failure to form new memories while remaining awake, active, and conscious (distinct from passing out).

Alcohol-withdrawal delirium

A severe withdrawal-related medical state involving confusion and disorientation.

Alcohol amnestic disorder

A condition associated with chronic alcohol use characterized by substantial memory impairment.

Naltrexone

A medication that blocks opioid receptors and can reduce alcohol cravings and rewarding effects.

Disulfiram (Antabuse)

A medication that creates an unpleasant physiological reaction when alcohol is consumed.

Benzodiazepines

Medications utilized clinically to manage acute symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

Positive reinforcement (in addiction)

Using a substance to gain a pleasurable or rewarding effect.

Negative reinforcement (in addiction)

Using a substance to reduce unpleasant feelings or withdrawal symptoms.

Motivational interviewing

A counseling approach designed to strengthen personal motivation and commitment to change.

Relapse prevention

A behavioral approach focusing on identifying triggers and developing strategies to avoid or manage relapse.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

A peer-support recovery program based on a 12-step approach.

HALT

An acronym identifying common vulnerability states that can trigger relapse: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired.

Al-Anon

A support group program designed for friends and family members affected by another person's alcohol use.

Alateen

A specialized support group program designed specifically for teenagers affected by someone else's alcohol use.

Residential addiction treatment

A structured, intensive rehabilitation model delivered in a continuous live-in setting.

Azrin and Nunn

Clinicians who emphasized behavioral strategies for identifying and changing habits and preventing relapse.