Paper A Recall Lecture Notes

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering drug mechanisms, gaits, genetics, ethical theories, and developmental psychology based on Paper A Recall notes.

Buspirone MOA

Partial agonist at $5\text{-}HT_{1A}$ receptors (serotonin-$1A$) that provides an anxiolytic effect without sedation.

Atomoxetine MOA

Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor ($NRI$) that increases noradrenaline in the prefrontal cortex.

Diazepam MOA

Positive allosteric modulator of $GABA\text{-}A$ receptor which enhances GABA binding leading to $CNS$ inhibition.

Guanfacine

Alpha-$2A$ adrenergic receptor agonist used for $ADHD$ that stimulates central $\text{α}2A$ receptors and can cause postural hypotension, sedation, and bradycardia.

Inverse agonist

A drug that binds to a receptor and reduces receptor activity below the baseline level.

Hyperprolactinemia treatment in Risperidone

Aripiprazole is added because its partial agonist action at $D_2$ can lower prolactin levels.

Huntington’s disease gait

Dystonic, dancing gait with irregular, uncoordinated chorea and sudden lurching or unpredictable steps.

Parkinson’s disease gait

Shuffling, festinating gait with small, slow steps, stooped posture, and difficulty initiating movement.

Cerebellar lesion gait

Ataxic gait characterized by a wide-based, unsteady, staggering walk and trouble with tandem walking.

Stupor ($1994$ definition)

A state of unresponsiveness in which the person can be aroused only briefly by vigorous and repeated stimuli.

Mania à potu

A toxic or organic manic syndrome triggered by alcohol, particularly seen during alcohol withdrawal or chronic dependence.

Serotonin Syndrome risk combination

Combining Citalopram ($SSRI$) and Tramadol (weak opioid and $SNRI\text{-}like$ action) increases serotonin levels.

Modafinil

A wakefulness-promoting agent that can disrupt $REM$ sleep architecture, leading to sleep paralysis or hallucinations.

Positive reinforcement

Adding a stimulus to increase a behavior or removing an aversive stimulus to increase behavior.

Utilitarianism

An ethical theory where the core principle is to maximize benefit for the majority.

Paternalism

An ethical situation where a doctor, such as one seeing cancer, does not tell the patient the diagnosis.

Non-maleficence

The ethical principle applied when a doctor stops clozapine because a patient has agranulocytosis.

Quetiapine ($IR$) $T_{max}$

The time to peak concentration is approximately $1.5$ hours, making it one of the quickest antipsychotics to reach peak.

Receptor Binding Capacity

If a drug has 50% binding capacity at $10\text{ }mg/L$ ($K_d$), you need $30\text{ }mg/L$ to reach 75% capacity.

Drug Elimination Half-lives

It takes $5$ half-lives to eliminate more than $96.875$% of a drug.

Vygotsky’s Theory

Development is continuous and guided through social interaction and support ($ZPD$ and scaffolding).

GRIN1

An $NMDA$ gene associated with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Cerebella Vermis

The part of the brain affected in Autism Spectrum Disorder ($ASD$).

Huntingtin gene

Located on chromosome $4p13$, it features a $CAG$ repeat (codes for glutamine); disease range is $> 36$ repeats.

DiGeorge syndrome ($22q11.2$ deletion)

Associated with a schizophrenia-like syndrome, heart defects, and cleft palate.

MAPT gene

Located on chromosome $17q21.31$ and associated with Tau-positive Frontotemporal Dementia ($Pick's disease$).

Short hairpin RNA ($shRNA$)

Inhibits the translation of target $mRNA$.

Bowlby’s attachment theory stages

The stages associated with protest, despair, and detachment.

Structural therapy (Salvador Minuchin)

A type of therapy that emphasizes family hierarchy and boundaries.

Imprinting

Rapid, irreversible, and time-sensitive learning occurring during a critical phase, described by Konrad Lorenz.

Psilocybin receptor target

Partial agonist at $5\text{-}HT_{2A}$ receptors, especially in the prefrontal cortex.

PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography)

Imaging that allows an in vivo measure of neurotransmitter binding and release using radioligands.

Alzheimer’s CSF findings

Decreased Amyloid-$\beta_{42}$ and increased total tau and phosphorylated tau.

Co-trimoxazole interaction

An antibiotic that should be avoided with clozapine because it can cause or worsen neutropenia.

Mirtazapine anti-nausea mechanism

Due to blockade of the $5\text{-}HT_3$ receptor.

Cariprazine MOA

Partial agonist at $D_2$ and $D_3$ receptors, with a higher affinity for $D_3$.

Orexin site of release

The lateral hypothalamus; promotes wakefulness and arousal.

Prepulse inhibition ($PPI$) test

Used in rodent research to measure sensory gating, which is impaired in schizophrenia.

Morris Water Maze

A test used in rodent research to assess spatial learning and memory for Alzheimer’s studies.

Anorexia endocrine abnormalities

Characterized by low $LH$, low $FSH$, and low $GnRH$ due to hypothalamic suppression.

Parotid swelling

A specific finding in anorexia or bulimia associated with the binge/purge pattern and repeated vomiting.

Purines

Building blocks for $DNA$, $RNA$, and $ATP$ that are synthesized endogenously and obtained from diet.

Stage 2 non-$REM$ sleep

Sleep stage characterized by sleep spindles and $K\text{-}complexes$.

Narrative therapy

Explores how personal and cultural stories shape identity and emphasizes re-authoring life stories.

Implosion

A therapy intervention where a patient imagines a horrible phobic situation in their head.

Complex PTSD ($ICD\text{-}11$)

Differentiated from $PTSD$ by featuring affective dysregulation, negative self-beliefs (low self-esteem), and interpersonal difficulties.

Difference in perception of form

Explains why one person sees a snake on the ground and another doesn't due to how visual stimuli are grouped/interpreted.

Negative affectivity

A trait qualifier used for diagnosing personality disorders in the $ICD\text{-}11$.

Fluoxetine half-life

$4\text{-}6$ days; its active metabolite norfluoxetine has a half-life up to $16$ days.

Putamen

A structure that forms part of the basal ganglia along with the caudate nucleus and globus pallidus.

Lassitude

An item assessed in the $MADRS$ that measures physical and mental tiredness.

Big Five personality assessment

Traits include Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Delirium core feature

Acute onset and fluctuation in attention and awareness.

National Adult Reading Test ($NART$)

A test used to assess premorbid intelligence.

Left realism

A criminology theory focusing on relative deprivation, marginalization, and social inequality.

Lithium dermatological side effect

Worsening of psoriasis, acne, and folliculitis.

Topiramate weight side effect

Distinctive weight loss, often used intentionally.

Rey-Osterrieth test

A test where a patient draws complex shapes (like intersecting hexagons) to assess visuospatial construction and memory.

Stroop test

Measures selective attention and inhibition using color-word conflict tasks.

Descriptive psychopathology

The systematic study of subjective and observable symptoms in mental disorders.

Memantine MOA

Non-competitive $NMDA$ antagonist.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy finding

Characterized by the presence of hyperphosphorylated tau.

Varenicline (Champix)

Partial agonist at $\text{α}4\text{β}2$ nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Likert scale feature

Based on an ordinal scale assumption where responses represent ranked order.

Microglia

Brain cells most affected by the gut-brain axis and microbiome.

ARFID

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder; an eating disorder not affected by body image distortion.

Integration

A process where a person practices their host culture while also joining groups in a new culture.

Synaptic pruning

A primary brain change occurring during adolescence alongside an increase in myelation.

Serotonin syndrome vs. NMS

Clonus is the clinical finding used to differentiate the two.

Moratorium

An identity status involving active exploration of options without having made a commitment.

Tardive dyskinesia mechanism

$D_2$ receptor supersensitivity and upregulation following long-term blockade.

Williams syndrome MRI

Shows underdevelopment of the dorsal stream (parietal-occipital lobes) with preserved frontal and temporal areas.

Bupropion

The antidepressant from the transcript list with the least effect on $REM$ sleep.

Alpha-1 adrenergic antagonism

The receptor mechanism primarily responsible for postural hypotension in antipsychotics like clozapine and quetiapine.

Conservation

The understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance, developed in the concrete operational stage.