Neurosciences and Psychopharmacology Practice Flashcards

These flashcards cover various topics including prefrontal syndromes, neuropsychological tests, psychotropic drug mechanisms, side effects, genetic loci, developmental milestones, and social psychology concepts based on the lecture notes.

Medial (ventromedial) prefrontal syndrome

Also known as apathetic or pseudo-depressive type, it is featured by a paucity of spontaneous behaviours, sparse verbal output (poverty of speech), and reduced social knowledge.

Orbitofrontal syndrome

Also called disinhibited or pseudopsychopathic type, characterized by poor impulse control, explosive outbursts, and inappropriate behaviour.

Dorsolateral prefrontal syndrome

Also known as dysexecutive or disorganized type, characterized by executive dysfunction, diminished planning, cognitive dysfunction, and poor insight.

Cognitive Estimation Test

A test of frontal lobe function involving factual questions that require abstract processing, such as 'How many camels are there in England?'

National Adult Reading Test (NART)

A test where scores are given for the correct pronunciation of complex phonetic words such as DRACHM, SUPERFLUOUS, and PLACEBO.

Trail Making Test B

A neuropsychological test where the subject is asked to connect scattered numbers and alphabets in a sequence (e.g., 1-A-2-B-3-C) using pen and paper.

Amitriptyline ECG effects

An antidepressant medication that can cause dry mouth and significant QTc prolongation of >$510ms$, potentially leading to severe ventricular arrhythmias and collapse.

Clozapine-induced pericarditis

A condition associated with the use of clozapine, often presenting with chest discomfort and saddle-shaped ST elevation on an ECG.

Parotitis in Bulimia Nervosa

Painless swellings of the face that can occur particularly after an individual ceases self-induced vomiting; it usually resolves spontaneously.

Laxative misuse sequelae

Associated with overstimulation of the colon, which can lead to a decrease in intestinal motility and abdominal swelling once the laxatives are discontinued.

Acute Pancreatitis in Eating Disorders

Characterized by sharp epigastric pain radiating to the back that worsens with eating, which may occur in patients with purging behaviours in the absence of alcohol or biliary disorders.

Ideomotor apraxia

An inability to convert an idea into action or plan motor actions relying on semantic memory; patients may fail to perform a task when asked but can do it unconsciously (e.g., picking up a ringing phone).

Ideational apraxia

An impaired ability to complete multi-step actions or conceptualize a task, leading to errors like putting on shoes before socks.

Visuospatial agnosia

A loss of the sense of 'whereness' regarding the relation of oneself to the environment and the relation of objects to each other.

Parkinson's Disease genetic loci

Associated with mutations in the SNCA gene on chromosome $4$ and the PRKN gene on chromosome $6$.

Frontotemporal Dementia genetic loci

Commonly caused by mutations in the C9ORF72 gene (chromosome $9$), and the MAPT and GRN genes (both on chromosome $17$).

Huntington Disease genetic locus

Caused by CAG trinucleotide repeats in the HTT gene located on the short arm of chromosome $4$ (4p16.3).

Korsakoff's syndrome pathophysiology

Resulting from thiamine deficiency, it causes damage to the medial thalamus and mammillary bodies of the posterior hypothalamus.

Raphe nuclei

The principal source and storage site for serotonin release in the brain.

Kleine-Levin syndrome

A rare condition characterized by recurrent hypersomnia (sleeping $12$ to $21$ hours per day), hyperphagia, hypersexuality, and cognitive impairment.

Developmental Milestone: 6-9 months

The age range at which children usually start to crawl.

Developmental Milestone: 12 months

The age at which children can usually say a few single simple words, such as 'mama' or 'dada'.

Developmental Milestone: 2 years

The age at which a child can typically build a tower of $6$ to $7$ cubes.

Developmental Milestone: 3 years

The age at which a child can use simple sentences and copy a circle.

Developmental Milestone: 4 years

The age at which a child is typically able to copy a square.

Memantine mechanism of action

A non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist and a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist.

Galantamine mechanism of action

A selective and reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that also acts as a nicotinic receptor modulator.

Rivastigmine mechanism of action

A pseudo-irreversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and a butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor.

Donepezil mechanism of action

A selective and reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

Phenelzine to Sertraline switch

Requires the clinician to withdraw the MAOI first and wait for $2$ weeks before starting the SSRI.

Fluoxetine to Tranylcypromine switch

Requires the clinician to withdraw the SSRI and wait for $5$ to $6$ weeks before starting the MAOI.

California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)

A test used to assess verbal memory; it is not a specific test for frontal lobe function.

Aura

A stereotyped phenomenon commonly occurring in temporal lobe complex partial epilepsy, involving autonomic, visceral, or perceptual experiences.

Broca's aphasia features

Characterized by slow, halting, non-fluent speech with loss of inflections, although comprehension of language is typically preserved.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease early signs

Often includes cerebellar or visual complaints such as ataxia, diplopia, blurred vision, or visual agnosia, along with unsteadiness and myoclonus (startle response to noise).

Cerebellar vermis in Autism

A part of the brain that often shows hypoplasia and significantly lower Purkinje cell counts in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder.

Amygdala and Hippocampal interaction

The amygdala modulates the encoding and storage of hippocampal-dependent memories, while the hippocampal complex provides episodic representations of emotional significance.

Akinetic mutism vascular origin

Often results from a bilateral infarct involving the anterior cerebral artery.

Pre-optic area

A region of the hypothalamus responsible for thermoregulation.

5-hydroxytryptophan

The chemical precursor of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine).

5-HT1A receptors

Somatodendritic autoreceptors in the raphe nuclei that regulate 5-HT neuronal firing and post-synaptic receptors that regulate resilience and stress response.

Synaptic pruning

The natural elimination of unnecessary synapses that normally occurs during adolescence to make the brain more organized and efficient.

Cerebral torque

Opposing right-left asymmetries of frontal and parieto-occipital regions; disturbances in this are proposed as a pathological change in psychosis.

Mifepristone

A glucocorticoid receptor antagonist (type 2) and progestin receptor blocker that may ameliorate symptoms of major depression.

Neuropeptide Y

A substance secreted by the hypothalamus that potently induces an increase in food intake and stimulates vasopressine secretion.

REM latency in depression

Characteristically shortened in patients with depression, though it is not a specific marker as similar changes occur in mania and schizophrenia.

Clozapine-induced myocarditis

An adverse effect occurring within $6$ to $8$ weeks of starting clozapine, requiring urgent Troponin and C-reactive protein monitoring.

QTc upper normal values

The upper normal value for QTc is $440$ msec in males and $470$ msec in females.

Ebstein's anomaly

A congenital heart defect involving tricuspid valve displacement towards the right ventricle apex, associated with lithium use during pregnancy.

Logoclonia

A formal thought disorder characterized by the meaningless repetition of the last syllables of a word or phrase.

Ambitendency

A motor phenomenon where an individual alternates between resistance to and cooperation with instructions.

Asyndesis

A formal thought disorder characterized by a lack of genuine causal links between sequences of thoughts, creating a feeling of vagueness.

Self-serving bias

A cognitive bias where positive events are attributed to one's own character and negative events to external factors; this may be reversed in depression.

Diffusion of responsibility

A sociopsychological phenomenon where a person is less likely to take responsibility for action when others are present.

Handicap

A term used to describe the social disadvantage resulting from a disability.

Suppression

A mature defense mechanism involving the conscious decision to delay paying attention to a thought or emotion to cope with reality.