Week 3: Neurobiology

What are the inhibitory/calming neurotransmitters?

Serotonin and GABA

What are the excitatory neurotransmitters?

Dopamine, glutamate, and epinephrine

What are the other neurotransmitters?

Acetylcholine, histamine, and norepinephrine

What is apraxia?

Difficulty controlling fine and gross motor movement

What is the amygdala?

It processes emotions: anxiety, fear, and pleasure

What is neuroplasticity?

The lifelong ability of the brain to change with learning and new experiences

What is synaptic pruning?

Neurological process that removes unnecessary/damaged/weak/unused synapses, which improves the networking capacity and creates new space for new experiences

What is discontinuation syndrome?

Occurs when there is a sudden decrease in dosage or a sudden discontinuation of certain psychotropic medications, which can cause rebound or relapse of original s/s

What are imaging techniques that show the anatomy/structure of the brain?

CT and MRI

What are the imaging techniques that show function of the brain?

PET, SPECT, and fMRI

Describe how a PET scan looks different in someone with depression?

More black areas, literal depression of brain activity

What are the basic, normal functions of the brain?

Maintains homeostasis, regulation of ANS and hormones, Circadian rhythms, conscious mental activity, and memory

What are the functions of the frontal lobe?

Thought processes: thinking, planning, organizing, problem solving, emotional and behavioral control- personality

If there is damage to the frontal lobe, what may that result in?

Inability to plan sequence of steps/actions, perseveration, inability to focus on a task, mood changes (labile) personality changes, inability to express language (Broca’s Aphasia)

What is perseveration?

Persistence of a thought and not letting go of it

What does it mean to be labile?

Emotions all over the place (rollercoaster)

What are the functions of the parietal lobe?

Perception; making sense of the world, spelling, arithmetic (math)

If there is damage to the parietal lobe, what may that result in?

Problems with reading, naming objects, drawing, math, left v right, lack of awareness of body and space, apraxia

What are the functions of the temporal lobe?

Memory, understanding language, auditory

If there is damage to the temporal lobe, what may that result in?

Prosopagnosia, Wernike’s Aphasia, difficulty with identification of objects, memory loss (short and long term), persistent talking, increased aggressive behavior

What is prosopagnosia?

Difficulty recognizing faces

What are the functions of the occipital lobe?

Vision

If there is damage to the occipital lobe, what may that result in?

Defect in vision (field cuts), production of hallucinations, visual illusions, inability to recognize words and drawn objects, inability to recognize the movement of objects (movement agnosia)

What is the difference between a visual hallucination and a visual illusion?

A visual hallucination is when they see something that is not there, while a visual illusion is seeing something different than what is there (ex. mirage)

What are the functions of the limbic system?

Learning, memory, emotions, and visceral responses

What is the result of limbic system abnormalities?

excessive emotional response

What are the functions of the hippocampus?

Memory and controls the endocrine and immune systems

What are the functions of the basal ganglia?

Coordinates and aids in the movement of skeletal muscles

What is the pathway of a stimulus?

Peripheral Nervous system → sensory cortex → hippocampus → amygdala → basal ganglia

What psychiatric diagnosis is related to synaptic overpruning?

Schizophrenia

What are cognitive distortions?

Automatic negative thoughts that come into your brain

What are neurotransmitters?

Chemicals that reside in tiny sacs at the end of the axon that are released when electrical impulses pass along the axon

How do medications impact neurotransmitters?

They can enhance the release, inhibit the release, or block the synthesis (creation) of neurotransmitters

What psychiatric conditions is decreased dopamine related to?

Depression and addiction

What psychiatric conditions is increased dopamine related to?

Mania and positive symptoms (pacing, visions) in schizophrenia

When dopamine is referenced, what condition should you think of?

Schizophrenia

What psychiatric conditions is increased norepinephrine related to?

Mania, anxiety, and schizophrenia

What psychiatric conditions is decreased norepinephrine related to?

Depression

What psychiatric conditions is decreased glutamine related to?

psychosis, autism, OCD, depression, and schizophrenia

What is psychosis?

Not in touch with reality

Why are high levels of glutamate dangerous?

It causes seizures

What does epinephrine do?

Activates fight-or-flight response

What psychiatric conditions is decreased serotonin related to?

Depression and anxiety

When serotonin is referenced, what condition should you think of?

Depression

What psychiatric conditions is decreased GABA related to?

Anxiety, stress, mania, and schizophrenia

When GABA is referenced, what condition should you think of?

Stress and anxiety

What psychiatric conditions is decreased acetylcholine related to?

Alzheimer’s and sleep disorders

What psychiatric conditions is increased acetylcholine related to?

Depression

What is psychopharmacology?

The study of drug effects in clients with psychiatric conditions

What causes abnormalities in emotions, behavior, and cognition in the brain?

Biochemical alterations of neurotransmitters and their functions in the brain

How do medications help psychiatric disorders and their symptoms?

The medications alter the neurotransmitters and what they are doing in the brain

How does culture impact medications?

African Americans and people of Asian descent have slower metabolisms so they keep meds onboard for longer and that can be dangerous if dosing is not spread out appropriately