WEEK 9-Neuroscience of Schizophrenia

Flashcards about the Neuroscience of Schizophrenia

Dr. Emile Kraepelin (1887)

Described "dementia praecox," symptoms now associated with schizophrenia and distinguished it from manic depression.

Prevalence of Schizophrenia

Worldwide median prevalence is 15.2 per 100,000 persons.

Positive Symptoms

Reflect an excess or distortion of normal functions

Negative Symptoms

Reflect a diminution or loss of normal functions

Examples of Positive Symptoms

Hallucinations (often auditory), Delusions (grandeur, persecution), Disordered thought processes, Bizarre behaviors.

Examples of Negative Symptoms

Social withdrawal, Flat affect (blunted emotional responses), Anhedonia (loss of pleasurable feelings), Alogia (reduced speech output), Catatonia (reduced movement).

Genetics of Schizophrenia

Multigenic, with genes scattered across all but 8 chromosomes implicated. Twin studies suggest other factors beyond genetics contribute.

Risk Factors for Schizophrenia

Prenatal malnutrition, Infection, Environment, Childhood trauma (?), Cannabis, Amphetamines/alcohol use.

Structural Brain Changes in Schizophrenia

Larger ventricles, Smaller hippocampus, amygdala, parahippocampus, Disordered hippocampal pyramidal cells, Shrinkage of cerebellar vermis, Thicker corpus callosum, Abnormal neuronal migration, fewer dendritic spines.

Hypofrontality Hypothesis

Low frontal blood flow, lower frontal lobe activity at rest that doesn't increase during cognitive tasks.

Dopamine (DA) Hypothesis

Excessive activation of dopaminergic circuits, particularly involving D2 receptors.

Glutamate Hypothesis

Suggests glutamate inactivity, as PCP, an NMDA antagonist, induces similar symptoms to schizophrenia.

Mesocorticolimbic Pathway

Connects the limbic system with the frontal cortex; Overactivity contributes to disordered thought, emotion, and behavior.

Australian Treatment Guidelines

Combination of medication, psychological treatment, and community support.

1887

Emile Kraepelin coined the term 'dementia praecox' in what year?

0.25%

In Australia, what percentage of the population are diagnosed with schizophrenia?

Cerebellar vermis

Which part of the brain shows shrinkage in schizophrenia?