Untitled Flashcards Set

Schizophrenia

• A severe mental illness. Negative symptoms include emotional withdrawal and flat affect. Positive symptoms include hallucinations and delusions

  Positive symptoms

• Abnormal behavioural states that have been gained

  Negative symptoms

• Reductions in typical functioning

  Heritability of schizophrenia

• Genes are only part of it 50% in identical twins who share same genes to it means at least half has to be environment

  Structural changes in the brain & schizophrenia

• More loss of gray matter, enlarged lateral ventricles

  Hypofrontality

• The frontal lobes are underactive in people with schizophrenia

  Lobotomy

• Surgical separation of part of the frontal lobes to the brain. Used to be used to “treat” schizophrenia

  Dopamine hypothesis

• A hypothesis that people with schizophrenia either have an excess of dopamine release or dopamine receptors

  Typical (“first-generation”) neuroleptics

• D2 receptor antagonists. Alleviated schizophrenia by blocking dopamine receptors

  Atypical (“second-generation”) neuroleptics

• D2 receptor antagonists. Also has other functions (an example: clozapine binding to serotonin receptors)

  PCP

• Phencyclidine. A drug that strongly resembles both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia a Psycotomimetic

  Ketamine

• Glutamate receptor agonist. UNTER study to potentially treat depression since it works almost immediately.

  Glutamate hypothesis

• Too little Glutamate might be contributing to symptoms of schizophrenia (specifically in PFC).

  Depression

• Psychiatric condition characterized by unhappy mood, loss of interests, reduced energy, changes of appetite and sleep patterns, and loss of pleasure i most things

  Neural activity (regions) & depression

• Increased activation of the amygdala (even after depression is gone) and PFC. Decreased temporal cortex and habenulae

  Electroconvulsive shock therapy

• intention al induction of a siezure, last resort for treating depression

  Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation rTMS

• Noninvasive treatment in which pulses of magnetic energy stimulate thecortex

  MAO inhibitors

• Inhibits MAO an Enzyme that breaks down monoamine neurotransmitters therefore making more monoamine transmitters. Treatment for depression. Serotonin agonist.

  Tricyclics

• Inhibits the reuptake of monoamines boosts their synaptic activity. Treats depression

  SSRIs

• Antidepressants that block the reuptake of serotonin, making more serotonin in synaptic activity. Serotonin agonist

  Bipolar disorder

• This psychiatric disorder is characterized by periods of depression that alternate with excessive, expansive moods.

  Lithium

• Treatment for bipolar disorder

  Anxiety disorders

• Any class of psychological disorder that includes recurrent panic states and generalized persistent anxiety disorder.

  Benzodiazepines

• Anxiety treatment. GABA agonists.