Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders (Anxiety Disorders) Flashcards
What are some anxiety disorders?
Generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and phobias
What neurotransmitters are involved in anxiety disorders?
GABA and Serotonin
What does GABA do in anxiety disorders?
Increase sensitivity
What is there too low of in anxiety disorders?
Serotonin
What drugs are there for anxiety disorders?
Benzodiazepines that increase sensitivity to GABA receptors but are highly addictive. SSRI’s(antidepressants) work as well and are the number one choice.
What is Post-Traumatic Disorder(PTSD)?
Stress reaction from a traumatic event
Is PTSD heritable?
Yes, with heritability reaching 30%
What treatment is there for PTSD?
Exposure therapy, VR, fear erasure, D-cyclosporine combined with VR therapy that reduces PTSD by 50% after 6 months
What brain change are there from PTSD?
Hippocampus volume is reduced, decreased medial prefrontal cortex, hyperactive amygdala with anterior cingulate and insular cortex
What is activated in anxiety?
Amygdala and locus coeruleus
What are drugs that decrease locus coeruleus?
Anxiolytic
What does increase brain activity lead to?
Panic disorder
What circuits are involved in anxiety?
Ventral attention network that is responsible for paying attention to everything, salience network that is for distinguishing what is a responsible response, frontoparietal, and default mode network for monitor and planning
What is obsessive compulsive disorder(OCD)?
Obsessions like thoughts and compulsions to act on something
What are some brain abnormalities in OCD?
High activity in the orbital frontal cortex, and low activity in the basal ganglion