Module 3: Part 3 Flashcards
What do MRI studies show of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia?
- Decreased brain volume - Decreased size of hippocampus, amygdala & parahippocampal gyrus
What do PET studies show of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia?
- Decreased activation of the frontal lobe - Increased activation of the temporal lobe
What is the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?
- Increased dopamine —> +ve symptoms - Decreased dopamine (in mesocortical areas) —> -ve symptoms - Amphetamine + Levodopa —> Increased dopamine —> +ve symptoms in non-schizophrenics - D2 receptor antagonists are effective antipsychotics
What is the serotonin hypothesis of schizophrenia?
- Increased serotonin —> psychotic symptoms - 5HT receptor agonists (Psilocybin) —> +ve symptoms in non-schizophrenics - 5HT receptor antagonists —> -ve symptoms
What is the excitatory amino acid hypothesis?
- Decreased EAAs or decreased receptors —> Schizophrenia - SCZ have low CSF glutamate & low glutamate receptors in temporal lobe - NMDA receptor antagonists —> +ve and -ve symptoms in non-schizophrenics
What is the phospholipid membrane hypothesis?
- Abnormalities in phospholipid metabolism (neuronal membrane) —> Schizophrenia
What is the management of schizophrenia?
- Antipsychotics - Talking therapies - ECT - Hormones (conflicting evidence)
What is the prognosis of schizophrenia?
- Rule of 1/3 - 1/3 good outcomes - 1/3 have longer and repeated episodes - 1/3 chronic treatment resistance
What are some sex differences between males and females in schizophrenia?
- Males have: - Earlier onset - More -ve symptoms - Poorer prognosis
What are some potential mechanisms for sex differences between males and females?
- Higher incidence of birth injuries in boys - Buffer of early marriage in females (early marriage so more likely to have strong social relationships) - Sexually dimorphic brain anatomy - Differential effects of androgens and oestrogens
Describe the sexually dimorphic brain anatomy to explain sex differences in schizophrenia
- Brain template is female - At 6 weeks of gestation, testosterone differentiates male characteristics
Describe the activational effects of oestrogen in schizophrenia (Later in life)?
- Oestrogen may be protective against psychosis - Increased incidence after menopause, decreased psychosis during pregnancy and increased psychosis post-partum - Oestrogen antagonises dopamine receptors —> less positive symptoms - Oestrogen’s biphasic effects: effective in the short term but wears off - Oestrogen may up or down-regulate dopaminergic receptors - Oestrogen KO in mice —> Apoptosis of hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons (does not occur in females) - Variants in Oestrogen receptor alpha genes and mRNA (ESR1 variant associated with increased risk of psychosis)
What are the organisational effects of testosterone (Early in life)?
- Perinatal organisation effects of sex hormones on sexual differentiation - During development: in males: Increased testosterone to masculinise hypothalamus (not in females) - Testosterone modulates pre-frontal cortex and amygdala (organisational effects)
How does testosterone and oestrogen affect the disruption of pre-pulse inhibition in schizophrenia?
- Normally: loud noise —> startle response and quiet noise followed by loud noise —> decreased startle response - SCZ have disrupted startle PPI response so same startle response to loud and quiet + loud noise - Testosterone promotes disruption of pre-pulse inhibition - Oestrogen protects against disruption of pre-pulse inhibition
What domains do most child mental health problems fall into?
- Emotional problems - Conduct problems - Developmental delays - Relationship difficulties
What is a framework for child mental health assessment?
SIRSE - Symptoms: What sort of problem is it? - Impact: How much distress or impairment is it causing? - Risks: What has initiated or maintained the problem? - Strengths: What assets are there to work with? - Explanatory model: what beliefs or expectations do the family or young person bring with them?
What is the epidemiology of Child/Adolescent Mental Health?
- Overall prevalence of CYP disorder- 6.8% - In CYP, if there is a brain disorder, CYP disorders are 44% - Emotional disorders: Female and Male: 1:0.7 - Conduct disorder: Female and Male 1:4:
What is autism?
- Triad of impairment 1) Communication 2) Social interactions 3) Restricted, repetitive and stereotypic patterns of behaviours - Spectrum - Strongly associated with Intellectual Disability but increasing prevalence now 70% have normal range IQ - Boys:Girls; 4:1 - ICD-10 - Regression 20-30%
Describe impairment in communication in Autism
Verbal - Speech delay - Stereotypic speech (utterances) Non-verbal - Poor gestures - Lack of varied spontaneous make-believe and creative play
Describe impairment in social interaction in Autism
- Impaired reciprocal interaction - Miss social-emotional cues and lack reciprocity - Lacking ‘Theory of mind’ - Literal, concrete understanding - Failure to develop peer relationships - Lack of shared enjoyment and pleasure
Describe restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of interests and behaviours
- Tendency not to use objects in intended functional fashion (e.g. repetitive use, unusual sensory interests) - Little imaginative play - Stereotyped motor mannerisms (e.g. hand and finger/complex mannerisms) - Adherence to non functional routines/rituals - Unusual pre-occupations or circumscribed interests
What is Childhood Autism?
- Triad of impaired communication, impaired social relationships and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped behaviour - Abnormal and/or impaired development before 3 years old - Non specific problems: fears/phobia, sleeping/eating disturbances, aggression, self-injury
What is Asperger’s Syndrome?
- Autism BUT no delay in language or cognitive development - M > F - Strong tendency for abnormalities to persist into adolescence and adulthood
Describe development in Autism
- A continual childhood process - Behaviours ‘normal’ at one age may be ‘abnormal’ at another - ASD has to be viewed developmentally for accurate diagnosis, assessment and intervention (deviance and/or delay) - Quality of social overture is more important in High Functional Autism and older children
