Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Question 1

Define affect?

Answer 1

Subjective experience of emotional state?

Weather analogy

Question 2

Define mood?

Answer 2

Pervasive and sustained emotion between the sad-happy continuum
(Climate analogy)

Question 3

When does a mood disturbance become pathological?

Answer 3

Persistent and severe
Disturbance in activity
Disturbance in thinking

Question 4

What are the three core symptoms of depression?

Answer 4

1. PERVASIVE low mood
2. Slowed activity
3. Slowed thinking

Question 5

Name various biological features associated with depression?

Answer 5

Loss of libido
Early morning wakening
Diurnal variation

Question 6

In the classification of mood disorders what are the four common patterns observed regarding the course of the mood disorder?

Answer 6

Single episode
Recurrent depression
Bipolar affective disorder
Chronic depression

Question 7

What is the most prevalent anxiety disorder?

Answer 7

Generalised anxiety disorder

Question 8

When does anxiety become pathological?

Answer 8

Increased intensity of significant stress
Increased frequency of significant stress
More impairing of significant stress

Question 9

Name the five diagnostic classifications of anxiety disorders?

Answer 9

1. Generalised anxiety disorder
2. Panic disorder
3. Phobic disorder
4. OCD
5. Mixed anxiety and depression

Question 10

How do TCAs work in the treatment of depression?

Answer 10

They inhibit 5HT and Norepi uptake in the synaptic clefts

Question 11

How do MAOIs work in the treatment of depression?

Answer 11

They inhibit the metabolism of 5HT and Norepi

Question 12

Where in the brain does neurogenesis take place?

Answer 12

Dentate gyrus

Hippocampus

Question 13

Where is 5HT found?

Answer 13

Raphe nucleus in the reticular foremation

Question 14

Which resilience increasing receptor does 5HT activate?

Answer 14

5HT 1A

Question 15

Lower levels of 5HT leads to what two adverse affects?

Answer 15

Increased response times to happy and neutral targets (not to sad ones)
Impaired recall to happy and neutral memories (but not sad ones)

Question 16

Which transporter is the principle site of action of many antidepressant drugs?

Answer 16

5HTT

Question 17

Transcriptional activity of the 5HTT gene is modulated by what?

Answer 17

A gene linked polymorphic region - 5HTTLPR

Question 18

Short promoter regions of the gene linked polymorphic regions leads to what outcome?

Answer 18

Less production of 5HTT

Question 19

Long promoter regions of the gene linked polymorphic region leads to what outcome?

Answer 19

More production of 5HTT

Question 20

Activation of which receptor by 5HT causes the reduction of impulses fired on to 5HT-1A post synaptic cells?

Answer 20

1A somatodendritic auto-receptors (on the cell body of the raphe cells)

Question 21

Activation of which receptor by 5HT causes the reduction of 5HT released per impulse on to 5HT-1A post synaptic cells?

Answer 21

1D terminal auto-receptor

Question 22

Activation of which receptor by nor-epi causes an increase of impulses fired onto the 5HT-1A post synaptic cells?

Answer 22

a1 post synaptic nor-epi receptors

Question 23

Activation of which receptor by nor-epi causes the reduction of 5HT released per impulse on to 5HT-1A post synaptic cells?

Answer 23

a2 terminal hetro-receptors

Question 24

Which substance causes the reduction in function (impairment) of the 5HT-1A post-synaptic receptors?

Answer 24

Cortisol

Question 25

Which brain region is inhibitory of the H-P-A axis?

Answer 25

Hippocampus

Question 26

Which brain region is excitatory of the H-P-A axis?

Answer 26

Amygdala

Question 27

What is the basic mechanism of action of anti-depressants?

Answer 27

To increase the functionality of the mechanism of resilience against chronic adverse stimuli (via increasing levels of 5HT acting on post synaptic 5HT-1A receptors) making it easier for patients to overcome stress