schizophrenia and affective disorders Flashcards
(26 cards)
how many people does sz affect
1 in 300
when is the onset of sz normally
often during adolescence and 20s
positive symptoms of sz
- hallucinations
- thought disorder
- delusions
negative symptoms of sz
- flat emotional response
- poverty of speech
- lack of initiative and persistence
- anhedonia
- social withdrawal
what are cognitive symptoms of sz
- difficulty sustaining attention
- low psychomotor speed
- deficits in learning and memory
- poor problem solving
- poor abstract thinking
what is the main neurological symptom of sz
ventricular enlargement
- ventricles of patients with sz are approximately 130% the size of normal controls
what are physical symptoms of sz
- double hair whorls
- epicanthus
- curved fifth finger
causes of sz
- link to polygenic trait
- environmental factors
- genetic predisposition
heritability
mz twins - 48%
parents - 46%
siblings - 9%
husband and wife - 2%
gen pop - 1%
environmental factors of sz
- cannabis use
- prenatal infection
- birth month
- childhood trauma
- chronic stress
what is the dopamine hypothesis
- people with sz have overactivity on dopamine neurons
- originated in 50s and 60s using antipsychotic medications
why do dopamine agonists induce positive symptoms
activity of dopamine neurons in the accumbens strongly reinforce behaviour
- high dopamine in nucleus accumbens and amygdala
what is the NMDA theory
- glutamate hypoactivity in regions involved with cognition and executive function
what is the serotonin theory
serotonin dysfunction may disrupt typical cognitive abilities prompting the sz development
what is an affective disorder
categorised as a mood disorder, identified by disruptions in emotions
why is sz not an affective disorder
- some overlap in symptoms, generally considered distinct due to unique clinical representations
what are the primary symptoms of affective disorders
- depression - low energy levels, loss of appetite
- mania - euphoria, delusional, poor attention span, lack of sleep
what are the main types of affective disorders
- bipolar
- unipolar
- seasonal affective disorder
what is bipolar disorder
- alternating periods of mania and depression
- 1% of pop
- frequent in men and women
what is unipolar disorder
- depression without mania
- 2 or 3 times more likely in women than men
what is SAD
- depression typically associated with the onset of winter months
neurology and physical symptoms of affective disorders
currently unclear - no consistent markers across conditions
causes of affective disorders
- link with genetics
- clear link with environmental factors
- genetic predisposition
heritability of affective disorders
gershon
- mz - 69% - even if not raised together - price 1968
dz - 13%
rosenthal 1971- 10 times more likely to suffer if relative also does
