Week 7 Revision

Question 1

What is unipolar depression?

Answer 1

having symptoms of depression only

Question 2

What is bipolar depression?

Answer 2

Having periods of depression with periods of mania. Mania is characterised by sudden outburst of activity, rapid speech & thinking, expanded optimistic ideas

Question 3

List two common symptoms of depression?

Answer 3

• Low mood

- Loss of appetite

Question 4

What can be a severe symptoms of depression?

Answer 4

They may expereince withdrawl from reality with psychotic symptoms in bipolar depression

Question 5

What gender is more common with sucide?

Answer 5

More women attempt suicide, more males succeed.

Question 6

When does post partum depression occur? How long can it last for?

Answer 6

Peaks between 3 to 6 weeks after the baby is delivered. Post partum depression can occur up to 6 months post birth & can last for most of the first year

Question 7

What is seasonal affective disorder?

Answer 7

Depression that occurs in the winter months due to the shorter day and less light. During the dark noradrenaline levels rise

Question 8

What is serotonin?

Answer 8

A neurotransmitter - levels of this can reduce in depression. Low levels can be associated with violent behaviour against other. This also is associated with lower levels of noradrenaline in the brain

Question 9

What is noradrenaline? How does it relate to depression?

Answer 9

A seconday neurotransmitter - there is a lack of noradrenaline receptors in depression

Question 10

What hormones are affected by patients with depression?

Answer 10

There will be a lower level of growth hormones and thyroxine

Question 11

What % of dementia is caused by a reduced blood supply to the brain?

Answer 11

25%

Question 12

What are the two neurotransmitters involved in depression?

Answer 12

Serotonin and noradrenaline

Question 13

What causes someone memory to become worse when they age?

Answer 13

There is a change in the synapses between nurones. The nurones then begin to slowly die, adn the synpatic connection is lost, resulting in memories going.

Question 14

What is anterograde?

Answer 14

Memories go first

Question 15

What is retrograde?

Answer 15

Memories lost at a later date

Question 16

What 2 things happen to the brain when someone has dementia?

Answer 16

1) extreme shrinkage of cerebral cortex

2) severely enlarged ventricles

Question 17

List 2 features of memory loss

Answer 17

1) Problems remembering recent events

2) Organisation problems

Question 18

What is alzheimers disease?

Answer 18

Plaques between neurons & tangles in neuron cell bodies.

Question 19

What is vascular dementia (post-stroke dementia)?

Answer 19

Sudden loss of function of large area of brain due to clot/bleed of major artery.

Question 20

What is vascular dementia (sub-cortical demenetia)?

Answer 20

Restriction to blood flow in small arteries in white matter.

Question 21

What are lewy bodies?

Answer 21

Small protein deposits in nerves seen in Parkinson’s Disease

Question 22

What are 2 rare types of dementia?

Answer 22

1) Pick’s Disease

2) Posterior Cortical Atrophy

Question 23

What age does early alzheimers dementia typically occur?

Answer 23

between 60 and 70 years of age

Question 24

What 3 genes are associated with alzheimers disease?

Answer 24

Presenilin-1 (PS1) (most common)
Amyloid βA4 protein (APP)
Presenilin-2 (PS2) (very rare)

Question 25

What are two anti-dementia medications? How are they given?

Answer 25

Donepezil
Memantine

Diagnosis and treatment by a specialist

Question 26

What are the two pathological changes in the brain due to Alzheimer’s disease?

Answer 26

extracellular plaques

intracellular neurofibrillary tangles

Question 27

What are three common signs of dementia?

Answer 27

Confusion
Self-neglect
Amnesia

Question 28

What is agglutination?

Answer 28

the clumping together of red blood cells due to binding of antigens and antibodies