Lecture: Schizophrenia

9 important questions on Lecture: Schizophrenia

Explain what positive symptoms are and give 2 examples.

Excess of normal functions
These are psychotic episodes (desilusions and hallucinations)

Psychotic episodes can also be a symptom of other psychiatric diseases such as:

  • Bipolar disorder
  • Major depressive disorder

Explain hallucinations. Which kind of hallucinations are the most common?

  • Most common: auditory (harsh voices giving negative comments/orders)
  • But may occur in any sensory modality: visual, tactile, gustatory, olfactory (smell of gas, rotting meat).
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Explain what negative symptoms of schizophrenia are and give 4 examples.

The reduction of normal functions.
  1. Blunted affect: restrictions in rage and intensity of emotional expression (feeling empty, recalls few emotional experiences; little facial expression).
  2. Dysfunction of motivation: reduced motivation persistence, passivity, reduced ability to undertake and complete everyday tasks; may have poor personal hygiene.
  3. Anhedonia: dysfunction of capacity for pleasure; reduce ability to experience pleasure; decreased interest in previous hobbies.
  4. Asociality: reduced social drive and interaction. Little sexual interest, few friends, little interest in spending time with friends.

Which drug do you know that could elicit psychosis?

Cocaine (DAT reuptake inhibitor) and Amphetamine (DAT reuptake inhibitor + DA releaser: more DA in synapse) > psychosis.

How do first antipsychotics work?

These are DA receptor blockers (DA antagonists).The first antipsychotics work by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, which helps to reduce the symptoms of psychosis.

Draw the mesolimbic dopamine pathway. Mesolimbic overactivity leads to:

From the midbrain to the limbic pathway. Overactivity leads to positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Positive symptoms arise because of hyperactive DA neurons in mesolimbic circuit.

'too much DA in ventral striatium'.

Draw the mesocortical dopamine pathway. Underactivity leads to?

Negative, cognitive and affective symptoms of schizophrenia. This is because of hypoactive DA neurons in mesocortical circuit.
  • Too little DA in PFC.

Integrated dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia attempts to explain all symptoms of schizophrenia by

- Dysregulation of mesolimbic and mesocortical pathway
- With relative preservation of functioning of nigrostriatal and tuberoinfundibular pathways.

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