schizophrenia (meron ako nito eh)

• Studies of twins and adopted children imply a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia
• Some people with schizophrenia show mild abnormalities in brain development, especially in the temporal and frontal lobes
• Schizophrenia may result from new mutations or deletions of genes important for brain development
• The dopamine hypothesis suggests schizophrenia is due to excess dopamine activity
• The glutamate hypothesis suggests deficient glutamate activity is part of the problem in schizophrenia
• Second-generation antipsychotic drugs relieve both positive and negative symptoms without producing tardive dyskinesia
• Adoption studies do not distinguish between the roles of genetics and prenatal environment in schizophrenia
• Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia may be related to less than fully functional frontal and temporal lobes
• Drugs that block dopamine synapses

  Reduce positive symptoms of schizophrenia
• According to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis, genes or early difficulties impair brain development leading to vulnerability to later insults and behavioral abnormalities in early adulthood
• Phencyclidine, which blocks NMDA glutamate synapses, produces both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, especially in predisposed individuals
• Second-generation antipsychotic drugs apparently do not improve overall quality of life any better than original drugs do
• Positive symptoms of schizophrenia


  • Hallucinations
  • Delusions
  • Inappropriate emotions
  • Bizarre behaviors
  • Thought disorder
• Negative symptoms of schizophrenia

  • Deficits of social interaction
  • Emotional expression
  • Speech
• Parts of the prefrontal cortex are slow to mature, early disruption of these areas may produce symptoms of schizophrenia in young adults
• Researchers have not located any gene strongly linked with schizophrenia in general
• The probability of schizophrenia is slightly higher for those subjected to difficulties before or at birth or during early infancy
• Prolonged use of antipsychotic drugs may produce tardive dyskinesia, a movement disorder
• Drugs that increase dopamine activity

  Induce positive symptoms of schizophrenia
• Delusions

  False beliefs not based in reality, common in psychotic disorders like schizophrenia
• Dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia

  Overactivity of dopamine in certain brain regions responsible for schizophrenia symptoms
• Butyrophenones


  • Used to treat schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
  • Examples include haloperidol and droperidol
• Mesolimbocortical system


  Brain pathway involved in reward, motivation, and emotional regulation, implicated in psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia
• Phencyclidine (PCP)

  Dissociative drug inducing hallucinations, delusions, and other psychotic symptoms
• Chlorpromazine


  • Specific antipsychotic medication belonging to the phenothiazine class
  • Commonly used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
• Differential diagnosis

  Process of distinguishing between conditions with similar symptoms by evaluating the patient's symptoms, medical history, and test results
• Negative symptoms

  Absence or reduction of normal behaviors and functions, examples include reduced emotional expression, social withdrawal, and lack of motivation
• Phenothiazines


  • Class of antipsychotic drugs including chlorpromazine
  • Work by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain to reduce psychosis symptoms
• Glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia

  Abnormalities in the glutamate system contribute to schizophrenia development
• Antipsychotic drugs

  Medications used to treat psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain to reduce symptoms like delusions and hallucinations
• DISC1 (Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1)

  Gene implicated in the development of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders
• Concordance


  Agreement between a patient and their healthcare provider on the treatment plan for a particular condition
• Hallucinations

  Sensory experiences occurring in the absence of external stimuli, can involve seeing, hearing, smelling, or feeling things not present
• Neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia

  Disruptions in brain development during early life contribute to schizophrenia development later in life
• Positive symptoms in schizophrenia


  • Hallucinations
  • Delusions
  • Disorganized thinking and speech
  • Abnormal motor behaviors
• Schizophrenia

  Chronic mental disorder characterized by positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive impairments, affecting how a person thinks, feels, and behaves
• Second-generation antipsychotics

  • Newer class of medications used to treat schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
  • Examples include risperidone, olanzapine, and clozapine
  • Thought to have a lower risk of side effects compared to first-generation antipsychotics
• Tardive dyskinesia

  • Side effect that can occur with long-term use of antipsychotic medications, particularly first-generation antipsychotics
  • Characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements of the face, tongue, and other parts of the body
  • Regular monitoring and adjustment of medication dosage can help prevent or manage this side effect
• Individuals born during certain seasons, such as winter or early spring, have a slightly higher risk of developing schizophrenia
• Exact cause of the season-of-birth effect in schizophrenia is not fully understood