APP Test 4 Notes

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Test 4 Notes : Schizophrenia

Key Terms: Schizophrenia

Catatonia: Symptom of schizophrenia associated with unresponsiveness and immobility

Delusion: Irrational thoughts or false beliefs

Extrapryamidal symptoms: Excessive muscle movement (motor activity) associated with the use of neuroleptics that include muscular rigidity, tremor, bradykinesia (slow movement), and difficulty in walking

Hallucination: Visions or voices that exist only in the mind and cannot be seen or heard by others

Negative symptom: Sign of schizophrenia that is associated with decreased ability to think, plan, or express emotion

Neuroleptic: Drug used to treat schizophrenia or psychoses

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: Potentially fatal reaction to the administration of neuroleptics. Symptoms include stupor, muscle rigidity, and high temperature.

Positive symptom: Hallucination, delusions, often thought as bizarre behavior

Postural hypotension: Drop in blood pressure caused by a change in posture

Pseudoparkinsonism: Adverse reaction to the administration of neuroleptics. Parkinson's disease-like symptoms

Psychosis: Mental state characterized by disorganized behavior and thought, delusions, hallucinations, and a loss of touch with reality.

Schizophrenia is associated with excess levels of dopamine. Drugs capable of blocking transmission of signals in the dopaminergic system, located in the midbrain and hypothalamus, are used in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Treatments for schizophrenia that involve dopamine blockade can produce pseudoparkinsonism, Parkinson's disease like symptoms, (eg. tremor, and bradykinesia) as a side effect

Therapeutic effects of depot formulations of neuroleptics may persist for up to 3-4 weeks

Onset for schizophrenia typically occur in late teens to mid 20s. In women, this may not develop until mid-20s to early 30s.

The greater the affinity the drug has for D2 receptors, the more effective is the drug. (D2=Dopamine)

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Test 4 Notes: Parkinson's disease

Key Terms: Parkinson's disease

Acetylcholinesterase: Enzyme that degrades the neurotransmitter acetycholine

Basal ganglia: Subcortical nuclei located in the forebrain and brainstem that initiate, control and modulate movement and posture.

Bradykinesia: Slowness in initiating and carrying out voluntary movements

Cognitive functions: The ability to take in information via the senses, process the details, commit the information to memory and recall it when necessary.

Huntington's disease: Progressive and degenerative disease of neurons that affects the muscle movement, cognitive functions and emotions.

Neurodegenerative disease: Disorder that results in progressive destruction of neurons.

Nigrostriatal pathways: Pathways located in the substantial migration that stimulate and inhibit movement.

Parkinson's disease: Progressive disorder of the nervous system involving degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and causing impaired muscle movement.

Pseudoparkinsonism: Drug-induced condition that resembles Parkinson's disease.

Substantia nigra: Part of the basal ganglia containing clusters of dopamine-producing neurons.

Symptoms of Parkinson's disease are a result of an imbalance between DA (Dopamine) and AcH (Acetylcholine)

Anticholinergic effects of Antiparknson's drugs are blurred vision, constipation, urinary retention, and dry mouth

Cabidopa is an adjunct to Levodopa (carries Levodopa across blood brain barrier and inhibits metabolism of Levodopa in the GI tract