NURS 3554 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Mesocortical Pathway, Psychomotor Retardation, Mesolimbic Pathway
Document Summary
Chapter 12 - schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Epidemiology: lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia 1% worldwide, no difference related to. Schizophrenia: schizophrenia is potentially a devastating brain disorder that affects: Nicotine dependence: anxiety, depression, and suicide. Suicide = command hallucinations: physical health or illness, polydipsia. Not just dopamine involved but also things like serotonin: brain structure abnormalities. Hippocampus and frontal cortex structure = different activity in pet scan: positive symptoms: relate to excess dopamine function in the mesolimbic system. Symptoms include: illusions, hallucinations (sensory form), delusions (fixed. Also see an increase in norepinephrine and decrease in gaba and glutamate: negative symptoms are due to decreasing dopamine function in the mesocortical pathway of the brain. Symptoms are defined as: psychomotor retardation, difficulty with socialization, flat affect, poor ability to communicate, loss of emotional connectedness, and loss of executive functions. Psychological and environmental factors: prenatal stressors. Pregnancy and birth complications: psychological stressors. Developmental and family stress: environmental stressors.
