BPS 432 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Nucleus Accumbens, Monoamine Oxidase A, Iproniazid
6 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
Many psychiatrists believe bipolar depression is more closely related to schizophrenia than it is to. Studies indicate that certain combinations of genetic and environmental factors come together to produce these diseases. Studies published were done on twins that were adopted to eliminate the confounder of the same environment causing the diseases to prove it is genetics. Scans show less glucose utilization in various areas during depressive episodes. Dopaminergic pathway ending in the nucleus accumbens is thought to be hypofunctional in depressed patients which causes anhedonia. Drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines which cause release of dopamine from nerve terminals actually alleviate this. Patients may abuse these drugs because they have some kind of mental illness and using the drug makes them feel normal. Noradrenergic bran circuits arising in lc in brainstem, project to many different regions of the brain; a single neuron can project to almost every region of the brain. Important for arousal/fight and flight response in cns.
