OCD explanation Flashcards

Question

what si the COMT gene

Answer 1

- codes for production of COMT - COMT regulates the production dopamine which involved in cause of OCD - one allele of the COMT gene has been found to be more common in OCD patients - this allele produces lower activity of the COMT gene and higher levels of dopamine - links to compulsive behaviours because overactivity in the basal ganglia impacts the caudate nucleus' ability to suppress worry signals from the OFC summary: alle of COMT gene leads to lower actovity of OCMT gene so can;t reglate dopamine as well ---> leads to higher levels of dopamine ---> associated with OCD because overactivity in the basal ganglia impacts the caudate nucleus' ability to suppress worry signals from the OFC

Answer 2

- affects transportation of serotonin - an allele of this gene affects the transport of serotonin, creating lower levels of the neurotransmitter - lower levels of serotonin implicated in OCD and linked ot obsessions - this is because it leads to higher levels of activity in the OFC, which therefore sends more worry signals summary: allele fo SERT affects transportation og serotonin --> leads to lower levels of it ---> associated with OCD because higher levels of activity in OFC which therefore sends more worry signals - obesssions

Answer 3

yes! its not caused by a single gene but a combination of genetic variations together increase vulnerability. Taylor (2013) did a meta-analysis and found that up to 230 different genes may be involved in OCD

Answer 4

- evidence that people are vulnerable to OCD because of their genetic make-up- review of twin studies found that 68% of MZ twins shared OCD compared to 31% of DZ twins, strongly suggests that there is a genetic influence on OCD as people who are more genetically similar were more likely to have OCD in common, implies valdi theory, however sicne condorance not 100% there is envrionmentla factors affecting - strength+weakness -Psychologists not very successful at determining which genes involved in OCD, seems several genes are involved and that each genetic variation only increases OCD risk by a fraction, suggests genes play some role in OCD therefore has some validity, but explanation is unlikely to be very useful because it provides little predictive value

Answer 5

- Twin studies make assumption that identical twins are only more similar than non-identical in terms of their genes, overlook that identical twins may also be more similar in terms of shared environments, studies to support the role of genetics can’t strongly support the validity of the theory as they cannot determine cause and effect between genetics and OCD - strength+weakness -Psychologists not very successful at determining which genes involved in OCD, seems several genes are involved and that each genetic variation only increases OCD risk by a fraction, suggests genes play some role in OCD therefore has some validity, but explanation is unlikely to be very useful because it provides little predictive value

Answer 6

- evidence to support the role of some neural mechanisms in OCD, antidepressants that only alter levels of serotonin have been effective in reducing OCD symptoms, symptoms decline significantly for around 70% of patients taking SSRIs, suggests that the serotonin system is involved in OCD and that therefore the theory has some validity. - suporting with undermining - evidence to suggest that various neurotransmitters and brain systems do not function normally in patients with OCD, however foesn't necessarily mean that this abnormal functioning caused the OCD, suggests that whilst neural mechanisms play a role in OCD, they may be a result of OCD rather than the cause, therefore can't cannot strongly support the internal validity of the theory

Answer 7

- Research has identified other brain systems beyond the decision-making systems may sometimes be involved in OCD, no system has been found to always play a role in OCD, cannot really claim to completely understand the neural mechanisms involved in OCD, whilst seems to be brain systems involved in OCD symptoms, this is not consistent across people with the disorder and so whilst the theory has some validity, it is unlikely to be very useful because it provides little predictive value.

Answer 8

- hard biological determinism - OCD caused by biologival factors outside of our control, means that the person isn't to blame for their OCD which may cause less distress and so could b considered to be a more ethical explanation of OCD - reductionist - believe the best way to explain OCD is to break it down into smaller constituent parts of genes, abnormal neurotransmitter levels and abnormal brain circuits, real-world applications for drug therapies to treat OCD as by being able to determine cause and effect can devlop drugs which alleviate the symptoms of OCD, there is evidence to support that these are effective (70%) and so suport external validiyt of biological approach

Answer 9

- Environmental factors also trigger/oncrease the risk of developing OCD, has been found that over half of OCD patients in one study had a traumatic experience in their past, more seevre for ppl with multiple traumas, suggests that OCD cannot be entirely biological in origin so not entirely valid, may be more productive to focus on environmental causes of OCD because we are able to do something about these and so they may have more real-world applications than biological explanations - determinist - may make people feel hopeless about having developed OCD as they couldn't prevent it, and therefore hopeless about their ability to alleviate their symptoms, could cause greater distress (increaaing symptoms) - reductionist - as a result, the explanations are unlikely to be complete explanations of OCD as they underestimate the importance of other factors that may be involved, add first point, and so can't be considered to be entirely valid explanations of OCD.

Answer 10

1. Results suggest OCD is partly genetic 2. Back up with concordance rates and % of genes shared 3. Results suggest that OCD is not entirely genetic; environment plays a role 4. Back up with concordance rates and % of genes shared

Answer 11

Start with a general overview – what does the biological approach generally say about the causes of OCD? Genetics: - What do you mean when you say OCD is genetic? - Explain the allele of the COMT gene that is linked to OCD - Explain the allele of the SERT gene that is linked to OCD Neural: - What do you mean by ‘neural’? - Explain the dopamine levels and serotonin levels - Explain the ‘worry circuit’ for people without OCD, explaining the role of each part of the brain as you go through - Then explain how in those with OCD the caudate nucleus is damaged and therefore leads to the obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

OCD explanation Flashcards

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