Schizophrenia

Question 1

What is schizophrenia

Answer 1

• One of the most devastating psychotic illness
• Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental disorder characterized by disturbances in thought, perception and behavior.
• The patient seems detached from reality

Question 2

Diagnostic Criteria of schizophrenia

Answer 2

Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month period: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disogranised or catatonic speech

Question 3

Explain the positive symptoms of Schizophrenia

Answer 3

Delusions, hallucinations, thought disorders

Question 4

Explain the negative symptoms of Schizophrenia

Answer 4

Lack of desire to form relationships, experience pleasure, motivation, and poverty of speech

Question 5

Explain the glutamate dysfunction

Answer 5

NMDA receptor hypofunction means the excess glutamate indirectly inhibits the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine neuron bodies

Question 6

Inadequate dopamine in frontal cortex is associated with what

Answer 6

Deficits in cognitive function, like memory

Question 7

Inadequate dopamine in the associative part of the nigrostriatal pathway is responsible for what?

Answer 7

The 3 positive symptoms

Question 8

Cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia are best explained by:
A- increased dopamine in the mesolimbic pathway
B- decreased dopamine in the mesocortical pathway
C- decreased dopamine in the nigrostriatal pathway
D- increased dopamine in the mesocortical pathway

Answer 8

Decreased dopamine in the mesocortical pathway