NBD SCHIZOPHRENIA EXAM #2
CORRECT ANSWERS
Describe neurodevelopmental hallmarks of schizophrenia - ANSWER-reduced IQ at
early age
changes in thought
social isolation and impaired functioning
Psychosis: hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thought and behavior
negative symptoms and cognitive deficits
Chronic disability: intervention not effective at this point. Disability mainly due to
negative symptoms
How does a schizophrenic brain develop differently than a normal brain? -
ANSWER-excessive excitatory pruning
reduced inhibitory synapse development
reduced interneuron activity
deficient myelination
How is GABA involved in schizophrenia? - ANSWER-GABA is the major inhibitory
neuron in the brain. In the case of schizophrenics, there are indicators that suggest
disabled GABA function such as upregulation of GABA receptors. There is too much
dopamine projected onto the nucleus accumbens because there is not enough
GABA to inhibit dopamine release.
Due to faulty NMDA receptors, glutamate in the PFC is unable to stimulate GABA,
and GABA is then unable to inhibit dopamine.
What are the pathophysiological markers of schizophrenia? - ANSWER-Mutation in
mGluR3: normally downregulates release of glutamate
G72: activates enzyme that catabolyzes D-serine. reduced availability decreases
NMDA function
increased ventricles: increased density of cell bodies, not cell death
decreased dendritic spines
What is the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia? What neural pathways are
involved? - ANSWER-Too much dopamine in the mesolimbic pathway (positive
symptoms)
Too little dopamine in the mesocortical pathway dlPFC (negative symptoms)
CORRECT ANSWERS
Describe neurodevelopmental hallmarks of schizophrenia - ANSWER-reduced IQ at
early age
changes in thought
social isolation and impaired functioning
Psychosis: hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thought and behavior
negative symptoms and cognitive deficits
Chronic disability: intervention not effective at this point. Disability mainly due to
negative symptoms
How does a schizophrenic brain develop differently than a normal brain? -
ANSWER-excessive excitatory pruning
reduced inhibitory synapse development
reduced interneuron activity
deficient myelination
How is GABA involved in schizophrenia? - ANSWER-GABA is the major inhibitory
neuron in the brain. In the case of schizophrenics, there are indicators that suggest
disabled GABA function such as upregulation of GABA receptors. There is too much
dopamine projected onto the nucleus accumbens because there is not enough
GABA to inhibit dopamine release.
Due to faulty NMDA receptors, glutamate in the PFC is unable to stimulate GABA,
and GABA is then unable to inhibit dopamine.
What are the pathophysiological markers of schizophrenia? - ANSWER-Mutation in
mGluR3: normally downregulates release of glutamate
G72: activates enzyme that catabolyzes D-serine. reduced availability decreases
NMDA function
increased ventricles: increased density of cell bodies, not cell death
decreased dendritic spines
What is the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia? What neural pathways are
involved? - ANSWER-Too much dopamine in the mesolimbic pathway (positive
symptoms)
Too little dopamine in the mesocortical pathway dlPFC (negative symptoms)
