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schizophrenia
A serious mental disorder characterized by disordered thoughts, delusions, hallucinations, and often bizarre behaviors.
positive symptom
A symptom of schizophrenia evident by its presence: delusions, hallucinations, or thought disorders.
thought disorder
Disorganized, irrational thinking.
delusion
A belief that is clearly in contradiction to reality.
hallucination
Perception of a nonexistent object or event.
negative symptom
A symptom of schizophrenia characterized by the absence of behaviors that are normally present: social withdrawal, lack of affect, and reduced motivation.
chlorpromazine
A dopamine receptor blocker; a most commonly prescribed antischizophrenic drug.
clozapine
An "atypical" antipsychotic drug; blocks D4 receptors in the nucleus accumbens.
tardive dyskinesia
A movement disorder that can after prolonged treatment with antipsychotic medication, characterized by involuntary movements of the face and neck.
supersensitivity
The increased sensitivity of neurotransmitter receptors; caused by damage to the afferent axons or long-term blockage of neurotransmitter release.
epidemiology
The study of the distribution and causes of diseases in populations.
seasonality effect
The increased incidence of schizophrenia in people born during late winter and early spring.
latitude effect
The increased incidence of schizophrenia in people born far from the equator.
major affective disorder
A serious mood disorder; includes unipolar depression and bipolar disorder.
bipolar disorder
A serious mood disorder characterized by cyclical periods of mania and depression.
unipolar depression
A serious mood disorder that consists of unremitting depression or periods of depression that do not alternate with periods of mania.
tricyclic antidepressant
A class of drugs used to treat depression; inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin; named for the molecular structure.
specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor/SSRI
A drug that inhibits the reuptake of serotonin without affecting the reuptake of other neurotransmitters.
electroconvulsive therapy/ECT
A brief electrical shock, applied to the head, that results in an electrical seizure; used therapeutically to alleviate severe depression.
lithium
An element; lithium carbonate is used to treat bipolar disorder.
phosphoinositide system
A biochemical pathway responsible for the production of several second messengers.
carbamazepine
A drug (trade name: Tegretol) used to treat seizures originating from a focus, generally in the medial temporal lobe.
monoamine hypothesis
A hypothesis that states that depression is caused by a low level of activity of one or more monoaminergic synapses.
5-HIAA
A breakdown product of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT).
tryptophan depletion procedure
A procedure involving a low tryptophan diet and a tryptophan-free amino acid "cocktail" that lowers brain tryptophan and consequently decreases the synthesis of 5-HT.
subsensitivity
Decreased sensitivity of neurotransmitter receptors; a compensatory response to their prolonged stimulation.
seasonal affective disorder
A mood disorder characterized by depression, lethargy, sleep disturbances, and craving for carbohydrates during the winter season when days are short.
summer depression
A mood disorder characterized by depression, sleep disturbances, and loss of appetite.
phototherapy
Treatment of seasonal affective disorder by daily exposure to bright light.
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anxiety disorder
A psychological disorder characterized by tension, overactivity of the autonomic nervous system, expectation of an impending disaster, and continuous vigilance for danger.
panic disorder
A disorder characterized by episodic periods of symptoms such as shortness of breath, irregularities in heartbeat, and other autonomic symptoms, accompanied by intense fear.
anticipatory anxiety
A fear of having a panic attack; may lead to the development of agoraphobia.
agoraphobia
A fear of being away from home or other protected places.
obsessive-compulsive disorder
A mental disorder characterized by obsessions and compulsions.
obsession
An unwanted thought or idea with which a person is preoccupied.
compulsion
The feeling that one is obliged to perform a behavior, even if one prefers not to do so.
Tourette's syndrome
A neurological disorder characterized by tics and involuntary vocalizations and sometimes by compulsive uttering of obscenities and repetition of the utterances of others.
Sydenham's chorea
An autoimmune disease that attacks parts of the brain including the basal ganglia and produces involuntary movements and often the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
autistic disorder
A chronic disorder whose symptoms include failure to develop normal social relations with other people, impaired development of communicative ability, lack of imaginative ability, and repetitive, stereotyped movements.
phenylketonuria
A hereditary disorder caused by the absence of an enzyme that converts the amino acid phenylalanine to tyrosine; causes brain damage unless a special diet is implemented soon after birth.
fragile X syndrome
A genetic disorder caused by a faulty gene on the X chromosome; the leading genetic cause of mental retardation.
stress
A general, imprecise term that can refer either to a stress response or to a stressor (stressful situation).
stressor
A stimulus (or situation) that produces a stress response.
stress response
A physiological reaction caused by the perception of aversive or threatening situations.
fight-or-flight response
A species-typical response preparatory to fighting or fleeing; thought to be responsible for some of the deleterious effects of stressful situations on health.
glucocorticoid
One of a group of hormones of the adrenal cortex that are important in protein and carbohydrate metabolism, secreted especially in times of stress.
corticotropin-releasing factor/CRF
A hypothalamic hormone that stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to secrete ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone).
adrenocorticotropic hormone/ACTH
A hormone released by the anterior pituitary gland in response to CRF; stimulates the adrenal cortex to produce glucocorticoids.
posttraumatic stress disorder
A psychological disorder caused by exposure to a situation of extreme danger and stress; symptoms include recurrent dreams or recollections; can interfere with social activities and a feeling of hopelessness.
psychoneuroimmunology
The branch of neuroscience involved with interactions between environmental stimuli, the nervous system, and the immune system.
natural killer cell
A white blood cell that destroys cells infected by viruses.
antigen
A protein present on a microorganism that permits the immune system to recognize it as an invader.
antibody
A protein produced by a cell of the immune system that recognizes antigens present on invading microorganisms.
B-lymphocyte
A white blood cell that originates in the bone marrow; part of the immune system.
immunoglobulin
An antibody released by B-lymphocytes that bind with antigens and help destroy invading microorganisms.
T-lymphocyte
A white blood cell that originates in the thymus gland; part of the immune system.
cytokine
A category of chemicals released by certain white blood cells when they detect the presence of an invading microorganism ; causes other white blood cells to proliferate and mount an attack against the invader.