An Integrative Approach to Neuroscientific Contributions in Psychopathology

1. Chapter 2An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology

2. One-Dimensional vs. Multidimensional Models • One-Dimensional Models • Explain behavior in terms of a single cause • Could mean a paradigm, school, or conceptual approach • Tendency to ignore information from other areas

3. One-Dimensional vs. Multidimensional Models (continued) • Multidimensional Models • Interdisciplinary, eclectic, and integrative • “System” of influences that cause and maintain suffering • Draws upon information from several sources • Abnormal behavior is multiply determined

4. Multidimensional Models of Abnormal Behavior • Major Influences • Biological • Behavioral • Emotional • Social & Cultural • Developmental

5. Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology • Phenotype vs. Genotype • Nature of Genes • Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) – The double helix • 23 pairs of chromosomes • Dominant vs. recessive genes • Development and behavior is often polygenetic • Genetic Contribution to Psychopathology • Less than 50%

6. The Interaction of Genetic and Environmental Effects • Eric Kandel and Gene-Environment Interactions • The Diathesis-Stress Model • Examples: Blood-injury-injection phobia, alcoholism

7. The Interaction of Genetic and Environmental Effects (continued) • Reciprocal Gene-Environment Model • Examples: Depression, impulsivity • Non-Genomic Inheritance of Behavior • Genes are not the whole story • Environmental influences may override genetics

8. Neuroscience Contributions to Psychopathology • The Field of Neuroscience • The role of the nervous system in disease and behavior • Branches of Human Nervous System • The Central Nervous System (CNS) • Brain and spinal cord • The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) • Somatic and autonomic branches

9. Neuroscience and the Central Nervous System • The Neuron • Soma – Cell body • Dendrites – Branches that receive messages from other neurons • Axon – Trunk of neuron that sends messages to other neurons • Axon terminals – Buds at end of axon from which chemical messages are sent • Synapses – Small gaps that separate neurons

10. Neuroscience and the Central Nervous System (continued) • Neurons Operate Electrically, but Communicate Chemically • Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers

11. Overview: Neuroscience and Brain Structure • Two Main Parts • Brainstem and forebrain • Three Main Divisions • Hindbrain • Midbrain • Forebrain

12. Neuroscience and the Divisions of the Brain • Hindbrain • Medulla – Heart rate, blood pressure, respiration • Pons – Regulates sleep stages • Cerebellum – Involved in physical coordination • Midbrain • Coordinates movement with sensory input • Contains parts of the reticular activating system (RAS)

13. Neuroscience and the Divisions of the Brain (continued) • Forebrain (Cerebral Cortex) • Most sensory, emotional, and cognitive processing • Two specialized hemispheres

14. Major Structures of the Brain Fig. 2.6b1, p. 47

15. Major Structures of the Brain Fig. 2.6b2, p. 47

16. Neuroscience and Brain Structure • Lobes of Cerebral Cortex • Frontal – Thinking and reasoning abilities, memory • Parietal – Touch recognition • Occipital – Integrates visual input • Temporal – Recognition of sights and sounds, long-term memory storage

17. Neuroscience and Brain Structure (continued) • Limbic System • Thalamus – Receives and integrates sensory information • Hypothalamus – Eating, drinking, aggression, sexual activity

18. Neuroscience: Peripheral Nervous and Endocrine Systems • Somatic Branch of PNS • Controls voluntary muscles and movement • Autonomic Branch of the PNS • Sympathetic and parasympathetic branches • Regulates cardiovascular system & body temperature • Also regulates the endocrine system and aids in digestion

19. Neuroscience: Peripheral Nervous and Endocrine Systems (continued) • The Endocrine System • Hormones • The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenalcortical Axis (HYPAC axis) • Integration of endocrine and nervous system function

20. Neuroscience: Functions of Main Types of Neurotransmitters • Functions of Neurotransmitters • Agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists • Most drugs are either agnostic or antagonistic

21. Neuroscience: Functions of Main Types of Neurotransmitters (continued) • Main Types of Neurotransmitters • Serotonin (5HT) • Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) • Norepinephrine • Dopamine

22. Major Serotonin Pathways in the Brain Fig. 2.10, p. 51

23. Manipulating Serotonin in the Brain Fig. 2.11, p. 52

24. Implications of Neuroscience for Psychopathology • Relations Between Brain and Abnormal Behavior • Example: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) • Psychosocial Influences • Can change brain structure and function

25. Implications of Neuroscience for Psychopathology (continued) • Therapy • Also can change brain structure and function • Medications and psychotherapy • Psychosocial Factors • Interact with brain structure and function

26. The Contributions of Behavioral and Cognitive Science • Conditioning and Cognitive Processes • Respondent and operant learning • Learned helplessness • Social Learning • Modeling and observational learning • Prepared learning

27. The Contributions of Behavioral and Cognitive Science (continued) • Cognitive Science and the Unconscious • Implicit memory • Blind sight • Stroop paradigm

28. The Role of Emotion in Psychopathology • The Nature of Emotion • To elicit or evoke action • Action tendency different from affect and mood • Intimately tied with several forms of psychopathology

29. The Role of Emotion in Psychopathology (continued) • Components of Emotion • Behavior, physiology, and cognition • Example of fear • Harmful Side of Emotional Dysregulation • Anger, hostility, emotional suppression, illness, and psychopathology

30. Emotion has three important and overlapping components: behavior, cognition,and physiology Fig. 2.15, p. 62

31. Cultural, Social, and Interpersonal Factors in Psychopathology • Cultural Factors • Influence the form and expression of behavior • Gender Effects • Exerts a strong and puzzling effect on psychopathology • Social Effects on Health and Behavior • Frequency and quality important • Related to mortality, disease, and psychopathology

32. Cultural, Social, and Interpersonal Factors in Psychopathology (continued) • Stigma of Psychopathology • Culturally, socially, and interpersonally situated

33. Life-Span and Developmental Influences Over Psychopathology • Life-Span Developmental Perspective • Addresses developmental changes • Influence and constrain what is normal and abnormal • The Principle of Equifinality • From developmental psychopathology • Several paths to a given outcome • Paths vary by developmental stage

34. Summary of the Multidimensional Perspective of Psychopathology • Multiple Causation • Is the rule, not the exception • Take a Broad, Comprehensive, Systemic Perspective • Biological • Psychological • Social, cultural, and developmental factors

35. Summary of the Multidimensional Perspective of Psychopathology (continued) • Comprehensive Approach • Understanding the causes of psychopathology • To best alleviate and prevent psychopathology