PSYC 235 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Hypomania, Mania, Basal Ganglia

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 235
• Professor: Christopher Bowie

Document Summary

Hypomanic episode: a distinct period of persistently elevated, expansive or irritable mood, lasting throughout at least 4 days, that is clearly different from the usual nondepressed mood. Bipolar i: mania + major depression (usually) Bipolar ii: hypomania + major depression: rapid-cycling bipolar: 4+ episodes per year (higher disability, lower treatment response) Cyclothymic disorder: hypomania + subthreshold depression (moderate depression) Norepinephrine increased during mania, decreased during depression (cause/product?) Serotonin system diminishment might relate to dopaminergic hyperactivity: dopaminergic agonists exacerbate manic symptoms, 10% of mania follows morning after sleep deprivation, which is associated with dopamine hypersensitivity, evidence for greater sensitivity to reward. Amygdala: identifies the significance of emotional stimuli. Diminished activity in the hippocampus and pfc probably play a role in the failure to encode relevant information and regulate amyggala. Pfc is crucial for goal setting, planning, and inhibition. Basal ganglia (a reward pathway structure) is overactive.