Affective behavior schizophrenia

The major cognitive disturbances in schizophrenia may result from a deficit of myelination in relevant neuronal structures, such as the corpus callosum, involved in connectivity between both hemispheres the resulting decrease of electrical conduction in fiber tracks linking different parts of the brain may affect behavior and perception (Haroutunian and Davis, 2007 Haroutunian et al., 2007). 

The molten carbonate fuel ceU uses eutectic blends of Hthium and potassium carbonates as the electrolyte. A special grade of Hthium carbonate is used in treatment of affective mental (mood) disorders, including clinical depression and bipolar disorders. Lithium has also been evaluated in treatment of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, alcoholism, and periodic aggressive behavior (56). 

The typical antipsychotic drugs, which for 50 years have been the mainstay of treatment of schizophrenia, as well as of psychosis that occurs secondary to bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, affect primarily the positive symptoms[10]. The behavioral symptoms, such as agitation or profound withdrawal, that accompany psychosis, respond to the antipsychotic drugs within a period of hours to days after the initiation of treatment. The cognitive aspects of psychosis, such as the delusions and hallucinations, however, tend to resolve more slowly. In fact, for many patients the hallucinations and delusions may persist but lose their emotional salience and intrusiveness. The positive symptoms tend to wax and wane over time, are exacerbated by stress, and generally become less prominent as the patient becomes older. 

Traditionally, most affective disorders have been treated with compounds that resemble the neurotransmitters that are deficient or in excess in specific brain regions. The aberrant levels of neurotransmitters (or their receptors), such as norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin, have correlated with behavioral symptoms of schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, motor dysfunctions, attention difficulties, and cognitive disorders. Most drugs discovered for these disorders resulted from screening compounds directly in rodent behavioral models that mimic the behavior of the disease. In these cases, the molecular target" or mechanism of action was assumed to be the deficiency or excess of a neurotransmitter. 

Indications include a wide variety of psychiatric disorders, in the first place schizophrenia, organic psychoses and other acute psychotic illnesses. However they are also of use for the manic phase of bipolar affective disorder and for psychotic depression. Under antipsychotic drug therapy patients become less agitated and restless, withdrawn and autistic patients may become more communicative, aggressive and impulsive behavior diminishes and hallucinations and disordered thinking disappear. 

Jeste DV, Eastham JH, Lohr JB, et al Treatment of disordered behavior and psychosis, in Clinical Geriatric Psychopharmacology, 3rd Edition. Edited by Salzman C. Baltimore, MD, Williams Wilkins, 1998, pp 107-149 Jimerson DC, Post RM, Carman JS, et al CSF calcium clinical correlates in affective illness and schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 14 37-51, 1979 Joffe RT, Levitt AJ Major depression and subchnical (Grade 2 hypothyroidism. 

In this section, we will review first the literature dealing with how alterations in NRGl/ErbB signaling affect neurotransmitter systems and synapses that are hypothesized to underlie aspects of schizophrenia. Then we will discuss the results of behavioral analyses of NRG1 and ErbB mutant mice, focusing on behavioral tests designed to probe circuits associated with endophenotypes of the disease. 

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