Question

Emotions

What are the characteristics of people with antisocial personality disorder, and what brain areas are associated with it?

What areas of the brain seem to respond to violence or create the potential for violent behavior?

Mental Disorders

How do drugs that treat mental disorders act at the synapse for the associated NTs? (agonist, antagonist actions)

What kinds of therapy can be effective for various mental disroders? (e.g., CBT for depression)

Answer 1

1) According to DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) the main symptoms or characteristics of individuals dealing with Antisocial Personality Disorder are:

1. Exploitation and Manipulation of others
2. Ignoring right and wrong, lack of consideration for negative consequences and learning from them
3. Lying, impulsive and deceitful behavior
4. Being callous, disrespectful, cynical, and arrogant
5. Violation of human rights through threats, intimidation and dishonesty
6. Recurrent problems with law; Criminal behavior
7. Aggressive behavior, irritation, violent behavior
8. Abusive and poor relations with others, and irresponsibility
9. Lack of remorse, guilt and empathy
10. Risk taking or dangerous behavior, lack of concern for safety of others

It is believed that certain functional and structural impairments in brain is responsible for individuals with violent, antisocial, and/or psychopathic individuals. Some Key regions which is associated in such populations include the areas of prefrontal cortex (especially the orbitofrontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala-hippocampal complex, and superior temporal gyrus.

2) Violence or a potential for violent behavior are associated with prefrontal and temporal cortex of the brain. Usually it is considered either as maladaptation or dysfunction of these areas. Scientists say that the failure of command in control systems in the prefrontal cortex to regulate aggressive or violent acts that gets triggered by anger provoking stimuli might be the major cause for such. They say that during aggressive or violent act, there is greater activity in amygdala (part associated with fear and threat detection) and lower activity in prefrontal cortex (associated with decision making and logical thinking). There is an imbalance between prefrontal regulatory influences and hyper-responsivity of the amygdala and other limbic regions involved in affective evaluation are implicated.

3) Activity of drug is dependent upon the type of drug (agonist or antagonist). Some drugs enhance the parasympathetic effects, some block the parasympathetic effects some mimic the action of certain receptors found in ganglia or other parts of brain, and some block these receptors. Agonist drugs usually bind to a receptor and activates it or enhances it. Antagonist drugs binds to a receptor but it blocks or decreases the effects of these receptors.

4) There are many types of therapies that are effective for different mental disorders. Psychotherapy works for most of the disorders. Psychotherapy involves exploration of thoughts, behavior, etc. through talks. It includes many types of therapies but the most common are Cognitive Behavior therapy (CBT), Interpersonal therapy (IPT) and Psychoanalysis. These 3 are main therapies that are used on various mental disorders. CBT is used on wide range of anxiety disorders, certain personality disorders, eating disorders, PTSD, etc. It involves developing strategies to cope with maladaptive behaviors. IPT is useful for treating different forms of depression and depressive disorders and for family therapy. It involves resolving personal and symptomatic problems. Psychoanalysis is used on wide range of disorders like personality disorders, anxiety disorders, traumas, phobias etc. It involves trying to find the root cause of disorder through analysis of free association, dream analysis, slip of tongues, defense mechanisms, etc.