Question 1

What is one of the main reasons that drug developers are seeking alternatives to SSRIs?

Accepted Answer

SSRIs, while effective for many, are known to cause sexual side effects in some patients, which can significantly impact quality of life. This has led researchers to look for alternative treatments that do not have these adverse effects.

Question 2

Why does the antidepressant drug bupropion provide an important exception to the serotonin hypothesis of depression?

Accepted Answer

Bupropion works by increasing the release of dopamine and norepinephrine, two neurotransmitters, without significantly affecting serotonin levels. This mechanism of action is different from many other antidepressants that primarily target serotonin, thus providing an important exception to the serotonin hypothesis of depression, which suggests that depression is primarily caused by a deficiency in serotonin.

Question 3

According to a study by Maj and colleagues (1996), chronic administration with fluoxetine ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to a study by Maj and...

Question 4

What are the limitations of the pharmacological dissection of mental disorders approach to understanding the neurobiological basis of mental disorders?

Accepted Answer

The pharmacological dissection of mental disorders approach often relies on circular reasoning, where the effectiveness of a drug in treating a disorder is used to infer the neurobiological basis of the disorder, which in turn is used to justify the use of the drug. This can limit the understanding of the complex nature of mental disorders, as it assumes that the action of the drug directly correlates with the underlying pathology.

Question 5

Dave has used Prozac, an SSRI, for about two years. He decides to suddenly stop using Prozac instead of gradually decreasing his dosage, as recommended by his doctor. What risk does this pose for Dave?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dave has used Prozac, an SSRI, for...

Question 6

Chantal's graduate thesis adviser asks her to design an experiment to test novel antidepressants in a rodent model. What experimental test would you suggest that she use?

Accepted Answer

The Forced Swim Test (FST) is commonly used to assess depressive-like behavior in rodents, making it an appropriate choice for testing the efficacy of novel antidepressants. This test measures the propensity of an animal to give up in a stressful, inescapable situation, with antidepressants typically increasing active coping behaviors.

Question 7

Bipolar disorder is ____.

Accepted Answer

Bipolar disorder is characterized by episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs, not continuous mania or solely more severe depression.

Question 8

The antidepressant effect of which drug provides evidence for the role of dopamine in depression?

Accepted Answer

Ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects are partly attributed to its influence on the glutamatergic system, which indirectly affects dopamine levels, providing evidence for the role of dopamine in depression.

Question 9

Although there are some exceptions, acute antidepressant drug administration tends to ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although there are some exceptions, acute antidepressant...

Question 10

Why are placebo controls so important in antidepressant clinical trials?

Accepted Answer

Placebo controls are crucial in antidepressant trials because a significant number of patients experience improvements in their symptoms due to the placebo effect, making it essential to distinguish the actual efficacy of the antidepressant from improvements that occur without active medication.

Question 11

Papakostas and colleagues (2007) conducted a meta-analysis on clinical depression studies that used either selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) to determine which class was the most effective. What were the results of this meta-analysis?

Accepted Answer

The meta-analysis by Papakostas and colleagues found that serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are modestly more effective than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in treating clinical depression.

Question 12

Regina was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. During her manic episodes, she ____.

Accepted Answer

During manic episodes, individuals with bipolar disorder often experience rapidly changing ideas, among other symptoms such as increased energy, decreased need for sleep, and inflated self-esteem.

Question 13

What is the evidence to suggest that dopamine plays an important role in depression?

Accepted Answer

Chronic use of typical antidepressants is associated with increased dopamine levels, which may explain the delayed therapeutic effects, suggesting dopamine's role in depression.

Question 14

Postdoctoral research fellow Imani chronically administers antidepressant drugs to a group of mice. After performing a postmortem analysis on the mouse brains, she finds ____.

Accepted Answer

Antidepressant drugs are known to increase neuronal proliferation in the hippocampus, a brain region associated with mood regulation and cognitive functions. This effect is thought to contribute to their therapeutic actions.

Question 15

What is an antidepressant drug-induced life-threatening condition characterized by agitation, restlessness, disturbances in cognitive functioning, and possible hallucinations?

Accepted Answer

Serotonin syndrome is a potentially life-threatening condition resulting from an excess of serotonin in the brain, which can be induced by certain antidepressant drugs. It is characterized by symptoms such as agitation, restlessness, cognitive disturbances, and possibly hallucinations.

Question 16

What directly lead to a push for the development of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors?

Accepted Answer

Tricyclic antidepressants had significant adverse effects, which led to the development of SSRIs that targeted serotonin reuptake more selectively, reducing side effects.

Question 17

Which statement best describes the length of response time for antidepressant drugs?

Accepted Answer

Antidepressant drugs, including SSRIs, SNRIs, and MAO inhibitors, generally have a lengthy response time, often taking several weeks to show significant improvement in symptoms.

Question 18

According to estimates by Fava and Davidson (1996), what percent of patients would be classified as having treatment-resistant depression?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to estimates by Fava and Davidson...

Question 19

Antidepressant drugs that do not selectively block either serotonin reuptake, norepinephrine reuptake, or both, are termed ____ antidepressant drugs.

Accepted Answer

Atypical antidepressants are those that do not fit neatly into the other categories of antidepressants, such as SSRIs or SNRIs, because they do not selectively block either serotonin reuptake, norepinephrine reuptake, or both.

Question 20

Why is the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) zimelidine (Zelmid) no longer in clinical use and instead, the SSRI fluoxetine (Prozac) so widely prescribed?

Accepted Answer

Zelmid was withdrawn from the market due to serious adverse effects, including Guillain-Barré syndrome. Prozac, on the other hand, is considered one of the safer antidepressants with a better side effect profile, contributing to its widespread use.

Quiz 13: Treatments for Depression and Bipolar Disorder