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8.3 Neurodevelopmental and Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders

4 min readjanuary 5, 2023

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Emily Pedrazzi

Emily Pedrazzi

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Emily Pedrazzi

Emily Pedrazzi

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders are caused by unusual brain development, brain damage, or any other abnormality in the brain. The most commonly addressed neurodevelopmental disorders on the exam are (ASD), (ADHD), and intellectual disabilities.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

ASD is characterized by atypical behaviors, speech, interests, thought patterns, and interpersonal interactions. People with ASD have a difficult time interpreting social cues and may prefer routine over spontaneity. 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADHD is marked by the appearance of one or more symptoms:

  1. Extreme inattention

  2. Hyperactivity

  3. Impulsivity

ADHD is inheritable and can be treated with medications that calm the above symptoms. It often exists with another disorder, specifically a learning disorder or emotional disorder.

Those who are skeptics of ADHD simply blame impulsiveness on the presence of the Y chromosome. They believe that in a boring environment, the child will be energized and improperly diagnosed with ADHD. There is generally a lot of disagreement about ADHD and if it really is a neurodevelopmental disorder .🤷

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-hswpxAYzvg8U.png?alt=media&token=bfc626ed-bf4e-4543-89ab-8949cee8c905

Image Courtesy of Verywell Mind.

Intellectual Disability

Having an IQ below 70 often means that there is some sort of intellectual disability that causes a person to:

  • have limitations in learning

  • have a hard time solving problems

  • have difficulty communicating

  • lack in many skills needed for everyday life

People with intellectual disabilities have trouble adapting to the demands of life that require conceptual, social, and practical skills. An example of an is , also known as trisomy 21.

Neurocognitive Disorder

A is a decrease in mental functioning caused by a somatogenic cause. Examples include breathing conditions, brain trauma, and cardiovascular disorders.

The most common is , which is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. It is a progressive disease, which means that it gets worse over time. In the early stages of Alzheimer's, a person may have trouble remembering recent events or conversations and may have difficulty performing familiar tasks. As the disease progresses, a person with Alzheimer's may struggle with speaking, understanding, and communicating, as well as requiring help with daily activities such as bathing and dressing. Eventually, a person with Alzheimer's can lose the ability to recognize friends and family and may become completely dependent on others for their care.

Common symptoms include:

  • 🧠 Short-term memory loss

  • 🤕 Headaches

  • 🚗 Difficulty walking and driving

  • 😩 Inability to focus

There is no cure for , but there are treatments that can help manage the symptoms and improve the quality of life for people with the disease.

Psychotic and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that impacts an individual’s perception of reality. During a psychotic episode, people may experience improbable or possible and auditory and/or visual .

Schizophrenia is an example of psychosis in which a person loses complete contact with reality and experiences false sensations.

Subtypes of Schizophrenia

There are many types of schizophrenia, and their symptoms greatly vary.

Acute Schizophrenia

is developed rapidly after a period of stress. People with this variant have more positive symptoms and are responsive to therapy, so recovery is possible. Positive symptoms are added symptoms, such as and . They add to a person's personality.

  • , or false beliefs, can be erotomanic, grandiose, jealous, persecutory, somatic, or mixed. 
  • , or false sensory experiences, are often auditory👂

Chronic Schizophrenia

is slow and develops over time. Those with exhibit negative symptoms. Recovery is doubtful. Negative symptoms remove from a person's personality. Some examples include:

  • Inability to feel emotion
  • Difficulty understanding emotion
  • Difficulty reading others' emotions
  • Flat speech
  • Impaired attention
  • Lack of pleasure
  • — Being motionless for hours and agitated shortly after

  • —emotionless state

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-fb4VPs9SRtqE.webp?alt=media&token=3b590971-4546-4e7c-8938-9510f79828c8

Image Courtesy of Verywell Mind.

Brain Abnormalities

Schizophrenia is purely a disease of the brain.

  • If are high, there are too many receptors, and schizophrenia is intensified.

  • Some display low brain activity in the and shrinkage of tissue.

  • There is increased activity in the amygdala and thalamus.

  • The fluid-filled spaces, known as the ventricles, in the interior of the brain's temporal lobes are often enlarged:

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-1KTteLOwxetj.png?alt=media&token=6a28ff3c-4b28-47c0-bff9-8bd3370b17d3

Image Courtesy of ResearchGate.

  • Since it is very genetic, the risk could be increased during fetal development.

    • For example, if there is a pandemic, the mother is sick with the flu, or the mother lives in dense areas, there is an increased risk of schizophrenia.

  • To explain , stress could turn on specific genes that eventually lead to the disorder. Remember, the environment influences !

  • These are mainly biological factors, and there are no psychological factors unless an underlying biological factor is involved too.

Key Terms to Review (21)

Acute Schizophrenia

: Acute schizophrenia is a subtype of schizophrenia characterized by sudden onset but potentially good prognosis if treated promptly. Symptoms may include disorganized speech or behavior and any form of hallucination or delusion.

Alzheimer's Disease

: Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive neurocognitive disorder that causes brain cells to waste away (degenerate) and die. It's the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that disrupts a person's ability to function independently.

Amygdala and Thalamus Activity

: The amygdala is involved in emotion and survival instincts, particularly fear and aggression. The thalamus is a relay station for sensory information, excluding smell.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity that interfere with functioning or development.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. It includes a wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability.

Brain Abnormalities

: Brain abnormalities refer to structural or functional irregularities in the brain that deviate from normal development or aging processes.

Catatonia

: Catatonia is a state of psycho-motor immobility and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It's often associated with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

Chronic Schizophrenia

: Chronic Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by persistent symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior, and impaired cognitive ability.

Delusions

: Delusions are false beliefs that a person firmly holds onto, despite clear evidence to the contrary. These beliefs are not influenced by reality and remain persistent even when they're irrational.

Dopamine Levels

: Dopamine levels refer to the amount of dopamine, a type of neurotransmitter, present in the brain. Dopamine plays a crucial role in how we feel pleasure and is also involved in our thinking, planning, and motivation.

Down Syndrome

: Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra 21st chromosome. It's characterized by physical growth delays, characteristic facial features, and mild to moderate intellectual disability.

Fetal Development Risk Factors

: These are conditions or behaviors during pregnancy that increase the likelihood of developmental problems or health issues in a fetus.

Flat affect

: Flat affect refers to a lack of emotional reactivity on the part of an individual. It's characterized by a person's face appearing expressionless or their voice lacking inflection and variability.

Frontal Lobes

: The frontal lobes are areas at the front of each cerebral hemisphere involved with decision-making, problem-solving, control over voluntary movements or activity (motor skills), and complex behaviors such as social interactions and personality expression.

Gene Expression and Behavior

: This refers to how genes can influence behavior by directing the production of proteins that affect various biological systems, including the nervous system.

Hallucinations

: Hallucinations are perceptions in the absence of external stimulus that have qualities of real perception. In simpler terms, they are things that someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels that aren't really there.

Intellectual Disability

: An intellectual disability is characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem-solving) and adaptive behavior, which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 18.

Neurocognitive Disorder

: Neurocognitive disorders are a category of mental health disorders that primarily affect cognitive abilities including learning, memory, perception, and problem solving.

Psychotic Disorders

: Psychotic disorders are mental health conditions that cause people to perceive or interpret reality in ways that significantly deviate from the norm, often including hallucinations or delusions.

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

: Schizophrenia spectrum disorders encompass a range of conditions that share symptoms with schizophrenia, such as disorganized thinking, hallucinations, delusions, and social withdrawal.

Ventricles Enlargement

: Ventricles enlargement refers to the condition where the fluid-filled cavities (ventricles) inside the brain become larger than normal. This can be due to various reasons such as aging, brain atrophy, or certain mental disorders.

8.3 Neurodevelopmental and Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders

4 min readjanuary 5, 2023

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Emily Pedrazzi

Emily Pedrazzi

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Emily Pedrazzi

Emily Pedrazzi

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders are caused by unusual brain development, brain damage, or any other abnormality in the brain. The most commonly addressed neurodevelopmental disorders on the exam are (ASD), (ADHD), and intellectual disabilities.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

ASD is characterized by atypical behaviors, speech, interests, thought patterns, and interpersonal interactions. People with ASD have a difficult time interpreting social cues and may prefer routine over spontaneity. 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADHD is marked by the appearance of one or more symptoms:

  1. Extreme inattention

  2. Hyperactivity

  3. Impulsivity

ADHD is inheritable and can be treated with medications that calm the above symptoms. It often exists with another disorder, specifically a learning disorder or emotional disorder.

Those who are skeptics of ADHD simply blame impulsiveness on the presence of the Y chromosome. They believe that in a boring environment, the child will be energized and improperly diagnosed with ADHD. There is generally a lot of disagreement about ADHD and if it really is a neurodevelopmental disorder .🤷

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-hswpxAYzvg8U.png?alt=media&token=bfc626ed-bf4e-4543-89ab-8949cee8c905

Image Courtesy of Verywell Mind.

Intellectual Disability

Having an IQ below 70 often means that there is some sort of intellectual disability that causes a person to:

  • have limitations in learning

  • have a hard time solving problems

  • have difficulty communicating

  • lack in many skills needed for everyday life

People with intellectual disabilities have trouble adapting to the demands of life that require conceptual, social, and practical skills. An example of an is , also known as trisomy 21.

Neurocognitive Disorder

A is a decrease in mental functioning caused by a somatogenic cause. Examples include breathing conditions, brain trauma, and cardiovascular disorders.

The most common is , which is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. It is a progressive disease, which means that it gets worse over time. In the early stages of Alzheimer's, a person may have trouble remembering recent events or conversations and may have difficulty performing familiar tasks. As the disease progresses, a person with Alzheimer's may struggle with speaking, understanding, and communicating, as well as requiring help with daily activities such as bathing and dressing. Eventually, a person with Alzheimer's can lose the ability to recognize friends and family and may become completely dependent on others for their care.

Common symptoms include:

  • 🧠 Short-term memory loss

  • 🤕 Headaches

  • 🚗 Difficulty walking and driving

  • 😩 Inability to focus

There is no cure for , but there are treatments that can help manage the symptoms and improve the quality of life for people with the disease.

Psychotic and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that impacts an individual’s perception of reality. During a psychotic episode, people may experience improbable or possible and auditory and/or visual .

Schizophrenia is an example of psychosis in which a person loses complete contact with reality and experiences false sensations.

Subtypes of Schizophrenia

There are many types of schizophrenia, and their symptoms greatly vary.

Acute Schizophrenia

is developed rapidly after a period of stress. People with this variant have more positive symptoms and are responsive to therapy, so recovery is possible. Positive symptoms are added symptoms, such as and . They add to a person's personality.

  • , or false beliefs, can be erotomanic, grandiose, jealous, persecutory, somatic, or mixed. 
  • , or false sensory experiences, are often auditory👂

Chronic Schizophrenia

is slow and develops over time. Those with exhibit negative symptoms. Recovery is doubtful. Negative symptoms remove from a person's personality. Some examples include:

  • Inability to feel emotion
  • Difficulty understanding emotion
  • Difficulty reading others' emotions
  • Flat speech
  • Impaired attention
  • Lack of pleasure
  • — Being motionless for hours and agitated shortly after

  • —emotionless state

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-fb4VPs9SRtqE.webp?alt=media&token=3b590971-4546-4e7c-8938-9510f79828c8

Image Courtesy of Verywell Mind.

Brain Abnormalities

Schizophrenia is purely a disease of the brain.

  • If are high, there are too many receptors, and schizophrenia is intensified.

  • Some display low brain activity in the and shrinkage of tissue.

  • There is increased activity in the amygdala and thalamus.

  • The fluid-filled spaces, known as the ventricles, in the interior of the brain's temporal lobes are often enlarged:

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-1KTteLOwxetj.png?alt=media&token=6a28ff3c-4b28-47c0-bff9-8bd3370b17d3

Image Courtesy of ResearchGate.

  • Since it is very genetic, the risk could be increased during fetal development.

    • For example, if there is a pandemic, the mother is sick with the flu, or the mother lives in dense areas, there is an increased risk of schizophrenia.

  • To explain , stress could turn on specific genes that eventually lead to the disorder. Remember, the environment influences !

  • These are mainly biological factors, and there are no psychological factors unless an underlying biological factor is involved too.

Key Terms to Review (21)

Acute Schizophrenia

: Acute schizophrenia is a subtype of schizophrenia characterized by sudden onset but potentially good prognosis if treated promptly. Symptoms may include disorganized speech or behavior and any form of hallucination or delusion.

Alzheimer's Disease

: Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive neurocognitive disorder that causes brain cells to waste away (degenerate) and die. It's the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that disrupts a person's ability to function independently.

Amygdala and Thalamus Activity

: The amygdala is involved in emotion and survival instincts, particularly fear and aggression. The thalamus is a relay station for sensory information, excluding smell.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity that interfere with functioning or development.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. It includes a wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability.

Brain Abnormalities

: Brain abnormalities refer to structural or functional irregularities in the brain that deviate from normal development or aging processes.

Catatonia

: Catatonia is a state of psycho-motor immobility and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It's often associated with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

Chronic Schizophrenia

: Chronic Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by persistent symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior, and impaired cognitive ability.

Delusions

: Delusions are false beliefs that a person firmly holds onto, despite clear evidence to the contrary. These beliefs are not influenced by reality and remain persistent even when they're irrational.

Dopamine Levels

: Dopamine levels refer to the amount of dopamine, a type of neurotransmitter, present in the brain. Dopamine plays a crucial role in how we feel pleasure and is also involved in our thinking, planning, and motivation.

Down Syndrome

: Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra 21st chromosome. It's characterized by physical growth delays, characteristic facial features, and mild to moderate intellectual disability.

Fetal Development Risk Factors

: These are conditions or behaviors during pregnancy that increase the likelihood of developmental problems or health issues in a fetus.

Flat affect

: Flat affect refers to a lack of emotional reactivity on the part of an individual. It's characterized by a person's face appearing expressionless or their voice lacking inflection and variability.

Frontal Lobes

: The frontal lobes are areas at the front of each cerebral hemisphere involved with decision-making, problem-solving, control over voluntary movements or activity (motor skills), and complex behaviors such as social interactions and personality expression.

Gene Expression and Behavior

: This refers to how genes can influence behavior by directing the production of proteins that affect various biological systems, including the nervous system.

Hallucinations

: Hallucinations are perceptions in the absence of external stimulus that have qualities of real perception. In simpler terms, they are things that someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels that aren't really there.

Intellectual Disability

: An intellectual disability is characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem-solving) and adaptive behavior, which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 18.

Neurocognitive Disorder

: Neurocognitive disorders are a category of mental health disorders that primarily affect cognitive abilities including learning, memory, perception, and problem solving.

Psychotic Disorders

: Psychotic disorders are mental health conditions that cause people to perceive or interpret reality in ways that significantly deviate from the norm, often including hallucinations or delusions.

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

: Schizophrenia spectrum disorders encompass a range of conditions that share symptoms with schizophrenia, such as disorganized thinking, hallucinations, delusions, and social withdrawal.

Ventricles Enlargement

: Ventricles enlargement refers to the condition where the fluid-filled cavities (ventricles) inside the brain become larger than normal. This can be due to various reasons such as aging, brain atrophy, or certain mental disorders.


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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.