psychosocialThe term psychosocial refers to one in psychological development in and interaction with a social environment. The individual is not necessarily fully aware of this relationship with his or her environment. It was first commonly used by psychologist Erik Erikson in his stages of social development. Contrasted with social psychology, which attempts to explain social patterns of behavior in a general sense, the term “psychosocial” can be used to describe the unique internal processes that occur within the individual. It is usually used in the context of “psychosocial intervention,” which is commonly used alongside psychoeducational or psychopharmacological interventions. This also means that the psychosocial is what they say lack of social interaction.
(more…)
Archive for March, 2010
Perception
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010perceptionThe awareness of objects, qualities and relations that follow stimulation of peripheral sensory organs as distinct from awareness that results from memory.
Illusions
Perceptual misinterpretation of real external sensory experience. Often dictated by dominant affective state. e.g. anxiety which may lead to threatening disortion of visual experiences.
(more…)
Polysomnography
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010polysomnographyA polysomnography is a test used in the study of sleep. States and sleep stages are defined according to human characteristic patterns that are observed through the electroencephalogram (EEG), the electrooculograma (EOG, a measurement of eye movements) and electromyogram surface (EMG). The polysomnography is the registration of these electrophysiological parameters that define the states of sleep and wakefulness.It is a sleep study that measures the sleep cycles and stages by recording brain waves from (EEG), electrical activity of muscles, eye movements, respiratory rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation in the blood and heart rate.
(more…)
NMDAR
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010nmdarThe NMDA receptor (NMDAR) is an ionotropic receptor for glutamate (NMDA (N-methyl D-aspartate) is a name of its selective specific agonist). Activation of NMDA receptors results in the opening of an ion channel that is nonselective to cations. This allows flow of Na+ and small amounts of Ca2+ ions into the cell and K+ out of the cell.
Calcium flux through NMDARs is thought to play a critical role in synaptic plasticity, a cellular mechanism for learning and memory. The NMDA receptor is distinct in that it is both ligand-gated and voltage-dependent.
(more…)
Midazolam
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010Midazolam is a drug known commonly by its trade name, Versed. Midazolam is thought to work mainly by blocking certain brain receptors called GABA receptors. Because it has many favorable properties including quick onset and a short duration of action, midazolam is a preferred sedative drug in many countries around the world.
(more…)
Organism
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010organismIn biology, an organism is a living thing (such as animal, plant, fungus, or micro-organism). In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homeostasis as a stable whole. An organism may either be unicellular (single-celled) or be composed of, as in humans, many billions of cells grouped into specialized tissues and organs. The term multicellular (many-celled) describes any organism made up of more than one cell.
Epilepsy
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010brain-pictureEpilepsy is a brain disorder in which clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain sometimes signal abnormally. In epilepsy, the normal pattern of neuronal activity becomes disturbed, causing strange sensations, emotions, and behavior or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness. Epilepsy is a disorder with many possible causes. Anything that disturbs the normal pattern of neuron activity - from illness to brain damage to abnormal brain development - can lead to seizures. Epilepsy may develop because of an abnormality in brain wiring, an imbalance of nerve signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters, or some combination of these factors. Having a seizure does not necessarily mean that a person has epilepsy. Only when a person has had two or more seizures is he or she considered to have epilepsy. EEGs and brain scans are common diagnostic test for epilepsy.
(more…)