Author: Glossary

Often abbreviated as A-beta, this is a protein that builds up in the brain of persons with alzheimer’s disease, collecting in clumps called senile plaques. Some researchers question whether beta-amyloid is the cause of the dementia, but most agree that it is involved in the disruption of thinking that is a hallmark of the disease.…

In psychiatry, a term used to describe the optimal clinical approach to the treatment of a particular mental disorder. The practice is usually determined by expert consensus among a group of clinicians with special expertise in treating the disorder.  

Zoophilia; sexual relations between a human being and an animal. A deviant form of sexual expression; sexual relation with an animal, zoophilia. Sexual involvement of a human with an animal. The use of animals (e.g., snakes, poultry, and nonhuman mammals) for sexual enjoyment.    

Feelings of deprivation, desolation, and grief at the loss of a loved one. The grieving person does not need to seek professional help unless these feelings last for a long time or symptoms such as depression or insomnia become problematic. The period following the realization of the loss of a loved one. The loss of…

An anticholinergic medication used to treat muscle stiffness and other motor side effects either from parkinson’s disease or as a result of treatment with conventional antipsychotic medications such as haloperidol (Haldol). Marketed under the brand name cogentin. An anticholinergic used to control extrapyramidal symptoms. Cogentin is a brand name. A drug similar to atropine, but…

A class of medications with a similar chemical ring structure and similar therapeutic properties, including potent hypnotic, sedative, and anxiolytic effects. Benzodiazepines are also called anxiolytics or antianxiety medications. The generic name for a group of drugs that have potent hypnotic and sedative action. A drug that acts on the brain signal receptor (also called…

Receptors located on neurons within the central nervous system (CNS) to which benzodiazepines bind. Benzodiazepine receptors are linked to gaba (gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptors. Benzodiazepines enhance the affinity of gaba receptors for gaba, the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS, thereby increasing its inhibitory effects, which results in decreased anxiety and arousal. Binding site for benzodiazepines…

A multisystem disease that may involve all organs and affect the central nervous system (CNS), causing memory loss and impaired speech, balance, and movement. It is a rare, chronic, lifelong disorder that involves inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body. Symptoms include recurrent oral ulcers and genital ulcers, eye inflammation, various types of skin lesions,…