genetic disorder

Examples of genetic disorder in the following topics:

• Genetic Basis of Intelligence and Learning

  • While environmental influences play a large role, our ability to learn is also largely shaped by genetics.
  • Recent research shows that under normal circumstances, intelligence involves multiple genes; however certain single-gene genetic disorders can severely affect intelligence.
  • Approaches in cognitive genomics have been used to investigate the genetic causes for many learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, and neural disorders such as Down syndrome, autism, and Alzheimer's disease.
  • The occurrence of neurobehavioral disorders is influenced by both genetic and non-genetic factors, and the genes directly associated with these disorders are often unknown.
  • Discuss the role genetics play in our cognition and our ability to learn.

• Congenital Defects

  • A congenital disorder may be the result of genetic abnormalities, the intrauterine (uterus) environment, errors of morphogenesis, infection, or a chromosomal abnormality.
  • Congenital disorders vary widely in causation and abnormalities.
  • It is now known that many metabolic conditions may have subtle structural expression and structural conditions often have genetic links.
  • Genetic disorders or diseases are all congenital, although they may not be expressed or recognized until later in life.
  • Genetic diseases may be divided into single-gene defects, multiple-gene disorders, or chromosomal defects.

• Cluster A: Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal Personality Disorders

  • Cluster A personality disorders have a likely genetic component and are characterized by personality styles that are odd or eccentric.
  • Cluster A disorders include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder.
  • Brain researchers have found a possible genetic predisposition to paranoid traits as well as a possible genetic link between paranoid personality disorder and schizophrenia.
  • Research has found that an individual is more likely to meet the criteria for SPD if they have a relative with schizophrenia or schizotypal personality disorder; this suggests that genetics play a partial role in heritability of this disorder.
  • This suggests that there is a genetic component to STPD and that it is also genetically linked to schizophrenia.

• Explaining Mood Disorders

  • When most people think of mood disorders, they typically think of depression (also called major depressive disorder and clinical depression) and bipolar disorder.
  • Mood disorders have various causes including genetics, medical conditions, environmental factors, substance abuse, or some combination of these.
  • Major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, and cyclothymia all have roots in genetic susceptibility, neurochemical imbalances, childhood and adult stress and trauma, and social circumstances.
  • Evidence suggests that environmental factors play a significant role in the development and course of bipolar disorder and cyclothymia, and that individual psychosocial variables may interact with genetic dispositions.
  • Identify the cognitive processes, brain pathways, genetic components, and environmental factors that are thought to underlie the development of mood disorders

• Cluster C: Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorders

  • Causes of avoidant personality disorder are not clearly defined and may be influenced by a combination of social, genetic, and psychological factors.
  • These inherited characteristics may give an individual a genetic predisposition towards avoidant personality disorder.
  • A study in 2012 found that two-thirds of this disorder stemmed from genetics while one-third came from the environment
  • Researchers have set forth both genetic and environmental theories for what causes OCPD.
  • However, genetic factors may lie dormant until triggered by events in the lives of those who are predisposed to OCPD.

• Bipolar Disorders

  • Bipolar disorders are debilitating mood disorders characterized by periods of mania/hypomania and periods of depression.
  • The symptoms of DMDD resemble those of other childhood disorders, notably attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and bipolar disorder in children.
  • Bipolar disorders have been shown to have a strong genetic and biological basis.
  • The rate of concordance for bipolar disorder is higher among identical twins than fraternal twins (67% vs. 16%, respectively), suggesting that genetic factors play a strong role in bipolar disorder (Merikangas et al., 2011).
  • Evidence suggests that environmental factors play a significant role in the development and course of bipolar disorder and that individual psychosocial variables may interact with genetic dispositions.

• Panic Disorder and Panic Attacks

  • In the DSM-5, panic attacks themselves are not mental disorders; instead, they are listed as specifiers for other mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders.
  • While the previous version of the DSM defined panic disorder as occurring either with or without agoraphobia, the new DSM-5 lists panic disorder and agoraphobia as two distinct disorders.
  • Both genetic and environmental causes (often in combination) can cause panic disorder.
  • Neurobiological theories of panic disorder suggest that a region of the brain called the locus coeruleus may play a role in this disorder.
  • Although the genetic link is clear, 75% of those diagnosed with panic disorder do not have a close relative with the disorder—indicating the significance of environmental factors.

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Autism and ADHD

  • There are several different classes of neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Some disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, have complex symptoms.
  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD, sometimes just "autism") is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which severity differs from person to person.
  • Except for some well-characterized, clearly-genetic forms of autism (e.g., Fragile X and Rett Syndrome), the causes of ASD are largely unknown.
  • According to some twin studies, the disorder has a strong genetic component.

• Introduction to Anxiety Disorders

  • Anxiety disorders, however, are dysfunctional responses to anxiety-inducing situations.
  • The difference between normal anxiety and an anxiety disorder is that anxiety disorders cause such severe distress as to interfere with someone's ability to lead a normal life.
  • "Anxiety disorder" refers to any of a number of specific disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, phobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder.
  • Anxiety disorders develop as the result of the interaction of genetic (inherited) and environmental factors.
  • Treatment options for anxiety disorders include lifestyle changes, therapy, and medication.

• Depressive Disorders

  • A predisposing cause typically describes an individual's history, both genetic and environmental.
  • The preexisting vulnerability can be either genetic, implying an interaction between nature and nurture, or schematic, resulting from views of the world learned in childhood.
  • Also, an individual may have a depressive disorder coexisting with a substance abuse disorder.
  • This diagnosis combines the previous disorders of chronic major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder, as there was no evidence for meaningful differences between these two conditions.
  • The symptoms of DMDD resemble those of other childhood disorders, notably attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and bipolar disorder in children.