Home › HPCSA Board Exam › Behavioural Science › Psychological Disorders › Brain imaging in schizophrenia reveals enlarged …
Brain imaging in schizophrenia reveals enlarged ventricles. Why does that finding matter?
AIt shows the brain produces excess cerebral spinal fluid
BIt suggests brain regions are reduced in size, implying tissue loss
CIt proves that antipsychotic medication has been effective
DIt indicates the frontal lobes are unusually active at rest
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. It suggests brain regions are reduced in size, implying tissue loss
1. The ventricles are the cavities within the brain that hold cerebral spinal fluid.
2. Larger than normal ventricles suggest that surrounding brain regions are reduced in size, implying a loss of brain tissue.
3. Many people with schizophrenia also show reduced grey matter in the frontal lobes and less frontal lobe activity during cognitive tasks.
4. Reduced rather than raised frontal activity is reported, so the option describing unusual activity contradicts the finding.
_Source: OpenStax Psychology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 15 "Psychological Disorders", section 15.8 Schizophrenia_
Related questions
The comorbidity data cited were based on a national sample of how many United States residDelusions differ from ordinary mistaken beliefs mainly because they are held:The psychosocial perspective remains important in explaining disorders despite advances inPanic disorder is introduced through a scenario of sudden sweating, trembling, pounding heEtiology, one of the three things psychopathology studies, means a disorder's:The DSM-IV specified that symptoms of major depressive disorder must not be attributable tThe model that combines a biological vulnerability with life stress is the:What share of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder also meet criteria for major depre