Deck 13: Genetic Contributions to Psychiatric and Behavioral Disorders

Question 1

Which assessment finding in a 3-year-old child increases the suspicion for a possible diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder?

A)Language skills are delayed.
B)The child is very near-sighted.
C)Height is below the fifth percentile.
D)The child does not sit still during the assessment interview.

Answer 1

Language skills are delayed.

Question 2

Which statement regarding behavioral genetics is accurate?

A)Genes and gene products have been discovered that directly control behavior.
B)A genetic predisposition toward a specific behavior can be modified by altering environmental influences.
C)The genotypes and phenotypes of behavioral problems or deviations follow Mendelian autosomal recessive inheritance patterns.
D)The genetic susceptibility or predisposition toward a behavioral disorder requires the trigger of an infectious disease for expression.

Answer 2

A genetic predisposition toward a specific behavior can be modified by altering environmental influences.

Question 3

What is the best description of the genetic contribution to onset of autism?

A)Autism spectrum is caused by a single gene mutation in most,but not all,cases.
B)Exposure to a teratogen can be a cause of autism spectrum in many cases.
C)Known causes of autism spectrum include copy number variants and chromosomal problems.
D)Autism spectrum disorders have a much stronger environmental input than genetic input to expression of the phenotype.

Answer 3

Known causes of autism spectrum include copy number variants and chromosomal problems.

Question 4

Why is direct-to-consumer marketing of diagnostic tests for mental illness a dangerous practice?

A)Because the tests are expensive and not ordered by a health-care provider,they are not covered by insurance.
B)The tests are not predictive of which psychiatric medications are most likely to be beneficial to a specific individual.
C)People using such tests may not receive professional counseling for interpretation of results and accurate risk assessment.
D)These tests are often misused by employers to support the dismissal of employees who express opinions that are different from those of the company.

Question 5

What is the heritability estimate for schizophrenia in the general population?

A)40%
B)60%
C)80%
D)100%

Question 6

What is the heritability estimate for addiction to alcohol in both males and females?

A)10% to 20%
B)20% to 40%
C)50% to 60%
D)60% to 80%

Question 7

Which condition or behavior suggests attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

A)A 5-year-old who does not want to go to bed at 8:00 p.m.and begs to be allowed to stay up later.
B)An 8-year-old who can hop on one foot but cannot ride a bicycle without training wheels.
C)A 9-year-old who does not focus on a favorite story or game for longer than 3 minutes.
D)A 10-year-old who prefers to play basketball rather than chess.

Question 8

An adult daughter whose mother has bipolar disorder is concerned that she may also have the disorder because she engages in all of the following behaviors.Which behavior should be explored further as a manifestation of bipolar disorder?

A)Crying whenever she looks at a picture of a close friend who died 3 months ago
B)Refusing to allow her husband to participate in general housekeeping chores
C)Having a strong sense of sleepiness daily in the middle of the afternoon
D)Making frequent purchases of expensive clothing that she never wears

Question 9

Why is pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics of particular interest in treating patients with psychiatric/mental health problems?

A)Psychiatric medications may be effective in only a small group of patients.
B)Genetics restricts patients to only one drug in each classification.
C)Most psychiatric illnesses are single gene disorders with predictable drug responses.
D)Psychotropic medications have few side effects.

Question 10

Which "schizophrenia fact" is correct?

A)When schizophrenia has more genetic influence,its onset begins in very early childhood.
B)Copy number variants appear to play the most important role in genetic risk for schizophrenia.
C)When one identical twin is affected with schizophrenia the other most certainly will be affected.
D)Because the phenotype of schizophrenia is so obvious,diagnosis and inheritance risk are the most easily determined of all the psychiatric disorders.

Question 11

What is meant by the phrase "behavioral genetics"?

A)Identification of the single gene that corresponds to a specific undesired behavior
B)An area of research aimed at controlling behavior by genetic manipulation
C)The study of the behavior of genes in diverse settings
D)The examination of gene variants that influence behaviors

Question 12

Which condition provides the greatest support for a strong genetic contribution to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)?

A)Concordance among dizygotic twins is 10%.
B)Males are affected four times more frequently than females.
C)People with some neurologic disorders also have features of ASDs.
D)ASDs are more likely to occur in children of parents who are over 35 at time of conception.