摘要:

ABSTRACTMore than 20 risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been proposed in the literature. The evidence for them is examined in this review. Amongst those that appear likely to be true risk factors, an attempt is made to identify a common mechanism to which they might contribute. There is some support for a hypothesis that the formation of amyloid plaques is due to the activity of free oxygen radicals. This would be consistent with the association between AD and late age, a family history of Down's syndrome, vascular dementia, head injury, and exposure to phenacetin, organic solvents or vibrating tools. This hypothesis provides a theory‐driven lead in the search for further risk factors; if upheld, it would suggest a strategy for treatment and for preventio

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06336.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTThe biological sons of male alcoholics, deemed to be at high risk (HR) for the development of alcoholism, were compared to control males, aged 18 to 21, using measures of the visual evoked potential elicited by checkerboard pattern reversal. Overall, the HR and control groups were not distinguished on the basis of visual evoked potential measures acquired from the occipital scalp region; however, when comparisons were restricted to right‐handed subjects, the HR subjects showed more symmetry in a positive component with approximate latency of 242 ms compared with control subjects. The results are discussed in relation to hemispheric differences and alcoholis

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06337.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTThe relationship between age and TSH response to TRH was studied in 40 men with unipolar major depressive disorder (range 24–65 years, mean 44.7 years) and 36 healthy male volunteers of similar ages. Both groups were subdivided into younger and older than 40 years of age. “Blunted” TSH response to TRH was observed in 58% of depressed men and in 28% of controls, using a dTSH maximum of ≤ 6 μU/ml as a cut‐off criterion. Older healthy men had a higher blunting rate (40%) than the younger group (19%). In depressed patients, by contrast, the blunting rate was 50% in the older group and 65% in the younger group. Higher mean maximum dTSH, higher basal TSH and lower mean circulating FT4levels were also noted in older depressed men, suggestive of a subtle thyroid subsensitivity to TSH stimulation and subclinical primary hypothyroidism that may have contributed to the depression. Age is known to be a confounder of TRH test results. There may be a subset of depressed patients over 40 where the confounding effect of age is associated with an exaggerated, rather than decreased TSH respo

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06338.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTTo evaluate the question of whether “mixed” bipolar disorder is a distinct entity, we compared selected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biochemical parameters from patients with bipolar disorder, mixed, to those with mania and major depression. Fourteen patients in each category (DSM‐III) were studied with regard to CSF HVA, 5HIAA, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium levels under carefully controlled conditions. CSF HVA, 5HIAA, and sodium were found to be significantly higher in manics than in major depressives. Discriminant analysis of the biochemical variables of the mixed affective group identified two biochemically distinct and clinically different subgroups of seven patients each, one resembling the manic group and the other the major depressive group. These findings suggest that mixed affective states do not exist as a separate entity, but are compsed of two subgroups obtained from the manic and major depressive categ

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06339.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTThe 24‐h pattern of urinary 3‐methoxy‐4‐hydroxy‐phenylglycol (MHPG) was studied in 15 depressives and 15 healthy controls. MHPG was measured at 3‐h intervals over two consecutive 24‐h periods. The shape of the MHPG excretion pattern of the depressed group was different from that of the control group. However, both the consistency and shape of the individual 24‐h MHPG patterns exhibited a high interindividual variability. Therefore it is difficult to speculate on a circadian phase difference between depressives and healthy controls. Major factors that may have influenced our result

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06340.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTTwelve schizophrenic patients were treated with neuroleptic drugs and psychoanalytically oriented group therapy during a period of 2 years. Twelve other patients, matched with regard to the state of their disease, sex, age, civil status and social situation, were given neuroleptic drugs and contact therapy during the same period. All patients were evaluated by the same test procedures. The Rorschach test, the Defence Mechanism Test (DMT), interviews and a self‐evaluation test, were performed before and after 2 years of treatment. The dates of discharge, number of days in hospital and neuroleptic drugs prescribed were recorded for all patients over a 2‐year period before, during and after treatment. Half of the patients improved, regardless of the treatment they received. No evaluation instrument used before the start of treatment could predict the patients who later improved. After 2 years of treatment, it was assessed that the patients who improved required a further period of insight ther

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06341.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTThere has been no previous epidemiological study on anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia (BU) where non‐medical care givers have also been included in the case‐finding procedure. In this study, psychiatric, somatic, child psychiatric, social and primary care personnel were systematically asked for information on patients. Fifty‐one cases of eating disorder (17 AN, 34 BU) according to slightly modified DSM‐III criteria were traced in a suburban catchment area of 78,000 inhabitants during a two‐year period. This means a two‐year prevalence of 66/100,000 (22 AN and 44 BU). For females between 16–24 years the prevalence of AN was 258/100,000; BU: 473/100,000; total 730/100,000 (1/137). There were also 10 “possible cases” where the diagnosis could not be established with certainty, mainly because of insufficient information. If these patients were added, the number of cases would be 61 (or a prevalence of 79/100,000 inhabitants). The one‐year incidence for AN was 2.6/100,000 and for BU 3.9. The incidence for AN was 43/100,000 for females 16–24 years old (1/2326). For BU it was 65/100,000 (1/1538). There seems to be no clear social class grouping. Twenty (56%) of the adult patients had been hospitalized for eating disorder during the

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06342.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTDuring the last 20 years ethological psychiatric research has developed a working method for the systematic and quantitative recording and analysis of the nonverbal behaviour of psychiatric patients in their actual hospital environment. In this study this method was used to follow changes in the behaviour pattern of 5 depressed, hospitalized patients during their entire hospital stay. Parallel to ethological recording, patients were rated according to Hamilton twice a week. The patients who were most depressed at admission showed the greatest behavioural changes; the changes were most conspicuous in the behavioural elements representing social contact and communication. One patient who obviously developed a new depression during the observation period without this being recognized by the Hamilton rating or the clinical control, seemed to have been better described by the behaviour recording. This study shows that ethological psychiatric methods are very suitable for obtaining a better basis for the observations of the staff in the ward environment.

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06343.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTFive patients who had all been diagnosed as endogenously depressed at admission were rated twice a week and observed ethologically for 4 h/week during the entire hospitalization (4–11 weeks). Observations were carried out in the actual social environment of the ward. Data were analysed based on the parameters of behaviour diversity, behaviour activity, and marker elements. Depression was scored as low values of diversity and activity; improvement corresponded to higher values of these parameters. As possible markers of improvement, 8 behavioural elements have been singled out. One patient constituted a special case: at discharge she was rated as completely recovered; however, the ethological data indicated a serious aggravation. The day after discharge the patient attempted to commit suicide. It is concluded that ethological psychiatric research may be able to supplement traditional psychiatry with decisive information in the areas of diagnosis and treatment assessmen

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06344.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTTwenty‐seven outpatients who had primary nonagitated depression that had been treated for 3.5 months with imipramine were included in the study. Of these, 14 patients were given additional diazepam treatment (10 mg/day) and 13 patients got placebo. The additional medication was stopped, and withdrawal reactions were observed after two weeks. The depression scores (both global evaluation and CPRS) increased significantly in the diazepam group, without any changes in the placebo group. Eleven patients in the diazepam group and four in the placebo group reported their condition as impaired after discontinuing their additional medication. Four patients in the placebo group and none in the diazepam group reported improvement. The level of working activity decreased significantly in the diazepam group and increased in the placebo group. The serum level of imipramine decreased in the placebo group (P= 0.07), but not in the diazepam group. Serum levels of desipramine decreased significantly in both groups (P<0.05). Our study indicates that the discontinuation of diazepam, even when given in moderate dosage over a relatively short period of time, may cause withdrawal reactions in combined anti‐depressant/diazepam treatment. This may be caused by a possible tendency for the depression to become chronic. Such chronicity may be the reason for secondary dependency to diaze

ISSN:0001-690X    

DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb06345.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY