摘要:

The authors studied the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) on a series of 112 inpatients including 65 patients with major depressive disorder (21 bipolars: 4 with, 17 without psychotic symptoms; 44 unipolars: 13 with, 31 without psychotic symptoms), 15 patients with depressive disorder, 10 schizoaffective and 22 schizophrenic patients. Using different diagnostic criteria, they confirm the best performances of the DST in depression for the diagnosis of a major depressive disorder, primarily endogenous. They also examined the potential influence of psychotic symptoms, suicidal behavior and family history of affective illness on the DST. The only significant difference found is in the cortisol plasma level at 4 p.m. in bipolar patients with psychotic symptoms. That fact and the high rate of abnormality of the DST in schizoaffective and schizophrenic patients indicate that psychotic symptoms per se may play a role in a dysregulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118297

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

There were no significant differences in post-dexamethasone cortisol between the follicular and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in both women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and control subjects tested on these two occasions. Within each menstrual cycle phase, there were also no differences in post-dexamethasone cortisol between the two groups. In a second group of control subjects tested on a single occasion, post-dexamethasone cortisol values were higher when subjects were tested in the middle 2 weeks of the menstrual cycle compared with the first and last weeks of the cycle. This phenomenon, possibly due to estrogen effects, suggests that post-dexamethasone cortisol should be assessed weekly in women with PMS to determine whether they also manifest this normally observed menstrual cycle phase-related pattern, or whether it is absent, reflecting a reproductive endocrine abnormality in this patient group.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118298

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

There are indications to suggest a relationship between low levels of 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid (5HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid and suicidal behavior. Many depressed patients show an elevated cortisol secretion. As beta-endorphin is derived from the same precursor as ACTH, it is expected that plasma beta-endorphin levels will also rise in depressed patients. We report here a case of severe depression with diurnal variation who showed low CSF 5HIAA prior to his suicide. In contrast, his catecholamine metabolites were 50% above the mean values of other depressed patients. Hormonal measurements, however, showed low cortisol, prolactin and beta-endorphin levels.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118299

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

In 42 major depressive inpatients, we analyzed the relationship between dexamethasone suppression test (DST) results and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scales. Cortisol levels following DST were positively correlated with the depression as well as the social introversion MMPI scale scores, and negatively correlated with the hypomania scale scores. DST nonsuppressor depressives (n = 15) exhibited significantly higher scores on the social introversion scale and significantly lower scores on the hypomania subscale than DST suppressors (n = 27). Moreover, stepwise discriminant analysis using the hypomania score was able to correctly classify 71 % of the sample according to DST dichotomy, whereas the association of other scales did not significantly improve the classification. Therefore, these results support a relationship between DST and depressive/manic psychopathology rather than anxious psychopathology.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118300

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

In order to investigate (a) the effects of 6 weeks’ neuroleptic treatment on the pituitary-thyroid axis in 25 male schizophrenic patients, and (b) the diurnal variation in the thyrotropin (TSH) and prolactin (PRL) responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in these patients, the TRH stimulation test was performed in each of them at 14.00 and 24.00 h of the same day, both before and after 6 weeks’ treatment with neuroleptics (chlorpromazine or fluspirilene). Also, serum thyroxine (T4), in vitro radioactive triiodothyronine uptake (RT3 U) and free-thyroxine index (FTI) values were estimated from the pre-TRH blood sample. We found no evidence of diurnal variation in the TSH response to TRH in the schizophrenic patients, before or after 6 weeks’ neuroleptic treatment. Only drug-free schizophrenic patients had significantly higher PRL responses to TRH at 14.00 h than those at 24.00 h. After 6 weeks’ neuroleptic treatment, schizophrenic patients tended to have lower FTI values; also, they had significantly higher basal TSH and PRL values, as well as significantly augmented TSH and PRL responses to TRH, in comparison to their pretreatment values. These findings render possible the diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism in neuroleptic-treated schizophrenic p

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118301

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Relationships between augmenting-reducing (Aug/Red) in auditory modality and dopaminergic metabolism were investigated in young adults with respect to sex. The slope values of evoked potential amplitude changes with increasing intensities were used to evaluate Aug/Red both at Cz and Fz for each of the five components: PI, Nl, P2, P1N1, N1P2. The greatest slopes (Aug) were found in females. Individual differences in dopaminergic metabolism were estimated by assaying free and conjugated forms of homovanillic acid (HVA) in urines. HVA excretion rates were significantly more variable in males than in females. Relationships between Aug/Red and HVA levels were only found in males. The lower the Aug/Red slopes recorded at Fz site for the Nl component (weak augmenter or reducer responses), the higher the urinary HVA level and particularly the conjugated forms of HVA. These results are of interest for further applications in psychopathology.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118302

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The relation between fasting, a.m. plasma prolactin and plasma/homovanillic acid (HVA) was studied in 9 healthy males on one occasion and in 9 healthy females on two occasions (in the follicular and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle). There was a significant inverse correlation between plasma HVA and plasma prolactin in females in the follicular phase only. The correlation between these two measures, although also in the same direction, was not significant in females in the luteal phase or in males. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118303

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

In 8 male patients suffering from sleep apnea syndrome, plasma norepinephrine (NE) levels were examined. At 22.00 and at 6.30 blood samples were obtained. In 3 cases, plasma NE levels displayed little changes between 22.00 and 6.30. In 2 cases, plasma NE levels at 6.30 increased 20% compared with those at 22.00. In 3 cases, plasma NE levels at 6.30 increased more than 40%. No significant correlation between apnea index and plasma NE levels was observed. Total time under 90% arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) significantly correlated with the ratio of plasma NE levels at 6.30 to those at 22.00. In 2 cases of the 8 patients blood samples were drawn hourly (22.00–6.00) and at 6.30. In these 2 cases, when SaO2 decreased, plasma NE levels tended to increase. It is concluded that in sleep apnea syndrome plasma NE levels increased during sleep and did not correlate with apnea index but with oxygen desaturatio

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118304

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Two psychopharmacological tests which usually predict neuroleptic activity were conducted after joint administration of piracetam and three neuroleptics (haloperidol, fluphenazine and sulpiride) chosen for their different chemical classes and dopaminergic affinities. In these tests, specific doses of the neuroleptics were used to determine whether piracetam induced potentiation or antagonism of their action. Overall, piracetam increased neuroleptic action regardless of the administration timetable used, but the interaction of fluphenazine differed from that of the other two substances, because piracetam did not modify its action in a specific test of the presynaptic DA-2 dopaminergic receptors. This variation for fluphenazine may be explained by the fact that its pKa value is closer to that of piracetam, thus preventing better bioavailability of the neuroleptic, or its better affinity for DA-1 dopaminergic receptors. Nevertheless, the variation may have been due to a differing affinity for dopaminergic receptors, although this hypothesis is not completely satisfactory because it does not account for differences due to the administration timetable. It is thus suggested that action occurs on nonspecific sites and has the effect of increasing overall neuroleptic bioavailability.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118305

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Thirty-eight depressed female inpatients, treated intramuscularly with 100 mg/day amitriptyline (AMT), were monitored to investigate the relationships between plasma levels of the drug and its metabolite nortriptyline (NT), the urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), side effects and clinical response. Considering the whole group, the clinical improvement was better within an intermediate range of AMT plus NT plasma concentrations (100–200 ng /ml). A more favorable outcome was also observed at NT plasma levels below 55 ng/ml. No significantly different percent clinical response among the patient clinical subgroups was observed as well as no significant correlations between MHPG decrease and drug plasma level

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118306

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger