摘要:

The authors studied the responsiveness of cardiac beta-receptors to isoproterenol, a noradrenergic agonist, in 29 depressed patients and 13 control subjects. They showed a significantly lower sensitivity in depressed patients as compared with the control subjects. Focussing on the group of depressed patients without antidepressant treatment in the month preceding the study (n = 15) in order to avoid a bias, the following significant results were obtained: cardiac beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity was lower in patients suffering from endogenous depression than in those suffering from reactive depression (as classified by Newcastle Scale). There was a negative linear relation between cardiac beta-adrenergic sensitivity and the posttreatment clinical state (as expressed by the MADRS score) for the 9 patients who ended a 3-week desipramine treatment period.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118573

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) homovanillic acid, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, and somatostatin and β-endorphin levels were measured in 12 patients with panic disorder before and after 7 months of treatment with alprazolam or imipramine. The concentrations of CSF monoamine metabolites and neuropeptides were at baseline of the same order of magnitude in panic patients and controls. Neither alprazolam nor imipramine changed metabolite or neuropeptide levels in CSF despite clinical improvement in both treatment groups. According to present CSF data, the antipanic actions of alprazolam and imipramine do not involve the monoaminergic or peptidergic systems studied

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118574

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The relationship between ventricular size, as a measure of brain atrophy, and performance on a vigilance task was investigated in 39 patients with anorexia or bulimia nervosa during the acute stage of their illness. Compared to normal controls, the patients performed significantly more poorly in the cognitive task. Half of the patients displayed enlarged ventricles. However, the patients with ventricular dilatation did not perform worse in the cognitive test than patients with normally sized ventricles. Other clinical characteristics, such as symptom severity or duration of illness, were also not correlated with ventricular size. These results support the interpretation that cerebral atrophy per se does not have severe consequences on the neuropsychological or psychopathological status in eating disorder patients.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118575

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

In the past, some researchers found increased cortisol and prolactin responses to the administration of fenfluramine in major-depressed patients. It was believed that the fenfluramine test could prove to constitute another challenge probe to reflect the central serotonergic function. The present study was conducted in order to investigate the pituitary/adrenal responses to fenfluramine in major- versus minor-depressed patients. To this end we administered 60 mg D, L-fenfluramine p.o. to 40 depressed patients categorized according to the DSM-III. The basal levels of cortisol, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), β-endorphins and prolactin and their levels 2 and 4 h after fenfluramine administration were measured. We found no significant effect for fenfluramine treatment on cortisol, ACTH or β-endorphins. There was a significant (p = 0.02) effect for fenfluramine treatment on prolactin. The enhanced secretion of prolactin was only significant (p = 0.006) in major (296.X2, 296.X3, 296.X4) and not in minor (300.40, 309.00) depressives. It was concluded that our findings corroborate the thesis of a hypersensitive serotonergic neurotransmission during a major depressive episod

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118576

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

To investigate the dose-effect relationship, 106 patients received for 6 weeks under double-blind conditions randomly either 0.5 (n = 35), 1.0 (n = 35) or 1.5 mg (n = 36) fluspirilene per week. Two patients dropped out. The main result of this study was the verification of a clear dose-effect relationship. There is a difference between all three dosage groups after 6 weeks. Improvement with 0.5 mg fluspirilene was far more seldom (17 of 35) than with 1.0 mg (25 of 33) and very much more frequent with 1.5 mg (30 of 36). This was confirmed with the three scales of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. The clear dose-effect relationship was also shown on the subjective ‘Eigenschaftswörterliste’ scales of elation, self-confidence, introversion, anxiety, vulnerability and depression. The tolerance of all doses in this study was good and did not differ. Nevertheless, the findings from earlier studies were reproduced, according to which a poorer tolerance is combined with a poorer therapeutic efficacy. It was worked out in the discussion that patients who improved subjectively and according to the physician’s assessment after 14 days of treatment also showed a good response after a longer period of tre

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118577

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Five different classes of drugs (clonidine: 0, 0.10, 0.30, 0.50 mg/kg; yohimbine: 0, 2, 4, 8 mg/kg; haloperidol: 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08 mg/kg; piracetam: 0, 150, 300, 600 mg/kg, and eserine: 0, 0.10, 0.30, 0.50 mg/kg) were studied on two cortical EEG derivations as well as a deep structure, the locus ceruleus in the rats. Each drug affected the EEG in its own particular manner. Clonidine significantly decreased frequency in the theta band (3.7–7.5 Hz) and increased it in the alpha band (7.6–13.5 Hz). A general significant increase in power was observed. Yohimbine’s effects on the EEG varied according to the regions studied. There were significant modifications of power and frequency in the theta, alpha and beta bands in the three derivations studied. Notable effects of haloperidol were observed as an increase in power in all frequency bands at all doses administered particularly in the anteroparietal and posteroparietal derivations. In the locus ceruleus derivation, power was significantly increased at all doses only in the alpha and beta frequency bands. Concerning piracetam, while no significant effects were noted on the EEG frequency, this drug significantly increased EEG power in the posteroparietal and anteroparietal derivations. The most important effects are obtained at the lowest dose (150 mg/kg) administered. Finally, it was shown that eserine significantly decreased power in the delta bandwidth shortly after its administration. Afterwards, the power gradually regained its original

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118578

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118579

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Previous research had indicated that the smoking of medium tar and nicotine (T/N) yield cigarettes produced a psychostimulant action on electroencephalographic (EEG) activity which was apparent after a single cigarette and was evident as early as the fourth puff. The present study adopted the identical smoking and recording procedure to examine whether low-T/N yield cigarettes produced qualitatively similar EEG profiles as previously observed with medium-yield cigarettes. Although the results indicated similarities in post-smoking EEG profiles of low- and medium-yield cigarettes, discrepancies with several EEG components and temporal (puff-by-puff) EEG features suggested that low-yield cigarettes may exert less impact on brain electric activity. The results are discussed in relation to motivational theories of smoking behavior.

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118580

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118581

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:0302-282X    

DOI:10.1159/000118582

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1989

数据来源: Karger