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Journal Article 2007; 28(2): 199-203 PubMed PMID: 17435662 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Aged, Case-Control Studies, Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate:blood, Female, Humans, Huntington Disease:blood, Hydrocortisone:blood, Middle Aged, Testosterone:blood,.   

OBJECTIVE: The neuronal loss in several brain regions that characterize the progression of Huntington's disease (HD), is expected to influence the activities of hypothalamus-adrenal and hypothalamus-gonadal axes, and the changes may relate to common features of the disease, like depression and dementia. While in male HD patients low plasma testosterone levels have been reported, information on female patients is lacking.

METHODS: We assessed the plasma levels of the androgens total testosterone (TT) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), as well as of cortisol in 41 female patients with HD, confirmed by determination of the CAG repeat number in the IT-15 gene, and searched for associations to the disease symptomatology. We also included a group of 18 females with expanded CAG repeat number in the HD gene (subjects at risk), and a group of 66 age-matched healthy females. Hormone levels of the pre- and post-menopausal subgroups were also compared separately.

RESULTS: Significant negative correlations to age were found for TT and DHEAS in both control (age range 20-71 years) and patient (age range 26 to 78 years) groups, and the calculated decline per year was around 1% for TT and 1.5% for DHEAS. There were no significant differences in hormone levels among patients, subjects at risk and controls, either in premenopausal or in postmenopausal state. The subgroup of patients with depression in their symptomatology had significantly lower TT and DHEAS levels compared to patients without depression, or to controls.

CONCLUSIONS: While TT and DHEAS seem to decline with age in female patients with HD to the same extend as for healthy females, the presence of depression, but not dementia, in their symptomatology, is connected to lower ovary-adrenal androgen levels....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(1): 33-38 PubMed PMID: 17277734 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Antidepressive Agents:therapeutic use, Anxiety:physiopathology, Combined Modality Therapy, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Panic Disorder:physiopathology, Prefrontal Cortex:physiopathology, Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors:therap.   

BACKGROUND: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can modulate cortical activity. The goal of our study was to assess whether rTMS would facilitate effect of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in patients with panic disorder.

METHOD: Fifteen patients suffering from panic disorder resistant to serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) therapy were randomly assigned to either active or to sham rTMS. The aim of the study was to compare the 2 and 4 weeks efficacy of the 10 sessions 1 Hz rTMS with sham rTMS add on SRI therapy. We use 1 Hz, 30 minutes rTMS, 110% of motor threshold administered over the right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The same time schedule was used for sham administration. Fifteen patients finished the study,. Psychopathology was assessed using the rating scales CGI, HAMA, PDSS and BAI before the treatment, immediately after the experimental treatment and 2 weeks after the experimental treatment by an independent reviewer.

RESULTS: Both groups improved during the study period but the treatment effect did not differ between groups in any of the instruments.

CONCLUSION: Low frequency rTMS administered over the right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex after 10 sessions did not differ from sham rTMS add on serotonin reuptake inhibitors in patients with panic disorder....

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Case Reports 2007; 28(1): 7-10 PubMed PMID: 17277733 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17:genetics, Craniofacial Abnormalities:genetics, Female, Gene Deletion, Humans, Intellectual Disability:genetics, Melatonin:physiology, Mood Disorders:diagnosis, Muscle Hypotonia:genetics, Syndrome,.   

: Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a microdeletion syndrome characterized by physical and neurobehavioural features. This report describes the case of a 27 year old female affected by SMS associated with a diagnosis, according to DSMIV criteria, of Mood Disorder N.O.S. and Intermittent Explosive Disorder. To our knowledge, the association of SMS with mood shifts has never been reported. Considering the genetic alterations that characterizes the SMS, further investigations on the region of the chromosome 17p11.2 could help produce more information on the role of melatonin in the genesis of mood disorder....

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Controlled Clinical Trial 2007; 28(1): 11-15 PubMed PMID: 17277732 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Depression:physiopathology, Electrophysiology, Female, Functional Laterality:physiology, Galvanic Skin Response:physiology, Humans, Male, Nonlinear Dynamics, Schizophrenia:physiopathology, Skin:innervation,.   

OBJECTIVE: Recent evidence indicates that in psychiatric patients with schizophrenia and depression, lateralized EDA changes linked to temporal-limbic electrophysiological dysfunction occur. These clinical findings provide evidence for brain asymmetry and disruptions related to integrative brain activity in pathological conditions.

METHODS: These changes in brain asymmetry may be assessed by linear analysis of EDA measurement and nonlinear analysis of brain complexity calculated as information entropy. Two groups of patients with established diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia (N=35), unipolar depression (N=35) and a control group of 35 healthy controls were examined by measurement of bilateral electrodermal activity (EDA). In non-linear data analysis of the EDA time series in resting state the method of recurrence quantification analysis was applied.

RESULTS: In these patients significant right-left EDA asymmetry and asymmetry of information entropy calculated by non-linear recurrence quantification analysis of EDA records have been found. Similar asymmetry has not been observed in the group of healthy controls.

CONCLUSIONS: Because information entropy reflects the complexity of the deterministic structure in the system, then unilaterally increased entropy in patients with schizophrenia and depression likely indicates specific nonlinear disturbances in limbic circuits that modulate EDA. These data are in accordance with recent findings that indicate apparent differences in nonlinear neural patterns in the psychiatric diseases and nonlinear behavior of healthy brain....

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Clinical Trial 2007; 28(1): 17-20 PubMed PMID: 17277731 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adrenal Medulla:physiology, Adult, Choice Behavior:physiology, Humans, Impulsive Behavior:metabolism, Male, Saliva:chemistry, Sympathetic Nervous System:physiology, Testosterone:metabolism, alpha-Amylases:analysis,.   

OBJECTIVE: Little is known regarding the role of the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) system in self-control and impulsivity in intertemporal choice (delay discounting), although the roles of dopaminergic and serotonergic systems have been extensively examined. This study was aimed to examine the relationships between salivary alpha-amylase (sAA, a non-invasive biological marker of adrenergic/SAM activities) levels and hyperbolic discounting, which is of interest in psychoneuroendocrinology and neuroeconomics.

METHODS: We assessed degrees to which delayed monetary gains were discounted (hyperbolic discount rates) in healthy male students. Participants' sAA were also assessed.

RESULTS: We observed negative relationships between sAA and hyperbolic discounting of small, medium, and large monetary gains.

CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that subjects with low sAA are impulsive in intertemporal choice. Implications for the roles of adrenergic and SAM systems in self-control in intertemporal choice are discussed....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(1): 21-25 PubMed PMID: 17277730 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Aged, Appetite Regulation:physiology, Body Weight:physiology, Deep Brain Stimulation:adverse effects, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Parkinson Disease:physiopathology, Retrospective Studies, Subthalamic Nucleus:physiopathology, Weight Gain,.   

: Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (DBS STN) is an effective treatment method in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) providing marked improvement of its major motor symptoms. In addition, non-motor effects have been reported including weight gain in PD patients after DBS STN. Using retrospective survey, we aimed to evaluate weight changes in our patients with advanced PD treated with DBS STN. We inquired 25 PD patients (16 men, 9 women), of mean age 55 (42-65) years, mean PD duration 15 (9-21) years, who previously received bilateral DBS STN. We obtained valid data from 23 patients. In the first survey, 1 to 45 months after DBS, weight gain was found in all patients comparing to pre-DBS period. The mean increase was 9.4 kg (from 1 to 25 kg). The patients' mean body mass index (BMI) increased from 23.7 to 27.0 kg/m2, i.e. by 3.3 kg/m2 (+2 to +6.1 kg/m2). In the repeated survey one year later, in 12 of the patients body weight moderately decreased, 3 did not change, and 6 patients further increased their weight. Possible explanations of body weight gain after DBS STN include a reduction of energy output related to elimination of dyskinesias, improved alimentation or direct influence on function of lateral hypothalamus by DBS STN....

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Controlled Clinical Trial 2007; 28(1): 28-32 PubMed PMID: 17277729 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation:pharmacology, Circadian Rhythm:drug effects, Depressive Disorder, Major:drug therapy, Female, Fluoxetine:pharmacology, Humans, Male, Melatonin:metabolism, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Saliva:metabolism,.   

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to explore the response of melatonin circadian rhythm to fluoxetine treatment and its relationship with clinical therapeutic effect.

METHODS: This study investigated salivary melatonin in 13 outpatients with major depressive disorder and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Depressed patients received six weeks fluoxetine (20 mg/day) treatment, and saliva was collected before and four weeks after treatment. In sampling days, a total of 12 time-point salivary melatonin was measured over 24-hours. Multioscillator cosinor model was used to fit the rhythms.

RESULTS: There was no difference of circadian melatonin rhythms in depressed patients, and melatonin was not significantly lower after fluoxetine treatment. To our surprise, the melatonin amplitude (Before minus After) was positively correlated with the improvement in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores at day 42 whereas there was no such correlation at day 28.

CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin rhythms were similar between depressed patients and matched healthy controls. The interesting finding that the difference of salivary melatonin amplitude was correlated with the clinical improvement after six weeks fluoxetine treatment deserve further study....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(1): 45-51 PubMed PMID: 17277727 Citation  Keywords:  Aged, Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate:blood, Disease Progression, Estradiol:blood, Follicle Stimulating Hormone:blood, Hormones:blood, Humans, Hydrocortisone:blood, Luteinizing Hormone:blood, Male, Middle Aged, Prognosis, Prolactin:blood, Prostatectomy, Pr.   

OBJECTIVE: Prostate cancer is now recognized as one of the principal medical problems facing male population and the commonest cancer in males in delevoped countries. The aim of this study was to find out whether serum hormone levels differ significantly in localized (pT2) and locally advanced (pT3-pT4 or N1) prostate cancer.

METHODS: In 250 men (mean age+/-SEM: 63.8+/-0.4) who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy for histologically confirmed prostate cancer were analyzed serum samples for total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, estradiol, progesterone, prolactin, cortisol, sex hormone-binding globulin, luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone. Free testosterone content was calculated from total testosterone and SHBG concentrations.

RESULTS: Significantly lower serum level of FSH, i.e. 5.63+/-0.31 vs. 7.07+/-0.65 U/L was found in patients with localized prostate cancer than in locally advanced (p<0.05). Significant correlation was found between serum levels of DHEAS and cortisol in both groups (p<0.02), estradiol and prolactin in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, as well between LH and prolactin (p<0.05). No differences were found in other observed hormones.

CONCLUSION: The results point to importance of hormone status as possible additional prognostic marker for patients with prostate cancer. Considerable research is needed to further understand influence of hormones on prostate cancer....

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