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Journal Article 2006; 27(3): 321-326 PubMed PMID: 16807521 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Dissociative Disorders:complications, Epilepsy:complications, Female, Humans, Kindling, Neurologic:physiology, Male, Schizophrenia:complications, Schizophrenic Psychology, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic:complications, Stress, Psychological:compli.   

OBJECTIVES: According to recent evidence, trauma and stress are important etiological factors in pathogenesis of schizophrenia. However, the hypothetical influence of traumatic stress on epileptic-like (or kindling) phenomena in schizophrenia is at this time unclear.

METHODS: In order to discover the influence of trauma, 82 patients with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and 50 healthy controls were assessed for symptoms of dissociation, traumatic stress and psycho-sensory symptoms of epileptic origin.

RESULTS: We have found significant traumatization and dissociation in patients who met the cut-off score for psychosensory epileptic-like symptoms and also significant correlations among these measures have been found.

CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest a certain role of epileptic-like phenomena in dissociative states in schizophrenia and are in accordance with rare intracranial EEG findings which suggest a certain role of epileptiform events in schizophrenia....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 209-213 PubMed PMID: 16648775 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Schizophrenia:therapy, Schizophrenic Psychology, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation,.   

: The high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) over the prefrontal cortex is a promising method for the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Using double-blind sham-controlled parallel design, we evaluated the effect of HF-rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Sixteen schizophrenia patients with predominantly negative symptoms on stable antipsychotic medication were treated with 20 Hz rTMS (90% of motor threshold, 2000 stimuli per session) over ten days within 2 weeks with six weeks follow-up. The effect was assessed using PANSS, CGI, MADRS and neuropsychological tests. We failed to find any significant effect of active rTMS. Sham rTMS showed a trend for improvement over time on positive and negative subscales of PANSS and MADRS. Between-group comparisons failed to reveal any significant differences on any rating scales except a positive subscale of PANSS after 8 weeks. Results from our study did not confirm that HF-rTMS over the left DLPCF affects the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and alternative rTMS approaches are discussed....

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Journal Article 2003; 24(3-4): 181-184 PubMed PMID: 14523354 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Biomarkers, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Humans, Male, Melatonin:blood, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Schizophrenia:blood, Schizophrenic Psychology,.   

OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study was to verify if a simple index as night-day plasma MLT level variation is able to confirm the existing data on circadian melatonin alterations in schizophrenia and if a relationship to disease itself instead of the actual clinical state can be suggested.

SETTING AND DESIGN: Ten consecutively admitted male schizophrenic inpatients were examined.

METHODS: The blood samples for melatonin were collected at 3.00 a.m. and 15.00 p.m. and consequently calculated the values of Delta () (MLT h.3.00- MLT h.15.00). We divided the sample into two subgroups: < 30 pg/ml and > 30 pg/ml taking 30 pg/ml as an arbitrary value, based on literature data, that should indicate a physiologically correct value of.

RESULTS: The 70% of the sample was under the 30 pg/ml value of (13.61 +/- 4.0) or was lacking of the characteristic circadian pattern of MLT secretion, whilst the 30% of the sample was over the 30 pg/ml value of (83.60 +/- 16.34) or was in presence of the characteristic circadian pattern of MLT secretion (p=.0001). No correlation was found between values and the scale and subscales scores for the assessment of psychopathology.

MAIN FINDINGS: The data confirm the lack of the characteristic circadian pattern of MLT secretion in schizophrenics.

CONCLUSION: The absence of significant correlation between night / day melatonin level differences and actual psychopathology variables should indicate that the suppression of is mostly related to the disease and independent from the clinical state. A neuroleptic-treatment effect cannot be excluded so far....

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