Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Aug 2013
Comparative StudyA retrospective comparison of the effects of propofol and etomidate on stimulus variables and efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy in depressed inpatients.
To compare the effects of propofol and etomidate on the stimulus variables and efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in depressed inpatients. ⋯ Anesthesia with propofol has a significant reducing effect on seizure duration during the course of ECT which results in more inadequate seizures, despite the use of a higher mean stimulus charge. Regarding the possible effect of the anesthetics on ECT, randomized clinical trials with sufficient power to detect differences are warranted.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Aug 2013
Decreased gray matter volume of the medial orbitofrontal cortex in panic disorder with agoraphobia: a preliminary study.
Patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) have clinical symptoms such as the fear of being outside or of open spaces from which escape would be difficult. Although recent neurobiological studies have suggested that fear conditioning and extinction are associated with PDA, no study has examined the possible structural abnormalities in patients with PDA. ⋯ These findings suggest that the phobic avoidance found in patients with PDA arise from abnormalities in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, which plays an important role in fear extinction. Future studies should investigate the neuroanatomical substrates of PDA and distinguish them from those of PDW.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Aug 2013
Influence of lifelong dietary fats on the brain fatty acids and amphetamine-induced behavioral responses in adult rat.
The influence of dietary fatty acids (FA) on mania-like behavior and brain oxidative damage were evaluated in rats. First generation of rats born and maintained under supplementation with soybean-oil (SO), fish-oil (FO) or hydrogenated-vegetable-fat (HVF), which are rich in n-6, n-3 and trans (TFA) FA, respectively, until adulthood, were exposed to an amphetamine (AMPH)-induced mania animal model to behavioral and biochemical evaluations. While AMPH caused hyperlocomotion in HVF and, to a less extent, in SO- and FO-groups, a better memory performance was observed in FO group. ⋯ FO was related to higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in cortex and striatum, while HVF was associated to higher incorporation of TFA in cortex, hippocampus and striatum, besides increased n-6/n-3 FA ratio in striatum. While a continuous exposure to TFA may intensify oxidative events in brain, a prolonged FO consumption may prevent mania-like-behavior; enhance memory besides decreasing brain oxidative markers. A substantial inclusion of processed foods, instead of foods rich in omega-3, in the long term is able to influence the functionality of brain structures related to behavioral disturbances and weaker neuroprotection, whose impact should be considered by food safety authorities and psychiatry experts.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Aug 2013
An integrated pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of a new drug of abuse, methylone, a synthetic cathinone sold as "bath salts".
Methylone (3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone) is a new psychoactive substance and an active ingredient of "legal highs" or "bath salts". We studied the pharmacokinetics and locomotor activity of methylone in rats at doses equivalent to those used in humans. ⋯ Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis of methylone showed a correlation between plasma concentrations and enhancement of the locomotor activity. A contribution of metabolites in the activity of methylone after oral administration is suggested. Present results will be helpful to understand the time course of the effects of this drug of abuse in humans.