Arch Gen Psychiat
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Little is known about the relationship between race/ethnicity and depression among US blacks. ⋯ When MDD affects African Americans and Caribbean blacks, it is usually untreated and is more severe and disabling compared with that in non-Hispanic whites. The burden of mental disorders, especially depressive disorders, may be higher among US blacks than in US whites.
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Comparative Study
Reduced prefrontal glutamate/glutamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid levels in major depression determined using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Increasing evidence indicates that major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with altered function of the major excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), respectively. A recently developed magnetic resonance spectroscopy method allows for reliable measurement of glutamate/glutamine (Glx) and GABA concentrations in prefrontal brain regions that have been implicated in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of MDD by studies using other neuroimaging and postmortem techniques. ⋯ For the first time, GABA and Glx concentrations were compared between unmedicated depressed adults and controls in prefrontal ROIs. The abnormal reductions in Glx and GABA concentrations found in the MDD sample were compatible with findings from postmortem histopathologic studies, indicating that glial cell density is reduced in the same areas in MDD.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Bilateral deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus to treat tardive dyskinesia.
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a common and potentially disabling disorder induced by use of antipsychotic drugs for which medical treatment often gives disappointing results. ⋯ Although these results need to be confirmed in a larger group of patients with a longer follow-up, bilateral globus pallidus deep brain stimulation seems to offer a much-needed new treatment option for disabling TD.
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Comparative Study
Altered pain processing in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and debilitating anxiety disorder. Several brain areas related to pain processing are implicated in PTSD. To our knowledge, no functional imaging study has discussed whether patients with PTSD experience and process pain in a different way than control subjects. ⋯ These data provide evidence for reduced pain sensitivity in PTSD. The witnessed neural activation pattern is proposed to be related to altered pain processing in patients with PTSD.