Neuroendocrinol Lett
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Sleep disorders are frequent and disturbing, mostly chronic conditions. Despite the fact practice of sleep medicine is a young field. ⋯ This article maps amazing development of sleep disorders treatment from the beginning till current date. The text covers both scientific and clinical perspectives on most frequent sleep related disorders including insomnias, hypersomnias, parasomnias, sleep related movement and breathing disorders, restless legs syndrome and circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
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Outcome in bipolar patients can be affected by comorbidity of other psychiatric disorders. Comorbid personality disorders are frequent and may complicate the course of bipolar illness. We have much information about treating patients with uncomplicated bipolar disorder (BD) but much less knowledge about possibilities for patients with the comorbidity of BD and personality disorder. ⋯ Comorbidity with personality disorders in BD patients is associated with a more difficult course of illness (such as longer episodes, shorter time euthymic, and earlier age at onset) and an increase in comorbid substance abuse, suicidality and aggression. These problems are particularly pronounced in comorbidity with borderline personality disorder. Comorbidity with antisocial personality disorder elicits a similar spectrum of difficulties; some of the antisocial behavior exhibited by patients with this comorbidity is mediated by increased impulsivity.
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Neuroendocrinol Lett · Jan 2011
ReviewDisrupted chronobiology of sleep and cytoprotection in obesity: possible therapeutic value of melatonin.
From a physiological perspective the sleep-wake cycle can be envisioned as a sequence of three physiological states (wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement, NREM, sleep and REM sleep) which are defined by a particular neuroendocrine-immune profile regulating the metabolic balance, body weight and inflammatory responses. Sleep deprivation and circadian disruption in contemporary "24/7 Society" lead to the predominance of pro-orexic and proinflammatory mechanisms that contribute to a pandemic metabolic syndrome (MS) including obesity, diabetes and atherosclerotic disease. Thus, a successful management of MS may require a drug that besides antagonizing the trigger factors of MS could also correct a disturbed sleep-wake rhythm. ⋯ More recently, attention has been focused on the development of potent melatonin analogs with prolonged effects (ramelteon, agomelatine, tasimelteon, TK 301). In clinical trials these analogs were employed in doses considerably higher than those usually employed for melatonin. In view that the relative potencies of the analogs are higher than that of the natural compound, clinical trials employing melatonin doses in the range of 50-100 mg/day are needed to assess its therapeutic value in MS.
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Neuroendocrinol Lett · Jan 2010
ReviewOxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome with unknown etiology and pathophysiology. Recent studies have shown some evidence demonstrating that oxidative stress may have a role in the pathophysiology of FM. ⋯ To this respect, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency, an essential electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and a strong antioxidant, alters mitochondria function and mitochondrial respiratory complexes organization and leading to increased ROS generation. Recently have been showed CoQ10 deficiency in blood mononuclear cells in FM patients, so if the hypothesis that mitochondrial dysfunction is the origin of oxidative stress in FM patients is demonstrated, could help to understand the complex pathophysiology of this disorder and may lead to development of new therapeutic strategies for prevention and treatment of this disease.
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Neuroendocrinol Lett · Jan 2009
ReviewEndocannabinoid system: An overview of its potential in current medical practice.
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a lipid signalling system, comprising of the endogenous cannabis-like ligands (endocannabinoids) anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), which derive from arachidonic acid. These bind to a family of G-protein-coupled receptors, called CB1 and CB2. The cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) is distributed in brain areas associated with motor control, emotional responses, motivated behaviour and energy homeostasis. ⋯ However, safety conerns have led to its withrawal. The role of endocannabinoids in mammalian reproduction is an emerging research area given their implication in fertilization, preimplantation embryo and spermatogenesis. The relevant preclinical data on endocannabinoid signalling open up new perspectives as a target to improve infertility and reproductive health in humans.