Neuropsychobiology
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Recent neurobiological studies have reported that alexithymia may result from altered brain function related to emotional processing. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has been shown to regulate central nervous system development associated with psychological processing. We investigated the possibility that polymorphism of the 5-HT transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) is associated with alexithymia. ⋯ These results suggest a link between low synaptic 5-HT and alexithymia.
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Biography Historical Article
Eugen Bleuler's concept of schizophrenia and its relevance to present-day psychiatry.
This paper links the historical perspective with the actual debate on the concept of schizophrenia. By this, two aims shall be accomplished. ⋯ Bleuler considerably reduced the epistemological presuppositions of Kraepelin's nosological model and coined the term 'group of schizophrenias', which was markedly broader and, as for prognosis, much less pessimistic. The second aim of this paper is to argue in favor of a continuous reflection upon psychiatry's historical and epistemological basis which is regarded not just as 'l'art pour l'art', but as an indispensable component of psychiatry, clinically and scientifically.
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Despite the progress in the pharmacotherapy of depression, there is a substantial proportion of treatment-resistant patients. Recently, reversible invasive stimulation methods, i.e. vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS), have been introduced into the management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). VNS has already received regulatory approval for TRD. ⋯ The clinical data on the use of VNS and DBS in TRD are encouraging. The major contribution of the methods is a novel approach that allows for precise targeting of the specific brain areas, nuclei and circuits implicated in the etiopathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders. For clinical practice, it is necessary to identify patients who may best benefit from VNS or DBS.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy, safety and dose-response of pramipexole in Japanese patients with primary restless legs syndrome: randomized trial.
To assess the safety and efficacy of pramipexole in Japanese patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and to investigate factors predictive of early treatment response. ⋯ Pramipexole at 0.25-0.75 mg/day is efficacious, safe and well tolerated in Japanese patients with primary RLS.
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Cognitive decline in the elderly is an early predictor of dementia. The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele is considered an important genetic determinant of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and strongly suspected to play a role in cognitive variation. However, its effects upon predicting the progression of cognitive decline more generally remain unclear. Our aim was to explore the role of APOE ε4 in longitudinal cognitive decline, considering sociodemographics, vascular disease, and lipid profile. ⋯ APOE ε4 offered information on the risk of cognitive decline in this longitudinal study, and may exert detectable effects early in a long prodromal AD trajectory.