Journal of clinical psychopharmacology
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J Clin Psychopharmacol · Feb 2011
Comparative Study Clinical TrialPseudohypoalgesia on the skin: a novel view on the paradox of pain perception in depression.
Previous studies reported increased heat pain thresholds and decreased ischemic pain thresholds in patients experiencing depression. The increased sensitivity to ischemic muscle pain was assumed to represent a model for the investigation of physical symptoms in the disease. Here, we explored how the serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor duloxetine influences experimental pain thresholds and tolerances in depressed patients during treatment. ⋯ In contrast, patients were significantly more perceptive to ischemic muscle pain at baseline. During treatment, the examined pain thresholds showed differential changes: Increased heat pain thresholds of patients normalized during treatment, whereas no significant change was observed for ischemic pain thresholds. Thus, our results might change the view on the paradox of pain perception in major depression because increased heat pain thresholds are associated with augmented pain perception in the disease.
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J Clin Psychopharmacol · Feb 2011
Comparative StudyEffect of methylphenidate on intelligence quotient scores in Chinese children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Stimulants are the most effective drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. The purpose of this study was to explore the intervention effect of methylphenidate, a commonly used stimulant, on cognitive performance in ADHD children and whether the effect is associated with age, sex, different subtypes of ADHD, and drug dosage. ⋯ Methylphenidate can enhance cognitive performance in ADHD patients thus evaluating their IQ scores, although the effect size seems to be relatively small. The result should not be indicated as an increase in intelligence.