Neuropsychopharmacologia Hungarica : a Magyar Pszichofarmakológiai Egyesület lapja = official journal of the Hungarian Association of Psychopharmacology
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Neuropsychopharmacol Hung · Sep 2009
[Cognitive impairment in patients with alcoholism after long-term abstinence].
Patients with alcoholism display impaired cognitive information processing. In this study, we use clinically useful and effective neurocognitive tests to investigate these impairments. Twenty patients with the DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependency and 20 age-, gender-, education-, and IQ-matched healthy control subjects participated in the study. ⋯ On the other hand, episodic memory and delayed memory functions were intact. These results show that in some cognitive domains (executive functions and semantic fluency), the performance is related to the duration of the abstinent period, which may suggest the recovery of these functions. Some other domains do not show such an improvement, which could be due to a primary deficit or to a slower recovery process.
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Neuropsychopharmacol Hung · Jun 2009
ReviewSNAP-25: a novel candidate gene in psychiatric genetics.
SNAP-25 (synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa) is an integral part of SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor), a docking complex for synaptic vesicle exocytosis and neurotransmitter release. Results with SNAP-25 deficient mouse models highly accelerated association studies of SNAP-25 as a candidate gene for psychiatric disorders, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Schizophrenia. ⋯ According to our in silico studies there are two putative miR SNPs in the 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of the SNAP-25 gene. If the putative miR SNPs are shown to have a function in vivo their implication in further psychogenetic association studies will have a higher impact.
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Annually about 50,000 patients are hospitalized for acute stroke in Hungary. Of all stroke cases 85% are ischemic, and 15% are hemorrhagic (intracerebral or subarachnoid). In acute ischemic stroke the only registered causal treatment with proven efficacy is thrombolysis with intravenous administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator with a 3-hour time window. ⋯ In subarachnoid hemorrhage nimodipine was found effective in preventing vasospasm and thus secondary ischemic cerebral damage. Although the results of individual trials are conflicting, a systematic review on the effects of statins suggests a similar effect. Due to the limited options of evidence based treatments of acute stroke primary prevention has utmost importance.
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One of the first neurobiological theories of major depression was the monoamine deficiency hypothesis. The classic monoamine theory of depression suggested that a deficit in monoamine neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft was the main and primary cause of depression. Recent and newer versions and modifications of the primary classic theory also mainly included this postulate, while other theories of depression preferred departing from the monoamine-based model altogether. ⋯ Consecutive deficits in the serotonergic neurotransmission may contribute to the mood changes and reduction in the mesotelencephalic dopaminergic activity to loss of motivation, and anhedonia. Malfunction and dysregulation of CRF and other neuropeptides such as neuropeptide Y, galanin and substance P may reinforce the LC dysfunction and thus further weaken the adaptive ability to stressful stimuli. The new SNRI antidepressants seem to be more superior and effective in the treatment of major depression and in the prophylaxis of recurrent depressive episodes because of their coexistent noradrenergic activity.
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Neuropsychopharmacol Hung · Jun 2008
Review[Central and peripheral mechanisms in antinociception: current and future perspectives].
As it is well known opioids are the most powerful drugs used for acute and chronic pain, although, their several serious side effects, such as respiratory depression, mental clouding, constipation, and tolerance dependence producing capacity, as well as large interpatient variability in responses limit their safe everyday use. Furthermore, the treatment of certain types of pain (e.g. neuropathic pain) is not very satisfactorily managed. Consequently, there is a continuous need to find analgesics efficient against chronic neuropathic pain and avoid these side actions and still retain opioid like potency. ⋯ GABA and NMDA receptors are also involved in the antinociceptive actions of gabapentin and ketamine, respectively. Furthermore nicotine and analogues (epibatidine) induce analgesia through nicotinic ACh receptors. We studied mostly the peripheral targets of hydrophilic heterocyclic opioids in antinociceptive processes.