Biological psychiatry
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Biological psychiatry · Feb 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as treatment of poststroke depression: a preliminary study.
Depression has a significant impact on poststroke recovery and mortality. There are a proportion of patients with poststroke depression (PSD) who do not respond to antidepressants. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) might be a safe and effective alternative in these refractory cases. ⋯ Taken together, these preliminary findings suggest that rTMS may be an effective and safe treatment alternative for patients with refractory depression and stroke.
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Biological psychiatry · Feb 2004
Mu-opioid receptor binding measured by [11C]carfentanil positron emission tomography is related to craving and mood in alcohol dependence.
The endogenous opioid system has been linked to alcohol dependence through animal and human studies. We investigated the relationship between alcohol craving and brain mu opioid receptors (mu-OR) in alcohol-dependent subjects. ⋯ Results show a strong functional relationship between alcohol craving, mood, and mu-OR binding in specific brain regions of recently abstinent, alcohol-dependent men.
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Biological psychiatry · Feb 2004
Functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala in posttraumatic stress disorder.
Persistent, intrusive re-experiencing in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is commonly construed as a failure of cingulate inhibition (i.e., extinction) over a hyperresponsive amygdala, based primarily on animal research of fear conditioning and the finding of cingulate hypoperfusion in PTSD. ⋯ These patterns might represent excessive influences of the amygdala over regions involved in autonomic, and higher-order visual memory processing in PTSD. The present data suggest that inferences of direct correspondence between animal studies and pathophysiology of PTSD should be made with caution.