The Diverse Roles of Anticonvulsants in Bipolar Disorders

Anticonvulsant drugs (ACs) have diverse antiseizure, psychotropic, and biochemical effects. Carbamazepine and valproate have mood-stabilizing actions, benzodiazepines and gabapentin have anxiolytic actions, lamotrigine is useful in rapid cycling and acute treatment and prophylaxis of bipolar depression, and topiramate and zonisamide can yield weight loss. Limited controlled data suggest the carbamazepine keto derivative oxcarbazepine has antimanic effects. A categorical approach to the diverse roles of ACs in bipolar disorders is proposed, using broad categories of ACs, on the basis of their predominant psychotropic profiles. Thus, some ACs have sedating profiles that may include sedation, cognitive difficulties, fatigue, weight gain, and possibly antimanic and/or anxiolytic effects. In contrast, some newer ACs have activating profiles that may include improved energy, weight loss, and possibly antidepressant and even anxiogenic effects. Still other newer ACs have novel mixed profiles, combining sedation and weight loss. A categorical–mechanistic extension of this approach is also presented, with hypotheses that sedating profiles might be related to prominent potentiation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) inhibitory neurotransmission, activating profiles could be related to prominent attenuation of glutamate excitatory neurotransmission, and for mixed profiles, sedation and weight loss might be related to concurrent GABAergic and antiglutamatergic actions, respectively. The categorical approach may have utility as an aid to clinicians in reinforcing the heterogeneity ACs, and recalling psychotropic profiles of individual ACs, but is limited as it fails to address the etiology of the heterogeneity of AC psychotropic effects. The categorical–mechanistic extension strives to address this issue, but requires systematic clinical investigation of more precise relationships between psychotropic profiles and discrete mechanisms of action to assess its merits.     

Die Bedeutung der diskontinuierlichen Zonierung des Immunglobulinbereiches für die Diagnose neurologischer Erkrankungen

Zusammenfassung 1. 340 Patienten, welche bei der agarelektrophoretischen Auftrennung der Liquorproteine eine diskontinuierliche Zonierung im Bereiche der -Globuline zeigten, wurden bezüglich Verteilung dieser clonalen -Zonen auf die verschiedenen neurologischen Erkrankungen untersucht.2. Bei der MS und den anderen entzündlichen neurologischen Erkrankungen findet sich eine Häufung der schnell wandernden Zone ₂ und der mittelschnell wandernden Zonen ₃ und ₄.3. Bei den Discushernien und den zentralnervös-nichtentzündlichen Erkrankungen ist die Zonenverteilung ziemlich flach und undifferenziert, wobei hier wie auch bei Tumoren und Polyneuritiden der relativ hohe ₀-Anteil auffällt als ein Phänomen, das bei zentralnervös-entzündlichen Prozessen nur selten anzutreffen ist. In den wenigen Tumorfällen mit -Zonierung scheint die ₄-Position deutlich zu überwiegen.4. In der Hälfte aller MS-Liquoren mit -Zonierung ist das Totalprotein, in einem Sechstel das Total--Globulin (rel%) normal, und nur bei zwei Dritteln finden sich Plasmazellen. Die elektrophoretische Feststellung von -Zonierung ist in der neurologischen Labordiagnostik folglich ein wichtiges Hilfskriterium.5. Mit zunehmendem Anstieg des -Globulin-Gehaltes im Liquor läßt sich bei MS-Patienten, nicht aber bei allen Krankheitsgruppen, eine Zunahme der Häufigkeit der -Zonierung nachweisen.6. Das Auftreten von -Zonierung ist bei den zentralnervös-entzündlichen Krankheiten und der MS sechsmal häufiger als bei den zentralnervös-nichtentzündlichen Krankheiten.7. -Zonierung scheint beim Gesunden, bei psychiatrischen Erkrankungen, Myopathien, bei gewissen Tumoren (Neurinomen) und metabolisch bedingten Polyneuritiden nicht vorzukommen.

---

The significance of discontinuous zonation of electrophoretically separated globulins for the diagnosis of neurological diseases

Summary 1. 340 patients in whom discontinuous zonation of the globulin region was observed after electrophoretic separation of the CSF proteins were examined to see how the distribution of these clonal zones is correlated with different neurological diseases.2. In multiple sclerosis (MS) and other inflammatory diseases of the CNS, zones are most frequently found in the medium positions: ₂, ₃ and ₄.3. In disk hernias and the noninflammatory diseases of the CNS, the dispersion of zone frequency is rather undifferentiated. In these conditions and in tumors of the CNS and polyneuritis, the relatively high proportion of ₀ zones is a conspicuous feature; it is scarcely encountered in inflammatory processes of the CNS. The rare cases of tumors with zonation show a preponderance of the ₄ zone.4. The total protein content is normal in half of all MS fluids with zonation; in one sixth the relative amount of total globulin is also normal, whereas plasma cells are demonstrable in only two thirds. The electrophoretic evaluation of zonation is, therefore, an important tool in neurological laboratory work.5. Increased amounts of globulin in CSF are accompanied by an increased frequency of zonation in some diseases, such as MS, but not in tumors or vascular processes.6. The incidence of zonation is about 6 times higher in MS than in noninflammatory diseases of the CNS.7. zonation seems not to be present in healthy persons, in psychiatric diseases, myopathies, some tumors (neurinoma) and polyneuritis of metabolic-toxic etiology.

     

Fluctuating parkinsonism: a pilot study of single afternoon dose of levodopa methyl ester

Thirty-four patients with idiopathic fluctuating Parkinson's disease and early afternoon delayed on or severely resistant off periods, in spite of long-term antiparkinsonian therapy, were studied. The first afternoon levodopa administration was substituted with an equimolar dosage of the liquid formulation levodopa methyl ester (LDME). The major end-points for efficacy were latency to on and duration of on periods. The patients were divided into five subgroups according to their baseline treatment and they were evaluated monthly for 6 months using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. The patients completed weekly self-evaluation using an on-off chart. LDME was well tolerated by all the patients. A statistically significant reduction in latency to on was observed in all patients. The clinical effect of LDME remained stable during the treatment period (repeat measures ANOVA). The more rapid clinical effect of LDME and its stable and predictable antiparkinsonian activity represents a new and useful approach for treating patients with complicated Parkinson's disease.     

Liquorkomplement und Multiple Sklerose

Zusammenfassung 1. In 239 Liquores, darunter 47 MS-Fälle und 91 normale Kontrollen, wurden Komplement und Komplementfaktoren (C₁, C₂, C₃ und C₄) bestimmt.2. Im normalen Liquor ist in der Regel keine Gesamtkomplementaktivität vorhanden. Dagegen ist die C₁- wie C₄-Aktivität praktisch immer und C₂-sowie C₃-Aktivität in über der Hälfte der Fälle zu finden. Das Komplementmuster im Liquor ist daher im Gegensatz zum Serum unvollständig.3. Bei erhöhtem Eiweiß zeigt der Liquor dagegen häufig Gesamtkomplementaktivität. Je höher das Liquoreiweiß ist, um so höher ist der Gehalt an C₂, C₃ und Gesamtkomplement. Diese Beziehungen zwischen Gesamteiweiß und Komplementaktivität gelten für normalen wie pathologischen Liquor einschließlich der MS-Fälle.4. Im MS-Liquor sind C₂, C₃ und Gesamtkomplement seltener zu finden als bei den Kontrollen. Bei den MS-Patienten ist C₂ und C₃ im akuten Schub herabgesetzt. C₃ nimmt im Verlauf der Erkrankung wahrscheinlich ab.5. Mit Antikomplementserum wurde _1C-Globulin, ein Teilfaktor von C₃, im Liquor von 55 MS-Patienten und 42 Kontrollen bestimmt. Es besteht kein Unterschied zwischen MS und Kontrolliquor. Auch bei akut entzündlicher MS ist _1C nicht vermindert.6. In der Diskussion wird auf widersprechende eigene Befunde über _1C-Inaktivierung im Serum während der akut entzündlichen MS-Phase hingewiesen.

---

Summary 1. Complement and complement factors (C₁, C₂, C₃ and C₄) were determined in 239 specimes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) including 47 cases of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and 91 normal controls.2. In general, total complement activity is absent in normal specimens while that of C₁ and C₄ can be found practically always and that of C₂ and C₃ in more than half of the cases. Therefore, the pattern of complements in the CSF is incomplete as opposed to that of serum.3. In contrast, samples with increased protein content frequently yield total complement activity. The higher the protein content of CSF the higher the content of C₂, C₃ and total complement. This relationship between amount of total protein and complement activity applies both to normal and pathological CSF specimens including those from MS.4. In cerebrospinal fluid from patients with MS, C₂, C₃ and total complement are found less frequently than in that from controls. C₂ and C₃ are diminished in patients with an acute exacerbation of MS. C₃ decreases probably in the course of the disease.5. _1C-globulin, a component of C₃, was determined with anticomplement sera in specimens from 55 patients with MS and from 42 controls. There is no difference between CSF of MS and controls. Even in acutely inflammatory cases of MS, _1C is not diminished.6. Discussing his results the author points out discrepancies concerning the nactivation of _1C in serum during acutely inflammatory episodes of MS.

---

---

Mit Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Types of authority and two problems of psychiatric wards

This paper concerns the relationship between authority structures and two problems reported in the literature as common to milieu or therapeutic community wards. Psychiatric wards with rational-legal and charismatic authority structures are found more likely to experience mood and morale swings on the part of patients and staff and to spend excessive time and energy changing ward rules.     

“Echoing approval”: A new speech disorder

We report the cases of two patients presenting a peculiar speech disorder, which we have named echoing approval, in which the patients echo, in replying to questions in a dialogue with short phrases, the positive or negative syntactical construction of a question, or its positive or negative intonation, but without any repetition of whole or part of sentences. When asked about their symptoms, the patients replied 80% of the time with yes, yes, that's right, or exactly to positive questions and no, no or absolutely not to negative questions, regardless of their actual symptoms and oblivious to self-contradiction. In addition, when the examining doctor was speaking to a medical colleague in the patient's presence and using medical terminology that the patient did not understand, he/she agreed or disagreed with any sentence and technical word uttered in a way entirely dependent on the syntax or intonation used. To distinguish this speech disorder from echolalia or verbal perseverations, with which it may be superficially confused, we suggest that it be called echoing approval, as it may be part one of the manifestations of the environment-dependency syndrome. This clinical picture was found to be associated with features of transcortical motor aphasia and frontal lobe signs. One patient had a bilateral callosofrontal malignant glioma and the other a probable multiple system atrophy with global deterioration, pre-eminent frontal release signs, diffuse leukoencephalopathy and multiple lacunes. On the basis of these clinical deficits and neuroimaging features, we are unable to delineate the common, or minimal, lesioned network required for this symptomatology to occur, especially in the absence of a series of patients, and with such a difference in both the location and causes of the lesions. However, bilateral frontosubcortical dysfunction was pre-eminent in the clinical picture in both patients, even though more diffuse brain pathology was seen in one, and it might be speculated that dysfunction of the bilateral orbitofrontal and frontomesial motor frontosubcortical circuits might be involved in the aetiology of this peculiar speech disorder.     

“Sporadic” prealbumin-related amyloid polyneuropathy: report of two cases

Summary Two sporadic cases of amyloid polyneuropathy are reported. There was no family history or plasma cell dyscrasia. Both showed sensorimotor and autonomic polyneuropathy with onset in the seventh decade. Amyloid deposits in both cases reacted with anti-human prealbumin sera but not with antisera to human AA and anti-human immunoglobulin light-chain amyloids, including A and A. One patient had the abnormal serum prealbumin and abnormal DNA sequence found in type I familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) (Japanese type). Investigations in sporadic amyloid polyneuropathy should include immunohistochemistry, using antisera to the different amyloid proteins, and the radioimmunoassay and recombinant DNA techniques for diagnosis of FAP.     

Sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy: pathology, clinical implications, and possible pathomechanisms

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) was observed for the first time nearly 100 years ago and systematically described in 1938. It is a common finding in elderly individuals, defined by -amyloid peptide (A) depositions in cerebral blood vessels, and associated with Alzheimers disease (AD). A variety of genetic mutations cause hereditary forms of CAA; in this review, however, only the sporadic variant of CAA is considered. In CAA, A depositions primarily occur in the abluminal portion of the tunica media, and with increasing severity all layers of the blood vessel wall are infiltrated and an additional spread of A into the surrounding neuropil may be seen (i.e., dyshoric changes). CAA is most pronounced in the occipital lobe and its distribution is usually patchy. The relationship between CAA and AD is poorly understood; however, low positive correlations between the severity of both CAA and AD pathology have been observed. CAA is a frequent cause of (warfarin-associated) intracerebral hemorrhage, and the diagnosis of probable CAA-related hemorrhage can be made during life with high accuracy. Both APOE-4 and APOE-2 are risk factors for CAA, while only APOE-2 increases the risk for hemorrhage in CAA. Although the role of CAA as an independent risk factor for cognitive decline is unclear, severe CAA is likely to lower the threshold for clinically overt dementia in neurodegenerative diseases. As for the origin of A in CAA, it may be both produced by smooth muscle cells (vessel wall) and derived from neurons in the course of perivascular drainage.     

Gestalt- und erkenntnispsychologischer Beitrag zum melancholischen Wahn

Zusammenfassung Gestalt- und erkenntnispsychologische Zusammenhänge ergeben, daß dem melancholischen Wahn ein ametrisches Verhältnis der das menschliche Weltbild mitkonstituierenden Strukturtendenzen der Prägnanztendenz sowie des antiprägnanten Gestaltreizes der Welt zugrunde liegt. Dabei verstehen wir unter Weltbild die Erkenntnisgestalt der Welt, die vorweg (a priori) bestimmt, was je—individuell wirklich erkannt und verstanden wird. In der Melancholie kommt es nun durch eine Reduktion der Prägnanztendenz zu einem extrem einseitigen Bestimmtsein des Weltbildes durch den antiprägnanten Gestaltreiz der Welt. Die Folge dieser ametrischen Strukturiertheit des Weltbildes ist eine pathologische Wirklichkeitsgewißheit (Wahngewißheit) in allen Erkenntnisfunktionen also auch in der Vorstellung, in der Phantasie und in der Einbildung. Die Inhalte der melancholischen Wahnerlebnisse aber gehen auf den antiprägnanten Gestaltreiz der Welt zurück, der im Verlauf der normalen aktualgenetischen Entwicklung des Weltbildes zunehmend auf den Abbau und Zerfall der von der Prägnanztendenz intendierten Erkenntnisinhalte z. B. der immer intakten und integren Leib-, Ich- und Kommunikationsgestalt des Menschen aus ist, damit vom Erwachsenen auch Nichtintegres und Nichtintaktes sowie Zerfall in jeder Form verstanden und bewältigt werden kann. Die Gerichtetheit des antiprägnanten Gestaltreizes der Welt erkennt man in den melancholischen Wahnerlebnissen des Zerfalls des Leibes bis zur Verwesung bei lebendigem Leibe oder des Zerfalls der Ichgestalt bis zum nihuil unmittelbar wieder.Keine eindeutigen Aussagen jedoch erlauben unsere Beobachtungen über einen Wandel im Strukturverhältnis der Tendenz nach Wesenseigenschaften zur rein sachlichen Sinngehaltlichkeit der Individualgestalten in der Melancholie, während nach Matussek (1963) Wesenseigenschaften in der schizophrenen Wahrnehmungswelt einen Vorrang haben.     

“No-therapy”: A method of helping persons with problems

Groups, settings, and activities which are not labeled therapeutic but which are devoted to helping persons with problems seem to be quite effective. Persons involved in Alcoholics Anonymous, Synanon, and other similar groups are not therapists but yet attempt to deal with problems. No-therapy is proposed as a name for the activity which goes on. The relationship between therapist and patient and between no-therapist and person with a problem are quite different. No-therapy is particularly suited to help with problems of behavior and is not suited to help with problems of thought or emotion.     

Visuoperception and visuospatial and visuorotational performance in Parkinson's disease

Summary Forty patients with Parkinson's disease were compared with 33 normal controls with respect to their performance in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale subtests information, similarities, block design, and picture completion, in a test for visual neglect (Hamsher's line cancellation test) and in tests for visuospatial and visuorotational abilities (cube task from Amthauer's intelligence structure test and Rybakoff figure test, as revised by Meili). The findings show that the patients scored significantly worse than the controls (Mann-WhitneyU test,P=0.004) in the Rybakoff figure test, testing visual concept finding, imagination and visual rotation. In the other tests no significant differences were found between the patients and the controls. The deficit of the patients in the figure test of Rybakoff correlated significantly with tremor (P=0.013), akinesia (P=0.009), disability (P=0.043), and age (P=0.004, Spearman rank correlation).     

Über die sogenannte „zentrale Tonusdifferenz“ mit Nystagmusbereitschaft nach einer Seite

Zusammenfassung An Hand von 71 sowohl otologisch als auch neurologisch-psychiatrisch untersuchten Fällen wird zur Frage der sog. zentralen Tonusdifferenz Stellung genommen.1. In 40% der Beobachtungen waren als Ursache des einseitigen Nystagmusüberwiegens Schäden im Labyrinth bzw. im Bereich des 1. vestibulären Neurons anzunehmen.2. Bei 35% der Untersuchten war sowohl eine periphere als auch zentrale Verursachung möglich. Überwiegend handelt es sich um Patienten mit einem klinischen Halswirbelsäulensyndrom. Der funktionelle Charakter der Störung wird diskutiert.3. In 25% unserer Fälle lagen sicher zentrale Schäden vor, jedoch fand sich mit 2 Ausnahmen kein Anhalt für die Annahme einer Hirnstammläsion als Ursache der Nystagmusbereitschaft nach einer Seite.Therapieversuche werden erwähnt.Der Begriff zentrale Tonusdifferenz wird als mißverständlich abgelehnt und betont, daß dem einseitigen Nystagmusüberwiegen keineswegs ein Hinweischarakter auf eine Hirnstammcontusion zukommt. Die Nystagmusbereitschaft nach einer Seite kann von jedem Abschnitt des vestibulären Systems ausgelöst werden.Teilergebnis eines Forschungsauftrages des Bundesministeriums für Arbeit.     

Event-related potential components N1, P2 and P3 to rare and frequent stimuli in intellectually impaired neurological patients

Summary Event-related potentials (ERPs) and attention performance data were collected in an auditory oddball paradigm from 24 intellectually impaired neurological patients, and compared with normal controls (n=19). For the ERP components N1, P2 and P3, reference-independent measures (latency, global field power, current density at Cz, location of extreme potential, centroid location) were determined for the target stimulus and for the preceding and the following two frequent stimuli. In 8 of the 45 measures obtained, patients and controls differed significantly. To target stimuli, patients had shorter N1 latency and smaller current density, more posterior P2 location and longer P3 latency; to immediately following frequent stimuli, longer P2 latency; and to preceding and both following frequent stimuli, smaller P2 current density. Attention performance was significantly worse for the 15 patients who scored on at least one of the eight ERP measures above normal range than for the other 9 patients. Decreased N1 latency to targets is viewed as failure to activate normal attentional capacity; changed P2 location suggests activation of deviant neuronal populations in response to targets; and increased post-target P2 latency suggests abnormal persistence of induced state change.     

Electroconvulsive therapy in Parkinson's syndrome with “on-off” phenomenon

Summary During long-term treatment with L-dopa in Parkinson's syndrome on-off phenomenon develops in many cases, often entailing considerable therapeutic problems. Decreased sensitivity in postsynaptic striatal dopamine (DA) receptors has been shown to occur in parkinsonian patients during long-term treatment with L-dopa. This has been suggested as one possible mechanism for development of the on-off phenomenon. In contrast to L-dopa treatment electroconvulsions have been shown to increase sensitivity in the DA receptors, when administered to animals.The antiparkinsonian effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was investigated in five parkinsonian patients with on-off phenomenon, with or without concomitant signs of mental depression. ECT was administered according to praxis in treatment of mental depression. Drug therapy, including L-dopa, was maintained on previously adjusted doses during and after ECT.A marked improvement in the parkinsonian symptoms as well as in the on-off phenomenon occurred in three of the patients, persisting for several months. The other two patients showed only slight and transient improvement.It thus seems that ECT may be useful as a supplementary treatment in parkinsonian patients with on-off phenomenon. The antiparkinsonian effect of ECT is probably mediated by increased sensitivity in postsynaptic DA structures.     

A new low-dose formulation of selegiline: clinical efficacy,patient preference and selectivity for MAO-B inhibition

Summary. Three studies were performed using a fast dissolving formulation of selegiline hydrochloride designed for buccal absorption Zydis Selegiline. The aim of the first study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of Zydis Selegiline (1.25mg or 10mg) with conventional selegiline hydrochloride tablets conventional selegiline tablets (10mg) in patients with Parkinsons disease (PD) who were previously treated with conventional selegiline tablets as an adjunct to levodopa/dopamine agonist therapy. Patients were observed for 4 weeks to ensure that they were stable. Stable patients (n=197) were then randomised to continue with conventional selegiline tablets 10mg (n=68), or to treatment with Zydis Selegiline 1.25mg (n=64) or Zydis Selegiline 10mg (n=62) for 12 weeks in this randomised, parallel group study. A further aim was to establish the acceptability of Zydis Selegiline compared with conventional selegiline tablets. Patient preference for Zydis Selegiline was also evaluated in a second study, a single-dose, randomised, two-way crossover study conducted in patients with PD (n=148). Patients were stratified by the presence or absence of swallowing and salivation problems and were randomised to either Zydis Selegiline 5mg or a placebo fast-dissolving formulation. In a third study, the degree of potentiation of the tyramine pressor effect following Zydis Selegiline was compared with that following conventional selegiline tablets in healthy volunteers. A total of 24 healthy volunteers were randomised to receive Zydis Selegiline 1.25mg or conventional selegiline tablets 10mg for 14–16 days in an open-label, randomised parallel group study.Both Zydis Selegiline (1.25mg and 10mg) treatments were shown to be therapeutically equivalent to conventional selegiline tablets 10mg based on comparison of mean total Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores. Therapeutic equivalence was defined a priori as the 90% confidence interval (CI) for the difference in total UPDRS scores between groups to lie entirely within the range ±5. The difference (90% CI) in mean adjusted total UPDRS between Zydis Selegiline 1.25mg and conventional selegiline tablets 10mg was –2.50 (–4.84, –0.17), and for Zydis Selegiline 10mg and conventional selegiline tablets 10mg, 0.04 (–2.30, 2.38). For the motor subscores of the UPDRS, differences between adjusted means (90% CI) compared with the conventional selegiline tablets group were: Zydis Selegiline 1.25mg, –2.14 (–3.94, –0.33) and Zydis Selegiline 10mg, –0.90 (–2.70, +0.91). Patients who switched from conventional selegiline tablets to Zydis Selegiline 1.25mg showed a slight improvement in UPDRS scores following 12 weeks of treatment (standard error of difference 1.039; p=0.01).In the single-dose crossover study, most (61%) patients liked Zydis Selegiline 5mg; a significantly greater proportion than the null hypothesis of 50% (p<0.002). However, only 62 patients (46%) indicated that they liked the taste of Zydis Selegiline. Nevertheless, the proportion of patients who preferred Zydis Selegiline (65%) to their usual medication was significantly greater than the null hypothesis of 50% (p<0.001).Similar findings were demonstrated in the 12-week study where a higher proportion of patients who received up to 3 months of treatment indicated a preference for either Zydis Selegiline 1.25mg (90%) or Zydis Selegiline 10mg (86%) over conventional selegiline tablets 10mg. More than 90% of patients found Zydis Selegiline easy to take, with 61% rating it as extremely easy. Most (81%) patients taking Zydis Selegiline 1.25mg liked the taste compared with 45% taking Zydis Selegiline 5mg (in the previous study).Zydis Selegiline did not potentiate the tyramine effect: a pressor effect was elicited after 400mg tyramine both before and after 14 days of treatment with Zydis Selegiline 1.25mg. In contrast, after 14 days treatment with conventional selegiline tablets 10mg, the threshold dose required to elicit the tyramine pressor response was significantly (p<0.0001) reduced from 400mg to 200mg.In summary, Zydis Selegiline at doses of 1.25mg and 10mg was therapeutically equivalent to conventional selegiline tablets 10mg. The Zydis Selegiline formulation was well-liked by all patients, with most preferring Zydis Selegiline 1.25mg to their usual selegiline tablet. Furthermore, Zydis Selegiline was well tolerated and, unlike conventional selegiline tablets, appeared to retain specificity for inhibition of monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B), since it did not potentiate the pressor response to tyramine.Present address: Cephalon UK Ltd., Surrey Research Park, Guildford, United KingdomPresent address: Safetymednet, Ruscombe, United KingdomPresent address: Oxford Glycosciences (UK) Ltd., Abingdon, United KingdomReceived December 3, 2002; accepted July 23, 2003     

Mental Hygiene of the Special Schools Teachers in Kerman,Iran

The goal of this research is to identify and study the mental hygiene and its related factors (individual, family, organizational) in the Kerman special schools teachers. 266 teachers of the special schools of the cities of the province Kerman were chosen as the research sample. The necessary data were obtained by questionnaire which its validity and reliability were determined. The statistical analysis of the research findings (by Spearman coefficient test) Man-Whithey and Kruskal wallis tests showed that there was a positive and meaningful relationship between Level of education, service of record the number of the members of teachers family, income, dwelling-place, economic power, acceptance of the teachers job in their family, leadership style, suitable educational possibilities, suitable educational space, job satisfaction with the mental hygiene of the teachers. The results of the research also showed that the Kerman special schools teachers enjoyed a relatively desirable mental hygiene.     

“Walkouts” and the open hospital: a three-month survey

Conclusions It is apparent that with the opening of psychiatric hospitals, the attitude of the patients (and, eventually, society as a whole) toward hospitalization will change. This change in attitude will result in a different usage of the hospital by the patient, and this in turn will result in a variety of motives for unauthorized absences from the hospital. As this limited survey has demonstrated, it is an oversimplification to regard absences from an open hospital as due primarily to involuntary admissions. Many of the voluntary patients are, in fact, involuntary, and enter unwillingly on voluntary status because of family pressures or for other reasons. The actual reasons for walkouts are often subtle and complex and frequently involve many different factors. Foremost among these would appear to be the patient's perception and use of the hospital, the reasons for his admission, and the sorts of verbal and nonverbal communications he receives from the hospital staff. The analysis of these complex factors is beyond the scope of this paper, but the key to a deeper understanding of walkouts undoubtedly lies in these areas.This paper was delivered at the Upstate Interhospital Conference of the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene in Syracuse, April 2, 1962.     

Regional serotonin transporter availability and depression are correlated in Wilson’s disease

Summary. In patients with Wilsons disease (WD), depression is a frequent psychiatric symptom. In vivo neuroimaging studies suggest that depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders are associated with central serotonergic deficits. However, in vivo measurements of serotonergic neurotransmission have not until now been performed in patients with this copper deposition disorder. The present prospective study revealed that depressive symptomatology is related to an alteration of presynaptic serotonin transporters (SERT) availability as measured by [¹²³I]-2-carbomethoxy-3-(iodophenyl)tropane ([¹²³I]-CIT) and high-resolution single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). SERT imaging with [¹²³I]-CIT-SPECT could therefore become a useful tool for diagnosis and therapy monitoring in depressed WD patients.Received December 10, 2001; accepted March 24, 2003 Published online June 10, 2003     

Responsibilities and training needs of mental health administrators

This paper reports findings of a needs assessment in the area of training programs for senior mental health administrators. Questionnaires (N=530) were sent; 169 to county and regional state mental health administrators; 331 went to community mental health administrators. The response rate was 43%. Thirty-four percent of the public sector respondents listed general administration as their first topic; fiscal issues were listed by 19%; 18% listed personnel administration first. Second topics chosen for training by the public sector administrators were general administration (17%), financial management (24%), and personnel (20%). As their first topics of choice for future training, 37% of the community mental health administrators selected general administration areas, 27% selected financial management, and 10% personnel. Training for mental health administrators has the potential for substantial enrichment through the design and implementation of carefully planned programs. Results from this needs assessment show the continued strong need for such training.     

The relation of social class to the characteristics and treatment of parasuicide

Summary The subjects for study were all parasuicides admitted to the Regional Poisoning Treatment Centre between 1968 and 1973. The parasuicides were divided into four social class groups: Registrar General's Classes I and II; Class III; Class IV; Class V. The characteristics and disposal of parasuicides from each class were compared. A large number of items showed a significant difference across class. Lower class parasuicides were more often characterised by a variety of social problem items including overcrowding, trouble with the law, debt, unemployment and violence in interpersonal relationships. They were more often diagnosed as personality disorders whereas higher class parasuicides were more likely to be diagnosed as depressive. The latter were also more frequently referred to the R. P. T. C. by a medical agent. For higher class patients, after-care more often took the form of in- or out-patient psychiatric treatment; lower class patients were more commonly recommended for social work on discharge. The association between social class and type of after-care was maintained when the diagnostic groups were considered separately. Patients of higher social class within the categories personality disorder only, depression only, depression with personality disorder, other psychiatric illness with personality disorder were markedly more likely to receive a psychiatric referral.