EEG frequency during spike-wave discharges may predict treatment outcome in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsies

We report findings concerning the relationship between electroencephalography (EEG) frequency during spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs) and response to treatment in 21 patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). We studied patients whose EEG contained SWDs lasting at least 4 s. Among these patients, two groups could be distinguished on the basis of a subtle difference in EEG frequency during the first 2 s of the burst. The two groups differed markedly in their clinical response to medication, with the group becoming seizure-free during the next 1-2 years showing a spike-wave onset frequency of > 3.2 Hz, and those not seizure-free < 3.2 Hz (p = 0.0034, sensitivity 75% and specificity 92%). Given this strong effect in a relatively small group, further work is needed to clarify the predictive value of this frequency measure for clinical outcomes in absence epilepsies.     

Monoamine oxidase A regulates antisocial personality in whites with no history of physical abuse

Objective

Preclinical and human family studies clearly link monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) to aggression and antisocial personality (ASP). The 30–base pair variable number tandem repeat in the MAOA promoter regulates MAOA levels, but its effects on ASP in humans are unclear.

Methods

We evaluated the association of the variable number tandem repeat of the MAOA promoter with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, ASP disorder (ASPD) traits in a community sample of 435 participants from the Hopkins Epidemiology of Personality Disorders Study.

Results

We did not find an association between the activity of the MAOA allele and ASPD traits; however, among whites, when subjects with a history of childhood physical abuse were excluded, the remaining subjects with low-activity alleles had ASPD trait counts that were 41% greater than those with high-activity alleles (P < .05).

Conclusion

The high-activity MAOA allele is protective against ASP among whites with no history of physical abuse, lending support to a link between MAOA expression and antisocial behavior.     

Leptin facilitates lordosis behavior through GnRH-1 and progestin receptors in estrogen-primed rats

Dose response curves for leptin facilitation of estrous behavior (lordosis and proceptivity) were made by infusing the peptide into the lateral ventricle (icv) of ovariectomized (ovx), ad libitum-fed rats injected 40 h previously with 5 μg of estradiol benzoate. Leptin doses of 1 and 3 μg produced significant lordosis quotient at 60 min post-injection, with maximal lordosis being displayed at 120 min. Yet the intensity of lordosis was weak, and a high incidence of rejection behaviors was found. Moreover, leptin did not induce significant proceptive behaviors at any dose. The leptin doses of 1 and 3 μg were selected for determining whether antide, a GnRH-1 receptor antagonist, or the progestin receptor antagonist RU486 could modify the lordosis response to leptin. Icv injection of either antide or RU486 1 h before leptin significantly depressed leptin facilitation of lordosis. The results suggest that leptin stimulates lordosis by releasing GnRH, which in turn activates GnRH-1 and progestin receptors. The physiological role of leptin in the control of estrous behavior remains to be determined.