Illness-induced hyperalgesia is mediated by spinal neuropeptides and excitatory amino acids

The spinal cord dorsal horn contains neural mechanisms which can greatly facilitate pain. We have recently shown that ‘illness’-inducing agents, such as intraperitoneally administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS; bacterial endotoxin), can produce prolonged hyperalgesia. This hyperalgesic state is mediated at the level of the spinal cord via activation of the NMDA-nitric oxide cascade. However, prolonged neuronal depolarization is required before such a cascade can occur. The present series of experiments were aimed at identifying spinal neurotransmitters which might be responsible for creating such a depolarized state. These studies show that LPS hyperalgesia is mediated at the level of the spinal cord by substance P, cholecystokinin and excitatory amino acids acting at non-NMDA sites. No apparent role for serotonin or kappa opiate receptors was found.     

Extraneural metastases in ependymoma

Summary Ependymomas, glial neoplasms usually arising in the posterior fossa or spinal cord, rarely metastasize outside the central nervous system. We have reviewed all 81 ependymomas evaluated at MSKCC between 1956–1989. Five (6.2%) had extraneural metastases (ENM). The primary tumor was in spinal cord in 3 patients and the cerebral hemisphere in 2. Two tumors were histologically anaplastic; 3 were histologically benign. The 5 patients were 3, 3, 3.5, 16 and 37 years old. Time from initial diagnosis to development of ENM was 0, 15, 35, 40, and 288 months. At the time of ENM the primary tumor was progressing in 4/5 patients. Prior therapy had included resection plus radiation therapy (RT) (1), RT plus chemotherapy (1), resection plus RT plus chemotherapy (2). One patient had not received prior therapy because ENM were present at diagnosis. The sites of ENM included lung and thoracic lymph nodes (2), pleura and peritoneum (2), and liver (1). Both patients with peritoneal ENM had had ventriculoperitoneal shunts. ENM did not correlate with histologic grade, age, or degree of surgical resection. When patients with ependymoma develop signs or symptoms of systemic disease such as abdominal pain, cough, or adenopathy, ENM should be considered.     

Variation in evoked potential measures over the menstrual cycle: A pilot study

Nancy Kluck, Scan J. O'Connor, Victor M. Hesselbrock, Allan Tasman and Donald Maier, Lance Bauer: Variation in Evoked Potential Measures Over the Menstrual Cycle: A Pilot Study. Prog. Neuro. Psychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiat. 1992. 16(6): 901–911.

1. 1. The P3 component of a visual event related potential (ERP) was studied for five consecutive weeks in six women with normal menstrual cycles. Serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2) and progesterone were studied during the same period.

2. 2. Increases in P3 amplitude, although nonsignificant, were noted in the week preceding onset of menses.

3. 3. No significant changes in reaction times to target/nontarget stimuli were noted over the same time period.

Differential effect of catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met genotype on emotional recognition abilities in healthy men and women.

The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism modulates executive functions and working memory and recent neuroimaging studies implicate an association with emotional processing. We examined the relationship between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and facial emotion recognition and differentiation in 100 healthy individuals. Compared to Met homozygosity, Val homozygosity was associated with better and faster recognition of negative facial expressions such as anger and sad. Our study provides evidence for a possible influence of the COMT polymorphism on emotion recognition abilities in healthy subjects. Additional research is needed to further define the neurocognitive phenotypes associated with COMT polymorphisms.     

Ein Beitrag zur aktuellen Antidementivadiskussion in Deutschland

In Germany, the role of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has become a topic of recent discussion. The present article addresses issues which, in the opinion of the authors, have not received sufficient attention. These include the distinction between statistical and clinical significance, outcome parameters, the duration of clinical trials, variability in treatment response and the definition of treatment responders. The authors argue that these issues need to be considered in an in-depth evaluation of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of AD.     

Partial replication of a DRD4 association in ADHD individuals using a statistically derived quantitative trait for ADHD in a family-based association test.

BACKGROUND: Previous research found an association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of DRD4 and statistically derived phenotypes generated from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. We sought to replicate this finding by using the same methodology in an independent sample of ADHD individuals. METHODS: Four SNPs were genotyped in and around DRD4 in 2631 individuals in 642 families. We developed a quantitative phenotype at each SNP by weighting nine inattentive and nine hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. The weights were selected to maximize the heritability at each SNP. Once a quantitative phenotype was generated at each SNP, the screening procedure implemented in PBAT was used to select and test the five SNPs/genetic model combinations with the greatest power to detect an association for DRD4. RESULTS: One of the four SNPs was associated with the quantitative phenotypes generated from the ADHD symptoms (corrected p-values = .02). A rank ordering of the correlation between each of the ADHD symptoms and the quantitative phenotype suggested that hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were more strongly correlated with the phenotype; however, including inattentive symptoms was necessary to achieve a significant result. CONCLUSIONS: This study partially replicated a previous finding by identifying an association between rs7124601 and a quantitative trait generated from ADHD symptoms. The rs7124601 is in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with the SNPs identified previously. In contrast to the previous study, this finding suggests that both hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive symptoms are important in the association.     

Bilaterale rezidivierende retinale Thrombose bei einem jungen Mann

A 41-year-old male patient presented with veiled vision which had appeared only a few hours previously. Funduscopy revealed a retinal edema due to venous stasis retinopathy. A previous history was unknown except for an uncorrected arterial hypertension. A retinal vein thrombosis and macula edema developed in the affected eye. An antiphospholipid antibody syndrome was diagnosed which was treated with anticoagulants.