Changes in the antinociceptive effect of mesencephalic stimulation produced by analgesics and tranquilizers

Chronic experiments on cats showed that analgesics, in subanalgesic doses, not only exhibit an antinociceptive effect when accompanied by subthreshold stimulation of the mesencephalon, but also potentiate the analgesic action of central stimulation. Tranquilizers only facilitate the development of an analgesic effect during subthreshold mesencephalic stimulation. The possible reasons for differences in the action of these substances are discussed.Department of Pharmacology, I. P. Pavlov First Leningrad Medical Institute. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR S. V. Anichkov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 85, No. 1, pp. 36–41, January, 1978.     

Animal models in the investigation of anorexia

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder of unknown origin that most commonly occurs in women and usually has its onset in adolescence. Patients with AN invariably have a disturbed body image and an intense fear of weight gain. There is currently no definitive treatment for this disease, which carries a 20% mortality over 20 years. Development of an appropriate animal model of AN has been difficult, as the etiology of this eating disorder likely involves a complex interaction between genetic, environmental, social, and cultural factors. In this review, we focus on several possible rodent models of AN. In our laboratory, we have developed and studied three different mouse models of AN based on clinical profiles of the disease; separation stress, activity, and diet restriction (DR). In addition, we discuss the spontaneous mouse mutation anx/anx and several mouse gene knockout models, which have resulted in an anorexic phenotype. We highlight what has been learned from each of these models and possibilities for future models. It is hoped that a combination of the study of such models, together with genetic and clinical studies in patients, will lead to more rational and successful prevention/treatment of this tragic, and often fatal, disease.     

Childcare as a stabilizing influence on HPA axis functioning: a reevaluation of maternal occupational patterns and familial relations

The influence of family relations, maternal occupational characteristics, and childcare1The UK terms "childcare," childcare centres' and "nurseries" are used throughout this paper to define group care for children prior to starting their first year of formal schooling at age 4 years and are used synonymously with the American terms "day-care" and "preschool." This form of group care is provided in a formal setting, outside the family home and excludes "childminding" (i.e., childcare that may be group based and offered at the home of the care provider/childminder). In the UK, this form of childcare is offered from zero to 4 years old. Children are separated according to their age into small groups usually consisting of 10-15 children. In the present study, all children were in the preschool-aged group (3-4 years old). Where childcare of a different or more generic form is referred to, then this has been made clear in the context or stated in the text. utilization on preschool children's cortisol production were investigated in 56 mother-child dyads. Family characteristics and maternal employment, childcare and child temperament were reported by mothers. Morning and evening levels of children's salivary cortisol were obtained. Children in highly expressive or reserved families exhibited higher cortisol levels compared to children in moderately expressive families. Elevated levels of cortisol were detected in children of mothers reporting low levels of job role quality or high levels of emotional exhaustion. Frequent childcare use was found to protect children against the physiological effects of low maternal job role quality and emotional exhaustion. Findings underscore the pervasive role of the family as set within an external support system and highlight the potential physiological impact of these interacting contexts for children. Further research is needed to fully understand current findings and to develop appropriate psycho-physiological interventions.     

Catecholamines in the adrenals of August and Wistar rats with acute emotional stress

Acute emotional stress caused by immobilization and cutaneous electrical stimulation increases the relative weight of adrenals in Wistar rats and decreases it in August rats. The epinephrine and norepinephrine contents of the adrenals in control and stressed August rats are higher than in Wistar rats. Acute stress lowers the levels of these biogenic amines in the adrenals of both strains, particularly in Wistar rats. The left adrenal gland of control and stressed August rats, but not of Wistar rats, has a higher content of biogenic amines than the right, and both adrenals of stressed August rats contained higher dopamine concentrations than those of stressed Wistar rats. Presumably, epinephrine and norepinephrine are resynthesized in the adrenals of stressed August rats at higher rates than they are released from these glands, while the adrenals of Wistar rats respond to stress by rapidly releasing these catecholamines and resynthesizing them at a slow rate. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 123, No. 6, pp. 645–648, June, 1997     

注意缺陷多动障碍儿童罗夏测验的反应特征分析

目的:探讨注意缺陷多动障碍(Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,ADHD)儿童在罗夏测验中的表现特征及可能的投射机制。方法:采用国内修订版罗夏测验(Rorschach Inkblot Test,RIT),结合艾森克人格问卷(EPQ)对40名ADHD男童和40名对照组儿童进行了测试。结果:ADHD儿童在RIT变量Zf、COP、3r 2/R、Zd、X %、Sum6的得分低于对照组(P<0.05);而在变量AG、Lambda、Sh、X-%、SCZI、DEPI、CDI的得分高于对照组(P<0.05);两组儿童在RIT多个变量和EPQ各分量表之间存在相关。结论:ADHD儿童在RIT中表现出较多的在客体关系、情绪特质、自我功能和认知功能方面的缺陷,说明RIT可投射出ADHD儿童内心世界的一些特点,包括自我意识不良、人际关系不良、攻击性、情绪问题、认知过程和思维能力问题。     

Effecting Change in Maltreating Fathers: Critical Principles for Intervention Planning

Although fathers perpetrate a significant proportion of child maltreatment, the intervention needs of abusive and neglectful fathers have not been adequately addressed or researched. This paper argues that well-designed treatment has the potential to benefit men, their children, and their families. However, the treatment needs of maltreating and at-risk fathers are unique, and programs must be designed accordingly. Based on the integration of parenting, child abuse, change promotion, and batterer treatment literatures, five principles to guide intervention with maltreating fathers are advanced: (a) overly controlling behavior, a sense of entitlement, and self-centered attitudes are primary problems of abusive fathers; thus, the development of child-management skills should not be an initial focus of intervention; (b) abusive fathers are seldom initially ready to make changes in their parenting; (c) fathers' adherence to gender-role stereotypes also contributes to their maltreatment of children; (d) the relationship between abusive fathers and the mothers of their children requires special attention; and (e) because abusive fathers have eroded children's emotional security, the need to rebuild trust will affect the pace of change and potential impact of relapse on the child. These principles are contrasted with the supportive and child-management goals of conventional group parenting programs, and the implications for providing service to fathers are considered.     

Sleep in seasonal affective disorder patients in forced desynchrony: an explorative study

The majority of winter-type seasonal affective disorder (SAD) patients complain of hypersomnia and daytime drowsiness. As human sleep is regulated by the interaction of circadian, ultradian and homeostatic processes, sleep disturbances may be caused by either one of these factors. The present study focuses on homeostatic and ultradian aspects of sleep regulation in SAD. Sleep was recorded polysomnographically in seven SAD patients and matched controls subjected to a 120-h forced desynchrony protocol. In time isolation, subjects were exposed to six 20-h days, each comprising a 6.5-h period for sleep. Patients participated while being depressed, while remitted after light therapy and in summer. Controls were studied in winter and in summer. In each condition, the data of each subject were averaged across all recordings. Thus, the influence of the effects of the circadian pacemaker on sleep was excluded mathematically. The comparison of patients with controls and with themselves in the various conditions revealed no abnormalities in homeostatic parameters: sleep stage variables, relative power spectra and time courses of power in various frequency bands across the first three non-rapid eye movement-rapid eye movement (NREM-REM) cycles showed no differences. The data suggest that homeostatic processes are not involved in the disturbance of sleep in SAD.     

ADHD儿童在钟表绘画测验中的执行功能特征

目的研究ADHD儿童在钟表绘画(CDT)测试中体现出的执行功能特征。方法对60例ADHD儿童和60例正常对照儿童进行CDT测试,综合分析两组儿童的大脑额叶执行功能的差异。结果ADHD儿童在CDT测试中的时间总分和构造总分低于对照组(3.23±1.40/4.15±0.78,11.2±1.48/11.90±0.76,t=7.742、5.073,P<0.01)。在给定十字位相标定点(3、6、9、12点)后ADHD儿童的钟面构造得分高于给定标定点之前(11.93±0.95/11.19±1.48,t=5.645,P<0.001),但时间设置评分却没有明显的提高(P>0.05)。结论ADHD儿童CDT测试得分偏低体现了其存在计划性、注意调控功能和工作记忆的缺陷,这些缺陷的核心问题是执行功能的缺陷。     

An unusual clinical presentation of bilateral schizencephaly

Summary We present a case with a characteristic magnetic resonance image (MRI) of bilateral open-lipped schizencephaly and atypical clinical presentation. The patient is still alive and in good health in her forties, she has never presented seizures, and although the motor dysfunction is well correlated with cerebral lobe involvement, neurobehavioral dysfunction is not proportional to the MR image of the cerebral malformation.

---

Un cas inhabituel de schizencéphalie bilatérale

Résumé Nous présentons un cas de schizencéphalie bilatérale ouverte caractérisé par une présentation clinique atypique et une imagerie par résonance magnétique nucléaire caractéristique. La patiente est encore vivante, en bonne santé, à plus de 40 ans, elle n'a jamais présenté de crise comitiale et, bien que les troubles moteurs soient bien corrélés aux altérations cérébrales, les troubles neuro-comportementaux ne sont pas proportionnels aux images IRM de cette malformation cérébrale.

     

Copy number variation burden does not predict severity of neurodevelopmental phenotype in children with a sex chromosome trisomy

Sex chromosome trisomies (SCTs) (XXX, XXY, and XYY karyotypes) are associated with an elevated risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. The range of severity of the phenotype is substantial. We considered whether this variable outcome was related to the presence of copy number variants (CNVs)—stretches of duplicated or deleted DNA. A sample of 125 children with an SCT were compared with 181 children of normal karyotype who had been given the same assessments. First, we compared the groups on measures of overall CNV burden: number of CNVs, total span of CNVs, and likely functional impact (probability of loss‐of‐function intolerance, pLI, summed over CNVs). Differences between groups were small relative to within‐group variance and not statistically significant on overall test. Next, we considered whether a measure of general neurodevelopmental impairment was predicted by pLI summed score, SCT versus comparison group, or the interaction between them. There was a substantial effect of SCT/comparison status but the pLI score was not predictive of outcomes in either group. We conclude that variable presence of CNVs is not a likely explanation for the wide phenotypic variation in children with SCTs. We discuss methodological challenges of testing whether CNVs are implicated in causing neurodevelopmental problems.