Profiles of distress in sheltered battered women: implications for intervention.

Heterogeneity in patterns of distress and psychological functioning was investigated using a person-oriented approach to data analysis in two diverse samples of battered women in shelters. In order to provide some empirically derived guidance to clinicians, scores on measures of depressive symptoms as well as state and trait anxiety were cluster analyzed. A four-cluster solution provided the best fit for both samples of women, and despite the demographic differences in the women, generally similar clusters were found in both samples. One cluster contained women with minimal distress; another, those who were mildly anxious; in a third cluster, the women were moderately to highly depressed and anxious; and in a fourth cluster, the women were reporting severe levels of distress. Implications for treatment include the importance of providing individually tailored interventions for the women, based on differential combinations of depression and anxiety, especially for women whose distress levels are in the high and severe ranges of distress.

Measurement of the serotonin 1A receptor availability in patients with schizophrenia during treatment with the antipsychotic medication ziprasidone.

The aim of this study was to compare 5-HT(1A) availability in vivo in individuals with schizophrenia before and during treatment with the atypical antipsychotic ziprasidone. Six individuals with schizophrenia underwent two PET scans with [(11)C]WAY 100635; the first while medication-free (baseline) and the second while taking the atypical antipsychotic ziprasidone (on-medication). Regional volumes of distribution (V(T), mL g(-1)) were derived using a two-tissue compartment kinetic model. Outcome measures included binding potential relative to the plasma (BP(P), mL g(-1)) and the binding potential relative to the nonspecific distribution volume (BP(ND), unitless). No significant differences were observed in regional BP(P) or BP(ND) with ziprasidone treatment. A significant correlation was noted between BP(P) measured in the orbitofrontal cortex during the on-medication condition and degree of improvement in negative symptoms with treatment (r = 0.96, p = 0.004). Consistent with the published literature of changes in 5-HT(1A) binding during treatment with 5-HT(1A) receptor agonists, this study did not detect a significant reduction in 5-HT(1A) binding with ziprasidone. The finding of a relationship between 5-HT(1A) binding and the degree of improvement in negative symptoms provides further support for the role of the 5-HT(1A) receptor in the pathophysiology and treatment of this symptom domain.

Serotonin 1A receptor availability in patients with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder: a positron emission tomography imaging study with [11C]WAY 100635.

BACKGROUND: Postmortem and positron emission tomography (PET) studies have reported several alterations in serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT(1A)) binding parameters in patients with schizophrenia. This study examines 5-HT(1A) availability in vivo in individuals with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two medication-free individuals with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder and 18 healthy subjects underwent PET scans with [(11)C]WAY 100635. Regional distribution volumes (V(T), in milliliters per gram) were derived using a two-tissue compartment kinetic model. Outcome measures for 5-HT(1A) availability included binding potential (BP) and the specific to nonspecific equilibrium partition coefficient (V(3)''). Eleven brain regions with high density of 5-HT(1A) were included in the analysis. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in regional BP or V(3)'' between patients and controls. No significant relationships were observed between regional 5-HT(1A) availability and symptom severity. CONCLUSION: The postmortem literature reports increased 5-HT(1A) binding in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia. This study did not detect differences in 5-HT(1A) binding. Whereas in two recently published PET studies, one reports increased binding in the temporal lobe while the other reports decreased binding in the amygdala. These inconsistencies suggest that the alterations demonstrated in postmortem studies cannot be reliably detected at the resolution achieved with PET. This raises the question as to whether major changes in the level of expression of the 5-HT(1A) receptor play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Serotonin transporter availability in patients with schizophrenia: a positron emission tomography imaging study with [11C]DASB.

BACKGROUND: Postmortem studies have reported several alterations in serotonin transporter (SERT) binding parameters in patients with schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to compare SERT availability in vivo in patients with schizophrenia and matched control subjects. METHODS: Ten medication-free patients with schizophrenia and 10 healthy subjects underwent positron emission tomography (PET) scans for 90 min after 11C-3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethylphenylthio)benzonitrile ([11C]DASB) injection. Metabolite-corrected arterial input function was measured. Regional distribution volumes (mL/g) were derived with a two tissue compartment kinetic model. Outcome measures for SERT availability included binding potential (BP) and the specific-to-nonspecific equilibrium partition coefficient (V3''). Ten brain regions with high density of SERT and where SERT availability can be reliably quantified with [11C]DASB were included in the analysis. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in regional BP or V3'' between patients and control subjects. No significant relationships were observed between regional SERT availability and severity of positive, negative, and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study failed to detect alterations of SERT availability in patients with schizophrenia; however, this study does not rule out the possibility that schizophrenia might be associated with alterations of SERT density in the cortical regions, where the [11C]DASB-specific binding signal is too low for reliable quantification of SERT.