Glial reactivity after antipsychotic treatment. An experimental study in rats and its implications for psychiatry.

INTRODUCTION: The importance of the glial cells in the function of the nervous system and in its pathology has been the object of multiple studies in the last years. Specifically, their role in the action of the antipsychotics is debated. Our study has analyzed glial reactivity in rats treated with antipsychotics. METHODOLOGY: In a first ultrastructural study of the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, the animals were treated with chlorpromazine for 40 days, and were sacrificed at the end of the treatment, after 20 days of rest without treatment. In another series of studies, with the light microscope and immunohistochemistry we evaluated the immunoreactivity of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in six regions of the central nervous system of rats treated with typical and atypical antipsychotics. RESULTS: With the electron microscope, the animals treated with chlorpromazine showed a significant reduction of the axosomatic synapses on the neurons of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and an increase of glial presence, as noted by the greater amount of astrocyte processes. The mentioned modifications were reversible, tending to normalize in a group of animals sacrificed 20 days after completion of the treatment. In the immunohistochemical study, the glial reaction was important in the territory of the nucleus accumbens with all the antipsychotics, moderate in the cingulate cortex, although only with atypical antipsychotics, and scarcely significant in the rest of the regions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that the glial cells are targets of the antipsychotic action, and this will allow us to better understand the action of these drugs and the role of the glial cells in the normal function of the nervous system and in the mental disease.

Personality study in profoundly deaf adults.

The difference with which the pre-lingual and post-lingual profoundly deaf confront their deafness is evident: the reticence of many pre-lingual deaf persons when faced with technological advances and genetic investigations is not present among the post-lingual deaf. This article looks at this difference from the person as a whole, and aims to carry out a comparative study of the personalities of both groups and of the non-deaf. To this end, three samples were taken (one of pre-lingual deaf persons, one of post-lingual deaf persons and a third of non-deaf persons) and the Mini-Mult personality questionnaire was employed as a measuring instrument. Significant differences were found in 5 clinical scales: Hs (hypochondria), Hy (hysteria), Pa (paranoia), Pt (psychastenia), Sc (schizophrenia). The differences between the deaf and the non-deaf are statistically significant. The profile obtained for the pre-lingual deaf is high on the schizophrenia scale (Sc), and suggests a kind of person where the said scale might detect isolation derived from deafness. The profile of the post-lingual deaf, marked by the hypochondria scale, shows persons with severe hypersensibility and fears regarding their state of health. The significant influence of variables such as level of education and state of employment on the post-lingual deaf and, in particular, on his feeling of loneliness and his worries regarding his deafness, his state of mind and his possible paranoiac tendencies, makes them factors that must be taken into consideration when fundamentally evaluating the personality of a post-lingual deaf person. These personality traits influence the way a profoundly deaf person confronts his deafness.

[Affective factors in the evolution of catatonia: a report of two cases of catatonia in twins]. / Factores afectivos en la evolución de la catatonia: a propósito de dos casos de catatonia en gemelos.

The evolution of two twin patients diagnosed of catatonic schizophrenia is studied, through their clinical history, and the incidence of affective factors on the evolution of their clinical chart is evaluated. With regard to the results, the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder is postulated.

[Age functional differences in auditory and verbal memory]. / Diferencias en función de la edad de la memoria auditiva verbal.

The aim of this work, has been focus an the study of an specific aspect of the memory. To verify (establish) the influence of the age in the mnesic efficiency of the auditory verbal memory in the presence of non numerical stimulus structured and non structured. After the study of the upper functions in 162 persons, 69 persons of both sexes, who didn't show any objectable sign of the cognitive deterioration were selected and that in the moment of the neuropsychologist exploration weren't diagnosed of any Kind of pathology. The selected persons were divided in two groups depending of the age. A first group of bess than 65 years persons, and a second group of people over years. We found significant differences in the total efficiency of the Audio Verbal King evidence, the same as in the efficiency of the Babcock History between the two groups that were studied, being the second group (elder one) which showed a warse efficiency in the total number of evoked words, the same as in the information unites remembered of History.

[Psychophysiologic and psychopathologic aspects associated with sexual dysfunction]. / Aspectos psicofisiológicos y psicopatología asociada en las disfunciones sexuales.

The authors review the relations between anxiety and sexual dysfunctions in base of studies that, in general, suggest the anxiety is common among subjects with sexual dysfunctions, but the level and the nature of the anxiety could vary much in the interindividual pattern. It revises experimental and clinical works that describe the anxiety provides the sexual arousal, studying the neurophysiological and neurochemical substratum which compares anxiety and sexual responses. It discusses the presence of psychopathology associated with sexual dysfunction.

[An MMPI subscale for assessment alexithymia in duodenal ulcer patients]. / Una subescala del M.M.P.I. para la medida de la alexitimia en pacientes con E.U.D.

We measured the alexithymia by the Kleiger-Kinsman scale in 36 patients with D.U.D. We employed 34 patients with irritables Bowel Syndrome and 30 patients with chronic organic pathologia as control groups. Our results show two possible conclusions: 1) The absence alexithymia's specificity in our ulcerous patients and/or the incapacity of this M.M.P.I.'s subescale to discriminate this feature in the psichosomatic diseases.

[Psychopathologic aspects of cancer in gynecology. Cancer of the breast]. / Aspectos psicopatológicos del cáncer en ginecología: cáncer de mama.

We study 31 female patients diagnosed and treated with the usual method for breast cancer. We use the clinical report and psychobiography, Instrument I to measure the aggressivity and M.M.P.I. The most significant results are: slowness in the first examination, influence of psychosomatic life events and spontaneous signs during the interviews, increase of autoaggressivity, and raising of the neurotic triad, dependence and introversion. It is clear from this statement the general conclusion of this patients having a want of contact so that their psychological signs don't develop into psychopathological.

[Personality and aggressiveness in cancer patients]. / Estudio de la personalidad y de la agresividad en pacientes cancerosos.

The authors studied the Personality and Aggressiveness of fifty-three cancer patients by using MMPI and the Instrument I for the Aggressiveness Measurements. The common characteristics in all of then were that they suffered solid tumors, were submitted to hospital treatments and had an absence of psychiatric illness in their personal history. Among the results that stand out most is the sensations of change that the patients experience due to their own illness, the hospitalization and the treatments which they undergo. There exists on increase of self-aggressiveness or a decrease of hetero-aggressiveness which predominates the scales of depression and social introversion, with a decrease of inner strength. In any case, the neuroticism and the dependence are increased and there are decreases in the scales of psychopathic deviation and domination. The four psychosis is staying normal, the hysteria is decreased in men and the hypochondria is increased in women. The defence mechanism that predominates are the denial and the avoidance reaction.

[Psychosomatics and cancer]. / Psicosomática y cáncer.

The cancerous patient who suffers a coinciding psychiatric illness shows, according to the M.M.P.I., signs of a depressive personality with marked introversion and dependence. The aggressivity test shows that self-aggressiveness coincides with inhibition and lethargy tone. An accumulation of stress factors and events stand out in patients with depression (72%), which do not appear in those patients diagnosed as having neuroses and schizophrenia. There is a need for psychiatric attention which contributes to treating the patient interdepartmentally; thus relieving both the moral and physical pain which these patients suffer.

[Relationship between psychiatric emergencies and meteorologic factors]. / Relaciones entre las urgencias Psiquiátricas y los factores meteorológicos.

Man's environment, natural as well as artificial, may exert a pathogenic influence on man's life, according to which we could divide the population in meteorosensitive (about 60%) and non meteorosensitive. Psychic patients and patients who suffer from certain organic diseases are those ones who more frequently behave as meteorosensitive. We accept this as starting point of our work. In our paper we analysed statistically the relation among different cosmo-meteorologic factors in the incidence of psychiatric emergencies during two years separated by five years and the probable existence of seasonal rhythms in the different studied diagnostic categories. As well as partial results for every diagnostic category we elaborate as final conclusion that these relations have a multifactorial character, that is to say, there are several factors that interact to unchain certain pathology in meteorosensitive people. We emphasize the existence of seasonal cycles in certain psychiatric syndromes. These conclusions are seen specially in personality disorders, suicide attempts, anxiety crisis and disorders, drug addictions and psycho-organic diseases.