Intensity and pleasantness of sucrose taste in patients with winter depression.

OBJECTIVES: Increased consumption of carbohydrates and craving for sweets are considered core features of winter depression. Unfortunately, little is known about neural and behavioral correlates of these symptoms. The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate taste responses to sucrose solutions in depressed patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). METHODS: Intensity and pleasantness ratings of sucrose solutions, electrogustometric thresholds, and taste identification abilities were assessed in depressed patients with SAD and non-seasonal affective disorder (non-SAD), and in non-depressed controls. RESULTS: Electrogustometric thresholds and identification abilities did not differ between the study groups. There were no differences between the groups in intensity or pleasantness ratings of sucrose solutions (1-30%). The proportion of 'sweet likers', i.e. subjects rating the highest sucrose concentration as most pleasant, was similar in the controls, SAD, and non-SAD patients. DISCUSSION: The present results suggest that: (i) winter depression is not associated with major alterations in gustatory function; and (ii) sweet craving and increased consumption of carbohydrates in patients with winter depression is not secondary to altered responses to sweet tastants. More studies are needed to characterize hedonic responses of patients with SAD to other sweet and non-sweet foods.

["Addiction" to phenelzine - case report]. / ,,Uzaleinienie" od fenelzyny - opis przypadku.

The use of non-selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors (IMAO) may be associated with the risk of addiction, which is confirmed by case studies published so far. Harmful use of antidepressants in patients with affective disorders and anxiety is not frequent, but due to the fact that in clinical practice can meet with this phenomenon, we present the case of a 30-year-old patient with a history of using phenelzine who presented a combination of symptoms that meet criteria for addiction. The current classification of ICD- 10 does not consist the diagnosis of dependence on antidepressants. In this case, the category F55.0: abuse of a substance which does not cause addiction, should be used. In the literature most often mentioned as a possible substances with addictive potential is a group of non-selective MAO, particularly tranylcypromine. The mechanism of non-selective MAO dependence may be associated with the similarity of their chemical structure to amphetamine (both amphetamine and IMAO are derivatives of phenylethylamine), although the mechanism of action is different. Furthermore, it was noted that there is a group of patients in whom treatment with IMAO is associated with greater risk of abuse of these substances. The study contains the characteristics of this group of patients.

[CYP 2D6 activity profile among patients with depression]. / Profil aktywnosci cytochromu CYP 2D6 w grupie chorych na depresje.

AIM: The aim of this work was to establish the profile of CYP 2D6 activity among patients with depressive disorders, and compare it with the literature data on this activity among healthy volunteers, recruited from the Polish population. METHOD: The debrisoquine test was used to determine CYP 2D6 activity. Debrisoquine metabolic ratio (MR) was determined with the use of high performance liquid chromatography with spectrophotometric detection. Our results were compared with the results obtained with the use of an analogous method in the study performed at the Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw on 154 healthy controls. RESULTS: The percentage of "ultra-fast metabolizers" was 1.03% in the group of patients with depression, and 1.3% in the group of healthy volunteers. The percentages of the "slow metabolizers" in both groups were 5.1% and 5.6% respectively. Also, the percentages of persons considered to be at an increased risk of undesirable side effects from drugs metabolized by CYP 2D6, i.e. persons with debrisoquine metabolic ratio values above 4 were nearly identical in both groups (11.3 and 11.6%). CONCLUSION: The results showed that CYP 2D6 activity profiles were practically identical in both groups. This indicates that there is no relationship between CYP 2D6 gene expression, as measured by the debrisoquine test, and affective disorders morbidity.

[Evaluation of clinical and psychological methods in estimating antidepressants efficacy in treatment of depression (preliminary report)]. / Ocena przydatnosci wybranych metod klinicznych i baterii testów do pomiaru procesów poznawczych jako wskazników skutecznosci dzialania leków przeciwdepresyjnych (doniesienie wstepne).

The aim of the study was to evaluate the onset of action of antidepressants using CGI i CGI Improvement, MADRS, Self Analogue Scale and Wiener Battery Test System. Onset of action of antidepressants was evaluated in a group of 18 patients with major depression. Evaluation was assessed at 4, 8, 10, 14, 28 days of treatment. Significant reduction of symptoms in MADRS at day 8 was the predictor of effect at day 28. Reduction of symptoms in MADRS was not correlated with improvement in cognitive functions. Most of the psychological tests showed to be not sensitive enough to estimate a change in cognitive processes under pharmacotherapy.