Sleep complaints and memory in psychotropic drug-free euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Few studies have been conducted examining the genuine sleep condition and memory in patients with euthymic bipolar disorder. Thus we evaluated sleep complaints and memory functions in psychotropic drug-free euthymic patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS: Twenty-two psychotropic drug-free euthymic patients with bipolar disorder and 44 healthy controls matched by age and sex were recruited and assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R). RESULTS: The quality of sleep and memory function of the euthymic patients with bipolar disorder were significantly poorer than those of the controls. Both years of education and the hypnotic use sub-item of the PSQI were significantly correlated with visual memory index of the WMS-R. CONCLUSION: Sleep complaints management is important in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.

Cigarette smoking might impair memory and sleep quality.

Although nicotine can enhance some cognitive functions, cigarette smoking may impair memory and sleep quality. Our aim was to investigate the impact of cigarette smoking on memory and sleep quality in healthy smokers. Sixty-eight healthy participants (34 smokers and 34 controls) completed the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised and a Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was performed, and Hochberg's Sharpened Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple comparisons. The results show that current smokers had a worse visual memory compared to nonsmokers. There was no significant correlation between the index of Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised and Fagerström test for nicotine dependence. Moreover, smokers had poorer sleep quality. Cigarette smoking might impair memory and adversely influence sleep quality.

Poorer Wisconsin card-sorting test performance in healthy adults with higher positive and negative schizotypal traits.

Non-clinical schizotypy was found to be related to poorer Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST) performance, but the results were inconsistent. Two subgroups, the higher negative-higher positive and the lower negative-lower positive (15 vs 16), were selected from the top and the bottom quartiles of negative and positive scale scores of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) completed by 177 healthy volunteers, respectively. The higher negative-higher positive SPQ score subgroup had significantly poorer performance regarding the completed categories of WCST than the lower negative-lower positive SPQ score subgroup. Subjects with higher non-clinical schizotypy trait showed relatively mild cognitive dysfunction.

Application of electroconvulsive therapy in treatment of retinitis pigmentosa comorbid with major depressive disorder and panic disorder.

A substantial proportion of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients have depression/anxiety and a phobic pathology that may be related to changes in melatonin secretion. We discuss electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in a patient with RP comorbid with depression and panic disorder. A 51-year-old man was admitted because of major depression, panic disorder, and RP. Ultrabrief pulse (0.3 millisecond) right unilateral ECT was performed 9 times in total. The symptoms relieved, and patient tolerated the treatments well. Electroconvulsive therapy increases serum melatonin, providing therapeutic effects in depression. The application of ECT in this population therefore appears to be an alternative treatment.