[Age- and sex-related differences of neuroendocrine center reactions in the hypothalamus on preparation thymalin and alpha-tocopherol acetate].

In experiment the action of Thymalin, alpha-tocopherol and stress on the centers of hypothalamus related to the regulation of the gonadotropic function has been investigated and the age-specific features of such influence as well. The results of experiments indicate the presence of neuron's reaction of the rostra preoptical area and arcuate nucleus for experimental influences. As a stress exposure and alpha-tocopherol injection to the young animals a reduction of neuron's kernels of the arcuate nucleus was observed, a sexual distinction wasn't revealed in the process. The response age-specific feature for alpha-tocopherol injection of the nucleus neuron's rostra preoptical and arcuate area of the hypothalamus of white rats is a reduction in a degree of response. Thymalin reduces a threshold of sensitivity of the neuron's arcuate center to action of stress.

[Morphofunctional status of gonadotropic cells of the adenohypophysis at early stages of age involution].

Action of alpha-tocopherol, emoxipinum on functional status of gonadotropic cells was investigated at deficiency of sexual hormones in male and female rats of Wistar line. The alpha-tocopherol slows down aging of gonadotropic cells after gonadectomy.

[Effect of alpha-tocopherol and synthetic antioxidants on morpho-functional status of gonadotropic cells from the adenohypophysis of albino rats]. / Vliianie alfa-tokoferola i sinteticheskikh antioksidantov na morfofunktsional'noe sostoianie gonadotropotsitov adenogipofiza belykh krys.

Morphometric indices of gonadotropic cells obtained from adenohypophysis of white rats, both males and females, were investigated after treatment with alpha-tocopherol and synthetic antioxidants. The former stimulated the functional status of gonadotropic cells revealed in a proportional increase in both nuclear and cytoplasmic volumes. After the treatment with a synthetic antioxidant dibunolum, the volume of the cytoplasm increased in gonadotropic cells of rats of different sexes. After the treatment with a water-soluble antioxidant emoxipinum, the volume of the cytoplasm in gonadotropic cells increased only in males. The outcomes allow to consider alpha-tocopherol, in contrast to from synthetic antioxidants, as one of the modulators of the functional state of gonadotropic cells obtained from adenohypophysis.

[Sex differences in the level of lipid peroxidation in white rats in a normal state and change in it after gonadectomy and administration of alpha-tocopherol]. / Polovye razlichiia urovnia perekisnogo okisleniia lipidov belykh krys v norme i ego izmeneniia posle gonadéktromii i vvedenii alpha-tokoferola.

The patterns of plasma lipid peroxidation (LPO) in normal male and female rats, after gonadectomy and alpha-tocopherol treatment were investigated. Sexual LPO differences were established and confirmed by the dispersion analysis. It is suggested that alpha-tocopherol participates in the regulation of steroid profile by regulating and adrenokynetic of the hypophysis.

The role of enactment in prospective remembering.

This study investigated, in a laboratory setting, whether prospective memory (remembering to perform intended actions in the future) would be improved by self-enactment of the to-be-remembered tasks. The subjects, 45 university students, were asked to remember later to perform five tasks that they initially enacted themselves, watched the experimenter perform, or had described to them. These tasks were to be performed, ostensibly in preparation for the next subject, at the end of 30 min of filler activity, which was presented as the experimental task. Surprisingly, self-enactment produced the poorest prospective remembering. Speculative explanations are offered in terms of both metacognitive expectations about memory and output-monitoring deficiencies.

A direct-interview family study of generalized social phobia.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this direct-interview family study was to replicate and extend an earlier finding of a familial liability for social phobia. The authors hypothesized that there would be higher rates of the generalized type of social phobia--but not the nongeneralized (or "discrete") type--among relatives of probands with generalized social phobia. They also hypothesized that rates of avoidant personality disorder, a frequent comorbid condition, would be higher in relatives of probands with generalized social phobia. METHOD: The authors examined rates of three social phobia subtypes defined a priori--discrete, nongeneralized, and generalized--as well as rates of avoidant personality disorder by direct interview of 106 first-degree relatives of 23 patients with generalized social phobia and 74 first-degree relatives of 24 comparison subjects without social phobia. RESULTS: Relative risks for generalized social phobia and avoidant personality disorder were markedly higher (approximately 10-fold) among first-degree relatives of probands with generalized social phobia than among first-degree relatives of comparison probands. In contrast, relative risks for discrete social phobia and nongeneralized social phobia were not significantly different between the two groups of first-degree relatives. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm earlier findings of a higher rate of social phobia among relatives of probands with generalized social phobia and extend these findings by specifically indicating that it is only the generalized type (and its probable axis II counterpart, avoidant personality disorder) that occurs more often among the families of probands with generalized social phobia. Implications for subsequent genetic studies are discussed.

Genetic linkage to the serotonin transporter protein and 5HT2A receptor genes excluded in generalized social phobia.

Social phobia, particularly the generalized form, is strongly familial and frequently comorbid with major depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It has also recently been shown to be responsive to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. We conducted a study to determine if generalized social phobia is genetically linked to either of two candidate genes: the serotonin transporter protein (5HTT) gene, or the 5HT2A receptor (5HT2AR) gene. Rates of social phobia (using several phenotype definitions) were ascertained and blood samples obtained from consenting first-degree family members of generalized social phobic probands. 5HT2AR and 5HTT genotyping was performed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Linkage was tested using LINKAGE and GENEHUNTER software. No evidence of linkage was found; power analysis indicated that failure to find linkage was unlikely due to inadequate statistical power. These findings reasonably exclude linkage between generalized social phobia and the 5HTT or 5HT2AR genes in these samples, although modifier effects cannot be ruled out. Other 5HT receptor subtypes or indirect modulatory effects of 5HT on other neurotransmitter systems may be involved.