Plasma and red cell levels of thioridazine and clinical response in schizophrenia.

The relationship of plasma and red blood cell (RBC) levels of thioridazine to clinical response in schizophrenia was evaluated in a fixed-dose study. Steady-state plasma and RBC levels of thioridazine, mesoridazine, and sum of thioridazine and mesoridazine, determined by gas-liquid chromatography, were not significantly correlated with clinical response as measured by improvement on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. RBC thioridazine levels were not substantially more strongly correlated with clinical response than plasma levels.

Abnormalities of brain structure and density in schizophrenia.

Quantitative and qualitative measures of brain morphology were derived through CT scans using computer-assisted methodology in patients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective psychosis and headache controls. Schizophrenics had significantly higher density of white matter, together with greater right vs. left asymmetry in density of white matter than controls. Schizophrenics tended to have larger widths of cortical sulci than headache patients. In our sample of schizophrenics, however, no significant differences were found on measures of lateral ventricle (LV) width, LV area, VBR, or other measures of ventricular size compared to headache controls. There were no differences between CT scan measures taken in patients with schizophrenia vs. schizo-affective psychosis.

Nuclear magnetic resonance in schizophrenia: a preliminary study.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scans were performed in nine patients with schizophrenia and five control subjects. NMR scans allowed multiple-plane views of the brains of schizophrenic patients and demonstrated much greater detail of morphological structure than computed tomographic (CT) scans. This small sample of subjects, however, showed no significant differences in several quantitative measurements between schizophrenic patients and control subjects. Problems in the interpretation of image intensity measures of NMR scans are discussed.

The residual effect of chronic neuroleptic treatment on the neuroleptic binding assay in rats.

Chronic chlorpromazine administration to rats (25 mg/Kg/day) for 30 days followed by a washout period of 10 days resulted in an increase in both the measured maximum number of binding sites, Bmax, and the apparent dissociation constant, Kd, for the binding of 3H-spiroperidol to neural membranes of the brain. When membrane suspensions were progressively diluted before the binding assay, it was found that the apparent Bmax did not change with dilution, remaining higher in membranes of chlorpromazine-treated rats than in controls. The apparent increase in Kd, on the other hand, was found to be an artifact of the assay. Thus extrapolation of the measured or apparent Kd value to infinite dilution resulted in identical value for Kd regardless of the treatment.

RBC and plasma levels of haloperidol and clinical response in schizophrenia.

The authors conducted a fixed-dose study of haloperidol blood levels and clinical response in schizophrenic in patients and found that those with steady-state RBC haloperidol levels in the range of 2.4--5.4 ng/ml showed greater improvement than those with lower or higher levels. They found a similar , although nonsignificant, curvilinear relationship between plasma haloperidol levels and clinical response. These findings suggest that the relationship between haloperidol blood levels and clinical response fits a therapeutic window for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Regional uptake of [35S]-cysteine in rat brain after arterial injection.

The brain uptake index of [35S]-cysteine in ten rat brain regions and in the eye was determined by measuring [35S]-cysteine remaining in the brain regions and in the eye, five seconds after carotid injection, relative to a simultaneously injected diffusible internal standard, 3H2O and a non-diffusible internal standard Tc99m-Sn-DTPA. A statistical comparison for the regions that receive their blood supply from the internal carotid artery was done. Only the diencephalon and the septum-nucleus accumbens were found significantly higher than cortex.

Human brain monoamine oxidase: one molecular entity-multiple binding sites?

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) of human brain cortex was partially characterized by using different substrates and inhibitors. Two Km values were calculated for each of the three substrates tested, i.e., phenethylamine (PEA) benzylamine (BA) and 5-hydroxtryptamine (5-HT). Clorgyline and 5-HT, both known as MAO-A occupants, were able to abolish the second (high) Km deamination of PEA. 5-HT, while non-competitively inhibiting the deamination of low BA concentrations, competitively inhibited the deamination of high concentrations of this type B substrate. The kinetics of 5-HT deamination showed positive cooperation which indicates the involvement of subunits in the enzyme structure. The ability of some phospholipids to change the enzyme behaviour was considered as indication that these molecules might play a role in determining the ratio between the so-called A and B types of MAO, and in the regulation of the enzyme's activity.

Amobarbital treatment of multiple personality. Use of structured video tape interviews as a basis for intensive psychotherapy.

The case of a 30-year-old woman with five distinct personalities is presented. The patient was treated, using a system of structured video taped sodium amobarbital interviews, in which areas to be explored were developed in psychotherapy. Tapes were played for the patient after each session. The taped material was used as the basis for psychotherapeutic investigation. The patient evidenced many of the features previously reported in cases of multiple personality, specifically: being the product of an unwanted pregnancy in a repressively rigid family; emotional distancing by one parent; strong sibling rivalry with an adopted sib; family history of mental illness; a traumatic first sexual experience (rape); a marriage to a maladjusted individual in an attempt to escape the parental home; a high internalized standard of performance and an inability to display anger or negative feelings toward the parents. In the course of treatment, the patient's personalties fused and she was able to accept each component as part of herself. No further fragmentation has occurred during the year following discharge. The therapy technique minimized dependency, and the possiblity of addiction to amobarbital interviews permitted more active patient therapy involvement, and set clear-cut goals and expectations for improvement before further amobarbital interviews could be conducted.

A family therapy outcome study in an inpatient setting.

A small sample of adolescents hospitalized in a public mental health facility received family therapy while a control group received individual therapy. Follow-up at three months indicated that those treated in family therapy returned to functioning more rapidly and were rehospitalized less frequently than adolescent patients in individual therapy. Directions for further study are suggested

The effects of methadone on maternal-fetal interactions in the rat.

Female Sprague-Dawley rats received methadone (25 mg/kg/day) by gavage throughout gestation. Water-gavaged rats served as controls. Fetuses were delivered by cesarean section when parturition was imminent. Our results indicate that methadone may interfere with fetal development and maternal-fetal interactions to some degree. The observed alterations were as follows: fetal growth retardation, an interference with the triggering of parturition once normal delivery size is attained and possible positional malformations.