Analysis of differential clinical profiles of different antipsychotic molecules in the first psychotic episode: a retrospective study.

Our study starts from the supposition that the ideal pharmacological treatment should improve the patient's global behaviour, as a consequence of the therapeutic activity on positive, negative, behavioural, affective and cognitive symptoms. It should have few secondary effects, both in the short and long term, thus assuring a good life-quality, the fundamental condition for the patient's compliance and adherence. Currently only few studies have been published evaluating atypical antipsychotic effects vs.

Lymphocyte peripheral benzodiazepine receptor mRNA decreases in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The relative content of peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (pBR) mRNA was examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in lymphocytes of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, according to their clinical course of illness. pBR mRNA significantly decreased only in chronic OCD patients (n=8) as compared to controls (n=10), whereas no significant changes were observed in episodic OCD patients (n=7). We suggest that modulation of pBR gene expression might delineate a clinical heterogeneity in OCD.

Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor messenger RNA is decreased in lymphocytes of generalized anxiety disorder patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess whether the decrease of peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (pBR) number in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), previously observed in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, is paralleled by changes in the relative content of messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding pBR.

Methods: Eight patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder were examined before, during, and after 2'-chloro-N-desmethyl-diazepam treatment. Eight healthy subjects were analyzed in parallel.