Low doses of controlled-release paroxetine in the treatment of late-life depression: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of low daily doses of controlled-release (CR) paroxetine in patients with late-life depression.

Method: This was a 10-week, multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, fixed-dose trial randomly assigning patients >or= 60 years old to daily doses of paroxetine CR 12.5 mg (N = 168), paroxetine CR 25 mg (N = 177), or placebo (N = 180).

Multiple dose pharmacokinetics of paroxetine in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The current study examined the pharmacokinetics (PK), safety, and tolerability of paroxetine after repeated multiple oral dosing in children and adolescents with major depressive or obsessive-compulsive disorder. In this 6-week, open-label, repeat dose, dose-rising study, 62 patients (27 children and 35 adolescents) were treated with paroxetine 10 mg/day for the first 2 weeks of the study, 20 mg/day for the next 2 weeks, and 30 mg/day for the final 2 weeks. Pharmacokinetic sampling and safety assessments occurred at baseline and subsequently on the final treatment day of each dosing level.

The role of Tc-99m HMPAO functional brain imaging in detection of cerebral radionecrosis.

Background: Cerebral radionecrosis is a possible complication of brain radiation therapy in patients with primary or metastatic tumors. This retrospective study evaluated the role of Tc-99m hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) scintigraphy in monitoring the effects of radiation on the brain.

Methods: Ninety-eight patients (41 female, 57 male) with a mean age of 51 years (range, 16-82 years) underwent 128 sets of single-photon emission computed tomography studies.

Effects of experimentally-induced emotional states on frontal lobe cognitive task performance.

A growing body of evidence suggests that dysphoric and euphoric emotional states are associated with reliable patterns of frontal lobe activity. Specifically, dysphoric affect coincides with greater right than left frontal lobe activity, and euphoric affect tends to correspond with a converse pattern of activity. The present study examined whether cognitive outcomes associated with the left and right frontal lobes are differentially influenced by dysphoric and euphoric affect.

Standardized assessment of concussion (SAC): on-site mental status evaluation of the athlete.

Objective: This study investigated the clinical utility of the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) in detecting concussion in athletes.

Method: Athletic trainers administered the SAC to 568 nonconcussed high school and college football players prior to the 1995 and 1996 football seasons. Thirty-three of these players experienced concussion and were tested immediately following injury; 28 of the 33 underwent additional follow-up testing 48 hours after the injury.