Immune and neural response to acute social stress in adolescent humans and rodents.

Studies in adults have linked stress-related activation of the immune system to the manifestation of psychiatric conditions. Using a translational design, this study aimed to examine the impact of social stress on immune activity in adolescents and on neuronal activity in a preclinical mouse model. Participants were 31 adolescents (ages 12-19), including 25 with mood and anxiety symptoms.

Immune and Neural Response to Acute Social Stress in Adolescent Humans and Rodents.

Studies in adults have linked stress-related activation of the immune system to the manifestation of psychiatric conditions. Using a translational design, this study aimed to examine the impact of social stress on immune activity in adolescents and on neuronal activity in a preclinical mouse model. Participants were 31 adolescents (ages 12-19), including 25 with mood and anxiety symptoms.

Insomnia in Tinnitus Patients: A Prospective Study Finding a Significant Relationship.

Tinnitus is a highly prevalent medical disorder occurring in 10-30% of the general population. This disorder often becomes chronic and severe effecting quality of life contributing to significant psychiatric consequences; one that we have written about recently is comorbid insomnia. The latter can predispose effected persons to depressive episodes and a worsening of their total functioning.

A review of antidepressant-induced urinary hesitancy: a focus on levomilnacipran ER including two case presentations(5633).

Introduction: Levomilnacipran ER was recently FDA approved as Fetzima® for the treatment of MDD. Urinary hesitancy can be an adverse event associated with levomilnacipran treatment.

Areas Covered: This manuscript details the longitudinal course of levomilnacipran-induced urinary hesitancy in 2 cases that were in a pivotal clinical trial, examining possible predisposing factors and treatment issues.

Pharmacotherapy Treatment Options for Insomnia: A Primer for Clinicians.

Insomnia is a prevalent disorder with deleterious effects such as decreased quality of life, and a predisposition to a number of psychiatric disorders. Fortunately, numerous approved hypnotic treatments are available. This report reviews the state of the art of pharmacotherapy with a reference to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as well.

Levomilnacipran for the treatment of major depressive disorder: a review.

Levomilnacipran (LVM, Fetzima(®)) was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depressive disorder. It is a unique dual neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitor. In contrast with other selective serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, including duloxetine, venlafaxine, and desvenlafaxine, it has greater selectivity for inhibiting norepinephrine reuptake than serotonin reuptake.

EMSAM (deprenyl patch): how a promising antidepressant was underutilized.

The EMSAM patch is a unique monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) being the only antidepressant utilizing a transdermal delivery system. This was welcomed by clinicians who hoped that EMSAM would be better tolerated than oral MAOIs and non-MAOI antidepressants, as well as being effective for treatment in a wide spectrum of depressed patients including atypical depression, bipolar depression, and refractory depression. Unfortunately, the clinical use of EMSAM has been underutilized and its potential usefulness overlooked.

Efficacy and safety of levomilnacipran sustained release 40 mg, 80 mg, or 120 mg in major depressive disorder: a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: This phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of fixed-dose levomilnacipran sustained release (SR) compared with placebo in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD); the study was conducted from September 2009-May 2011.

Method: Outpatients met DSM-IV-TR criteria for MDD with an ongoing major depressive episode ≥ 8 weeks' duration. After a 1-week placebo lead-in, patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo (n = 179) or levomilnacipran SR 40 mg (n = 181), 80 mg (n = 181), or 120 mg (n = 183) once daily for 8 weeks of double-blind treatment, followed by a 2-week double-blind down-taper.

Improved insomnia symptoms and sleep-related next-day functioning in patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and insomnia following concomitant zolpidem extended-release 12.5 mg and escitalopram treatment: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This investigation was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of zolpidem extended-release in patients with insomnia associated with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Method: Patients (N = 385) received open-label escitalopram 10 mg/d and were randomized to concomitant zolpidem extended-release 12.5 mg/night or placebo for 8 weeks (phase 1) in a randomized, parallel-group, multicenter trial.

Zolpidem extended-release improves sleep and next-day symptoms in comorbid insomnia and generalized anxiety disorder.

A multicenter, double-blind, parallel-group study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of zolpidem extended-release coadministered with escitalopram in patients with insomnia and comorbid generalized anxiety disorder. Patients (N = 383) received open-label escitalopram 10 mg/d and were randomized to either adjunct zolpidem extended-release 12.5 mg or placebo.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, flexible-dose study of venlafaxine extended release capsules in adult outpatients with panic disorder.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of venlafaxine extended release (ER) in short-term treatment of panic disorder.

Method: In this multicenter, double-blind study, conducted from April 2001 to December 2002, 343 adult outpatients who met criteria for panic disorder (with and without agoraphobia) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, were randomly assigned to flexible-dose venlafaxine ER (75-225 mg/d) or placebo for 10 weeks (N = 155 per group, intent-to-treat population). The primary outcome measure was the percentage of panic-free patients as assessed using the Sheehan Panic and Anticipatory Anxiety Scale.

Sleep disturbances in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder: epidemiology, impact and approaches to management.

Subjective reports of sleep disturbance indicate that 70-91% of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have difficulty falling or staying asleep. Nightmares are reported by 19-71% of patients, depending on the severity of their PTSD and their exposure to physical aggression. Objective measures of sleep disturbance are inconsistent, with some studies that used these measures indicating poor sleep and others finding no differences compared with non-PTSD controls.

Venlafaxine extended release in posttraumatic stress disorder: a sertraline- and placebo-controlled study.

This 12-week, double-blind, multicenter trial evaluated the efficacy of venlafaxine extended release (ER), sertraline, and placebo in adult outpatients (N = 538) with a primary diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, symptoms for 6 months or more and 17-item Clinician-administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-SX17) score of 60 or more. Patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo or flexible doses of venlafaxine ER (37.5-300 mg/d) or sertraline (25-200 mg/d) for 12 weeks or less.

Interferon-induced depression in chronic hepatitis C: a review of its prevalence, risk factors, biology, and treatment approaches.

Hepatitis C viral infection is a global health problem that affects approximately 4 million people in the United States. Combination treatment with pegylated interferon (IFN)-alpha plus ribavirin has been shown to be most effective in treating patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Despite its efficacy, one of the most common side effects of this regimen is depression.

Increased personality disorders and Axis I comorbidity in atypical depression.

Objective: Comparison of patients with and without atypical depression on comorbid Axis I and I disorders to determine whether atypical depression is associated with a higher comorbidity.

Method: Twenty-nine major depressive disorder patients with and without atypical depression were compared on clinical measures using multiple regression analyses.

Results: Atypical depression predicted the presence of comorbid Axis I (100% vs 33%), Axis II (90% vs 35%), and both Axis I and II (65% vs 8.

Recombinant human interferon-alpha does not alter reward behavior, or neuroimmune and neuroendocrine activation in rats.

Recombinant human interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) induces depression, and neuroendocrine and neuroimmune activation, in a significant number of patients undergoing treatment for viral illnesses (e.g., hepatitis C), yet these effects have not been consistently reproduced in rodents.

Interferon-induced depression: strategies in treatment.

Interferon (IFN) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is widely used for the treatment of a number of disorders including viral infections, hematological proliferative disorders, and skin malignancies. Unfortunately, IFN frequently induced depression and has led to compromised tolerability with lowering of the dose of IFN and even discontinuation of treatment. Thus, it is imperative to diagnose IFN-induced depression early, evaluate whether this depression is associated with IFN-induced anemia or thyroid dysfunction, which can be corrected, and if necessary treat with antidepressants.

A randomized controlled trial of venlafaxine extended release in generalized social anxiety disorder.

Background: Generalized social anxiety disorder is a debilitating psychiatric illness characterized by maladaptive thoughts about social situations. This double-blind study evaluated the anxiolytic efficacy, safety, and tolerability of venlafaxine extended release (ER) in adult out-patients with generalized social anxiety disorder.

Method: Patients were randomly assigned to receive 12 weeks of treatment with a flexible dose of venlafaxine ER (75 to 225 mg/day) or placebo.

Acute diclofenac treatment attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced alterations to basic reward behavior and HPA axis activation in rats.

Rationale: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) counteract stress hormone and pro-inflammatory cytokine activation, and are being considered as therapeutics for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. Previous data from our laboratory revealed that repeated treatment with the NSAID diclofenac attenuated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced alterations to reward behavior, implicating a role for NSAIDs in alleviating depressive-like behavior.

Objectives: To extend these findings, we sought to determine whether acute treatment with diclofenac would attenuate LPS-induced alterations to basic reward behavior, as well as neuroendocrine and neuroimmune function.

Effect of lamotrigine on cognitive complaints in patients with bipolar I disorder.

Background: This analysis describes the effects of bipolar I disorder on self-reported neurocognitive measures and remediation of these deficits with lamotrigine therapy.

Method: Data were derived from 2 clinical trials designed to assess the efficacy of lamotrigine as maintenance therapy for recently manic (N = 349) or depressed (N = 966) patients (DSM-IV criteria). During the 8- to 16-week open stabilization phase, patients received lamotrigine as monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy (target dose = 200 mg/day, minimum dose = 100 mg/day) while other psychotropic drugs were discontinued.