Bouffée délirante: an examination of its current status.

Bouffée délirante is an historic and unique French diagnostic term for a short-lived psychosis. The key diagnostic features are acute, floridly psychotic symptoms with complete remission. Its use in a Paris hospital has been examined, and it appears that the term is declining in popularity.

[Schizophrenia and treatment with lithium salts. Current data from the literature].

The use of lithium salts in the treatment of schizophrenia remains as contested as the concept of schizo-affective disorders. Many studies have attempted to define the interest and the risks of lithiotherapy beside the major effective disorders. Only a few of them can be credited with a strict methodology.

[Value of a kinetic study of intraerythrocyte lithium in research on bioclinical correlations in intolerant subjects].

From the plasma and red cell kinetics of lithium in 43 patients having received lithium therapy for at least 15 days, the authors try to establish a correlation between intolerance and a variety of parameters examined. Statistical analysis reveals that: intra-erythrocytic concentration is a more reliable biological index than the lithium level; it can be modified by associated drug therapy; measuring the erythroplasmic ratio at different times of the day shows important variation within individuals. This type of kinetic study can identify biologically the 2 sub-groups distinguished by clinical examination: tolerant subjects (those on lithium therapy without any neurological signs) and poorly tolerant subjects.

[Study of noradrenaline metabolism in depressed patients by the determination of plasma dihydroxyphenylethylene glycol].

The plasmatic levels of free, sulfoconjugated and total dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DOPEG), the main deaminated metabolite of noradrenaline, have been measured in thirty DSM3 major depressive inpatients and in thirty healthy controls matched for sex and age. DOPEG levels have been measured by a radioenzymatic assay. Almost fifty per cent of depressed inpatients were D.

[Sleep deprivation and dexamethasone suppression test in healthy volunteers].

One night sleep deprivation in 10 healthy volunteers was performed: none of them presented an abnormal dexamethasone suppression test (DST) during the following afternoon. In this experimentation, a short deprivation of sleep does not alter DST. Etiopathogenic hypothesis of DST abnormalities (and other factors) have been discussed.

[MAO inhibitors and depressive disorders today].

MAO inhibitors are now only exceptionnally used in France. These medications are efficient to improve depressive states resistent to tricyclic antidepressants. Some authors suggest that we have to control the efficacy of the MAOI by evaluation of the part of inhibition of the activity of the enzyme MAO.

[Antidepressive action, pharmacokinetic characteristics and biochemical properties of cimoxatone, a new reversible MAO-A inhibitor].

Cimoxatone is a new monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) in comparison to the existing non-selective and irreversible MAOIs used in the therapy of depression. A clinical study has been carried out in 10 depressed patients. Cimoxatone was given from 0.

[Placebo effect and relief of anxiety].

Placebo effect should be taken into account when therapeutic results are being assessed. This is especially important for anxiety-relief. Two main mechanisms are considered to account for placebo effect: suggestion and conditioning.

[3H-Imipramine binding to human platelets. A peripheral index in depressive syndromes (author's transl)].

3H-imipramine shows specific, high-affinity binding to human platelet sites. The characteristics of these specific binding sites are very similar to those previously described in the rat brain. The inhibitory effects of 11 tricyclic antidepressants on 3H-imipramine binding to human platelets were investigated.

[The value of the measurement of intra-erythrocytic lithium in the bio-clinical surveillance of lithium therapy (author's transl)].

THe correlation between red cell lithium concentration and signs of neurotoxicity have been reported in the literature by a great majority of authors. A deficiency in the lithium-sodium counter-transport mechanism may be responsible. Measurement of blood lithium levels only is not always sufficient to identify in the laboratory patients showing signs of intolerance.

[Masked depression and paucisymptomatic depression (author's transl)].

All depressive syndromes include physical as well as psychological features. Physical symptoms in major "endogenous" depression are well known. In other forms, called masked depressions, various physical disorders are the patients main complaint and may be misleading.

[Psychopathology of depression (author's transl)].

Depression can be observed in individuals with any type of personality structure especially in situations in which change is involved. The mourning model is not sufficient to account for the type of difficulties, the particular mood and the lowered self-esteem so characteristic of depressive syndromes. The study of the psychological development of children helps us to sort out those situations which are of depressive type.