A psychometric-genetic study of schizotypal disorder.

This study aimed to clarify the structure and the etiological constituents of schizotypal disorder (SPD) by directly interviewing pairs of twins. A latent class analysis was applied to each individual's outcome for specified SPD items, such that each subject's phenotype could be redefined in terms of individual probabilities of class membership. Intraclass correlations were then calculated for each twin pair, and a standard univariate twin model applied.

Worsening of delusional depression after sleep deprivation: case reports.

Five patients (three bipolars and two unipolars) affected by a major depressive episode with psychotic features were treated with total sleep deprivation (TSD) without concurrent psychotropic medication. After TSD we observed a worsening in psychotic as well as in depressive symptoms as rated on the Dimension of Delusional Experience Rating Scale and on Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, respectively. TSD is known to markedly enhance the activity of brain monoaminergic pathways.

Sustained antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation combined with pindolol in bipolar depression. A placebo-controlled trial.

Total sleep deprivation (TSD) shows powerful but transient clinical effects in patients affected by bipolar depression. Pindolol blocks the serotonergic 5-HT1A autoreceptor, thus improving the antidepressant effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. We evaluated the interaction of TSD and pindolol in the treatment of acute episodes of bipolar depression.

Factor analysis of delusional disorder symptomatology.

Delusional disorder symptomatology has been poorly investigated with factor analytic studies. Most attempts to identify its symptomatologic structure were made with schizophrenic or mixed psychotic populations and included only delusional symptoms. The purpose of this study was to analyze the whole symptomatologic structure of delusional disorder.

Abnormalities of cyclic adenosine monophosphate signaling in platelets from untreated patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Abnormalities in the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent phosphorylation system have been recently reported in patients with bipolar disorder. We evaluated the immunoreactivity of the regulatory and catalytic subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A) and 1 of its substrates, Rap1, in platelets from untreated euthymic, manic, and depressed patients with bipolar disorder and healthy subjects.

Methods: Platelets were collected from 112 drug-free patients with bipolar disorder (52 euthymic, 29 depressed, and 31 manic) and 62 healthy subjects.

No interaction of GABA(A) alpha-1 subunit and dopamine receptor D4 exon 3 genes in symptomatology of major psychoses.

Previously, we reported on an association of the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene with delusional symptomatology of major psychoses. However, despite the strength of the association, it only accounted for 2% of the variance, indicating that contributions from other genes were probable. In the present study, we investigated the original cohort of subjects to evaluate the gene for the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptor alpha-1 subunit (GABRA1).

Complex segregation analysis for obsessive compulsive disorder and related disorders.

Complex segregation analysis was applied to a sample of 107 Italian families with probands with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), using regressive logistic models to test for possible models of genetic transmission. We used two different phenotypic definitions of affection: 1) OCD; and 2) OCD plus Tourette's syndrome/chronic motor tics (CMT). Because of the potential relationship between OCD, Tourette's syndrome (TS), and other tic disorders, we considered these diagnoses to be determined by the same liability in subsequent steps of the analysis.

Serotonin transporter gene is not associated with symptomatology of schizophrenia.

The serotonin transporter gene is a primary candidate for involvement in major psychoses. A functional polymorphism in the upstream regulatory region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) has recently been reported to be associated with a variety of psychopathological conditions. In the present study, we investigated the potential influence of the 5-HTTLPR on the psychopathology of schizophrenia.

Mode of inheritance in mood disorder families according to fluvoxamine response.

Mood disorders are known to cluster within families, but the mode of transmission remains largely unknown. The purpose of our analysis was to determine whether selection of a sample that was homogeneous in its response to an antidepressant provided stronger evidence for a single major locus. Complex segregation analysis was applied to a sample of 171 Italian families of bipolar and unipolar probands that were responsive to the antidepressant fluvoxamine.

Faster onset of action of fluvoxamine in combination with pindolol in the treatment of delusional depression: a controlled study.

This double-blind, controlled study was undertaken to investigate whether the addition of pindolol could improve the therapeutic response to fluvoxamine of depressed patients with psychotic features. After a 1-week placebo run-in period, 72 patients received fluvoxamine 300 mg/day in combination with placebo or pindolol 7.5 mg/day.

GABAA alpha-1 subunit gene not associated with depressive symptomatology in mood disorders.

Considerable evidence implicates the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the biochemical pathophysiology of mood disorders. In this study, we investigated the possibility that the gene for the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor alpha-1 subunit (GABRA1) might be associated with depressive symptomatology in a sample of mood disorder subjects. Sixty-seven inpatients affected by unipolar (n = 37) and bipolar (n = 30) disorder (DSMIV) were assessed at admission by the Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) and were typed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques.

Polymorphism within the promoter of the serotonin transporter gene and antidepressant efficacy of fluvoxamine.

Depression with psychotic features has been shown to respond to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) is a prime target for SSRIs. A functional polymorphism within the promoter region of the 5-HTT gene, leading to different transcriptional efficiency, was recently reported.

Dopamine receptor D2 Ser/Cys311 variant associated with disorganized symptomatology of schizophrenia.

The dopamine D2 receptor gene has been proposed as a genetic risk factor for schizophrenia (Arinami et al., 1994). However, a number of replications failed to confirm the initial report.

Familial concordance of fluvoxamine response as a tool for differentiating mood disorder pedigrees.

Concordance to antidepressant response in members of the same family is a common observation in clinical practice. However, few published data support this view; moreover families with affected members responder to the same antidepressant have been poorly studied. We have analyzed 45 pairs consisting of one mood disorder fluvoxamine double-responder proband and one first-degree relative with known outcome to fluvoxamine treatment.

Analysis of depressive symptomatology in mood disorders.

Depressive disorder is a polymorphic syndrome with a wide range of clinical manifestations. Most analyses of depressive symptomatology have been performed by ignoring psychotic symptoms, despite a substantial proportion of depressives presenting psychotic features. The purpose of this study was to include psychotic features in an analysis of depressive symptomatology.

Self-esteem in remitted patients with mood disorders is not associated with the dopamine receptor D4 and the serotonin transporter genes.

Disturbances of the dopaminergic and serotoninergic neurotransmitter systems have been implicated in the pathogenesis of depressive symptoms. Associations have been reported between markers of the two neurotransmitter systems and the presence of illness or severity of depressive episodes, but no attention has been focused on the periods of remission. The present report focuses on a possible association of self-esteem in remitted mood disorder patients with the functional polymorphism located in the upstream regulatory region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4).

Dopamine receptor D4 gene is associated with delusional symptomatology in mood disorders.

Disturbances of the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system have been implicated in the pathogenesis of depressive symptoms. Many studies have, however, failed to detect any association between genetic markers for the dopamine system and mood disorders. A possible reason for this may lie in the definition of phenotype, which is traditionally based on psychiatric diagnosis.

Perceived mood and skin body temperature rhythm in depression.

Eighteen inpatients affected by recurrent major depression were monitored in their clinical and biological features during the acute episode of illness. Diurnal mood variations rated with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and diurnal variations of skin body temperature were measured every 2 h consecutively for 2 days. Circadian rhythmicity of the two parameters was evaluated by cosinor analysis separately for each patient.

cAMP-dependent phosphorylation system after short and long-term administration of moclobemide.

Accumulating evidence suggested that signal transduction cascade including protein phosphorylation is implicated in the neurochemical action of antidepressant agents. Clinical data indicated that moclobemide, a short acting and reversible inhibitor of monoamino oxidase type. A, is an effective antidepressant medication.

The unipolar-bipolar dichotomy and the response to sleep deprivation.

Fifty-one inpatients affected by a major depressive episode were divided into four groups according to mood disorder diagnosis and previous clinical history (bipolar disorder type I; bipolar disorder type II; major depressive disorder with at least three previous depressive episodes; and single depressive episode patients) and administered three consecutive total sleep deprivation (TSD) cycles. Mood changes were rated with a reduced version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and with self-administered visual analogue scales. TSD caused better clinical effects in bipolar and single-episode patients; in particular, unipolar patients lacked effects in perceived mood after the first TSD and showed worse Hamilton ratings in respect to the other groups after the three TSD treatments.

Effects of lithium on cAMP-dependent protein kinase in rat brain.

We have investigated the effects of lithium treatment on cAMP-dependent protein kinase in discrete brain areas of rat by using photoaffinity labeling as well as western blotting. Lithium administered for 5 weeks resulted in a significant increase of the cAMP binding to the 52 kDa cAMP-receptor in the soluble, but not in the particulate, fractions of both hippocampus and frontal cortex. Moreover, immunoblotting experiments revealed that chronic lithium treatment significantly increased the immunoreactivity against the regulatory and the catalytic subunits of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the soluble fraction of both brain areas.

Dose-response efficacy of paroxetine in preventing depressive recurrences: a randomized, double-blind study.

Background: The authors evaluated and compared the efficacy of 20 mg versus 40 mg of paroxetine in a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study during a maintenance period of 28 months.

Method: Ninety-nine inpatients with recurrent, unipolar depression (DSM-IV criteria) who had at least 1 depressive episode during the 18 months preceding the index episode were openly treated with paroxetine 40 mg/day. Seventy-two subjects had a stable response (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score < 8) to paroxetine treatment and remained in the continuation treatment as outpatients for 4 months.

Tyrosine hydroxylase gene associated with depressive symptomatology in mood disorder.

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of dopamine and norepinephrine. It may be involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders and positive associations have been reported for TH gene markers in mood disorders. While most replications failed to confirm the initial findings, other papers suggested a potential role of this gene in the etiology of mood disorders.