Sex, GABA, and nicotine: the impact of smoking on cortical GABA levels across the menstrual cycle as measured with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Background: Given that nicotine modulates amino acid neurotransmission, we sought to examine the impact of nicotine on cortical gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in male and female smokers.

Methods: Healthy nicotine-dependent men (n = 10) and women (n = 6) underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to measure occipital cortex GABA concentrations. A subset of the smoking men (n = 5) underwent 1H-MRS scans before and after 48 hours of smoking abstinence, whereas each of the women were scheduled to undergo pre- and postabstinence scans during the follicular and luteal phases of one menstrual cycle.

Randomized clinical trial of bright light therapy for antepartum depression: preliminary findings.

Background: Bright light therapy was shown to be a promising treatment for depression during pregnancy in a recent open-label study. In an extension of this work, we report findings from a double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study.

Method: Ten pregnant women with DSM-IV major depressive disorder were randomly assigned from April 2000 to January 2002 to a 5-week clinical trial with either a 7000 lux (active) or 500 lux (placebo) light box.