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Biomedical subjects

G Ulrich

Publications and source records attributed to G Ulrich.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

[Late acoustically evoked potentials--effect of age, sex and different study conditions].

54 healthy volunteers (25-82 years) were studied in an "auditory oddball" event-related potential paradigm. The tones (80%, 800 Hz; 20%, 1,600 Hz) were presented via two earphones in an randomized form. The rare tones were counted by the volunteers. Each volunteer was tested with the conditions, "eyes open" and "eyes closed". We found: An increase of the P3-latency of 0.92 ms/year (280 ms in the age of 20 years), and a decrease of P3-amplitude of 0.14 microV/year (17.2 microV in the age of 20 years). In contrast to other studies, the amplitude of the P2-wave (12.8 ms in the age of 20 years) and the latency of the P2-wave (160 ms in the age of 20 years) was not influenced by age. Females showed greater amplitudes of the P2- and P3-components. Females showed a clearly smaller increase on P3-latency with age (0.25 ms/year, starting with 296 ms in the age of 20 years) than males (1.3 ms/year, starting with 272 ms in the age of 20 years). The condition "eyes open" or "eyes closed" did not influence the late auditory evoked potentials. The results were interpreted by taking into account the great sensitivity of the late evoked potentials for changes of the state, which can be defined as well on the neurophysiological level as on the behavioural level.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1985

[What differentiates and what connects psychotherapy and psychiatric somatotherapy? On the epistemology of therapeutic procedures].

In opposition to a dualistic conception of psychosomatic medicine which implies a determination of the psychical by the physical or vice versa we emphasize a circular relationship between a biological individuum on the one hand, comprising the psychical and the physical and its environment on the other. From this, every therapy appears as an interactional process between individuum and environment, the latter being represented by the respective therapeutic agent. Basing upon a biperspectivistic epistemology the following can be stated: In a case of psychiatric somatotherapy the therapeutic agent is of a physico-chemical, in the case of psychotherapy of a verbal-semantic or nonverbal-informative nature. Because psychiatric somatotherapy as well as psychotherapy is directed at a wholly individuum, comprising the psychical and the physical, one may postulate that any therapeutic effect is describable also from the two logically distinct but correlative points of view, the one corresponding to the psychical and the other to the physical. The virtual character of both kinds of therapy results from a different accentuation with respect to both the logically given perspectives. Concluding we try to specify differentially the possibilities and limitations inherent in psychiatric somatotherapy and in psychotherapy.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1984

[Significance of intermittent slow waves with right posterior accentuation in the EEG's of psychiatric patients].

The study was based on the frequent occurrence of intermittent slow waves right-posterior accentuation (IRP) in the EEGs of psychiatric patients. With regard to the EEG-phenomenon we present a detailed morphological and functional description as well as an evaluation from a developmental point of view. According to case histories a clinico-psychopathological characterization of the patients with IRP is given. The IRP-phenomenon can be interpreted electrogenetically against the background of and in connection with the so-called slow alpha variant rhythms as well as the posterior slow waves characteristic of children and adolescents. These patterns have in common a certain tendency to right-sided accentuation. In accord with a hypothesis (which has been derived from other observations and considerations) of a "maturation gradient" which favours the left hemisphere, we try to explain the IRP-phenomenon as an expression of a maturation deficit. Whereas the slow alpha variant rhythms and the posterior slow waves characteristic of children and adolescents appear bilaterally for the most part, IRP by definition, limited to the right hemisphere, may be considered as a less pronounced form in comparison. Deriving from clinico-psychopathological assessment the relationships are as follows: Patients with IRP account for about 5% of the in-patients in our psychiatric hospital. The IRP phenomenon seems to be closely linked to the male sex. Although a clear relationship with nosological categories (ICD) could not be proved, it seems that patients suffering from schizophrenic psychoses (ICD No. 295) are more frequently represented among the patients with the IRP-phenomenon than others. For the group of schizophrenic patients with IRP we found in contrast to a control group of schizophrenics without IRP a tendency to earlier onset of their disease. Compared with the control group it is found that the IRP groups consists of younger patients at the time of conducting this study. The two comparative groups of schizophrenics with and without IRP can be characterized by differences in the more or less pronounced manifestation of a fairly large number of AMDP items. Whereas for the IRP group a symptom pattern emerges with a hypermotoric -expansive accentuation, the control group seems to tend more towards a syndrome with depressive shading. The slight tendencies towards increased hereditary disposition as well as towards increased perinatal complications among the schizophrenic IRP patients necessitate further studies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Interrelation between changes in the EEG and psychopathology under pharmacotherapy for endogenous depression. A contribution to the predictor question.

With the predictor problem in mind, we studied in-patients with endogenous depression whether relationships exist among the EEG, the therapeutic response, and the severity of psychopathology. We found that clinically defined responders and non-responders differ in respect of their average power spectra calculated for the two occipital regions. In addition, it was shown that there is a statistically significant correlation between the EEG before treatment and the severity of AMP-documented psychopathology after a 4-week treatment period. This correlation was stronger for the left occipital region than for the right.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1983

[Laterality of hospitalized endogenous-depression patients].

Compared to normals, groups of inpatients with unipolar and involutional depression show a higher proportion of consistent right-handers, whereas bipolar patients do not differ from normals. All patient-groups show a clearly higher proportion of persons with a "dominance" of the right thumb when habitually clasping the hands or fingers. The variables "eyedness" and "familial sinistrality" do not show significant differences between groups. When drawing geometric figures in a bimanual-coordinated fashion, all patient groups demonstrate a prevalence of simultaneous counter-clockwise drawing with both hands, whereas normals overwhelmingly prefer a discordant mode of drawing, the left hand acting counter-clockwise and the right hand clockwise. We interpret this behavior in depressives to be an expression of an interhemispheric functional relationship in which the left hemisphere is subordinated to the right hemisphere.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Problems in the establishment of psychopathologic terms. A contribution to the conceptual classification of functional cerebral psychosyndromes].

Numerous terms commonly used in psychiatry show a lack of preciseness and logical consistency. This results in an obscuration of the objects under observation and generates fictitious problems which function as a source of permanent confusion. The reasons for this are analyzed and exemplified with respect to organic psychoses.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1982

Activation of brain guanylate cyclase by phospholipase A2.

Various pure snake venom phospholipases A2 were used for studying their effect on guanylate cyclase activity. All the phospholipases A2 tested were found to activate guanylate cyclase from a rat brain homogenate. It was shown that particulate guanylate cyclase was especially affected. Intact glial cells incubated in presence of phospholipase A2 showed also an increased guanylate cyclase activity, demonstrating that the phospholipase effect, observed in disrupted cells, occurs also at the cellular level. These results suggest that in intact cells membrane-bound phospholipase A2 activity could be involved in the modulation of the cellular cyclic GMP content.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Monoamine regulation of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate in homogeneous neuronal cultures from chick brain hemispheres.

The effect of isoproterenol, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin on the accumulation of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) was studied in homogeneous neuronal cultures from 8-day chick embryo hemispheres. Among the catecholamines, isoproterenol had a more pronounced effect on the accumulation of cAMP. Norepinephrine and dopamine were considerably less potent and serotonin was ineffective. The response of neuronal cells to isoproterenol was inhibited by propranolol, suggesting that the cAMP increase was mediated by beta-adrenergic receptors. Maximally effective concentration of isoproterenol (10 microM) produced a 2.5-fold increase in cAMP content which is in contrast to the much greater cAMP response elicited by isoproterenol in chick brain tissue. These results suggest that in chick embryo hemispheres the nonneuronal cells are the major sites of the effect of beta-adrenergic agonists. The low responsiveness of the cAMP-generating system found in neuronal cultures is interpreted as reflecting either the number of beta-adrenergic receptors or the regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors and adenylate cyclase at the membrane level.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1979

[A contribution to the psychophysiology of infantile dysmegalopsy (author's transl)].

A 9 year old boy was able to evoke microptic experiences voluntarily. Clinical and historical signs of minimal brain dysfunction were present. An epileptic etiology could neither be proven nor ruled out. Synchronized EEG- and Video recording allowed us to analyze the EEG and the corresponding behavior by using sequential spectral analysis of the EEG data. Coinciding with a progressive increase in rhythmic 6-7 cps. activity we observed a behavior which appeared to correspond to a state of narrowed attention. He signalized the onset of a micropsy a few seconds after the transition from this pattern into one which showed a relative voltage decrease and the reappearance of some alpha-activity. The end was signalized by him coinciding with the recurrence of normal waking activity. Our findings--like those of others--suggest that the gradual development of hypnagogic phenomena is bound to a state of lowered vigilance. The reappearance of alpha activity and the voltage decrease seem to represent an unstable intermediary state with partial arousal preceding the restitution of normal wakefulness. Since the onset of the micropsy was signalized only after manifestation of the intermediary EEG-state, we conclude that partial arousal is a prerequisite for giving an indication of hypnagogic experiences in a quasi retrospective manner.

Arousal↗
PubMed1979

Video-analytic study of manual kinesics and its lateralization in the course of treatment of depressive syndromes.

Video-taped interviews of 47, predominantly endogenous depressive in-patients, recorded on days 0 and 21 of pharmacotherapy were analysed with respect to frequency, duration and side-preference of defined hand movements. The data were related to clinical improvement or deterioration as assessed by judgement of the syndromal aspects: retardation and agitation. 1. Above all, improvement is marked by a decrease of Continuous body-focused movements (C) and an increase of Object-focused movements (O) of the speech primacy type (OS)-deterioration by an increase of C and decrease of OS. 2. The degree of retardation corresponds to O, the degree of agitation, above all to C. 3. O show no side-preference with a higher degree of retardation or agitation respectively, but a marked right perference with a lower degree of retardation or agitation, Discrete body touching (D) shows a left preference only, with a higher degree of retardation. A comparison of sidedness of O between interviews 1 and 2 shows no lateralization trend, either in the improvement or the deterioration group. In contrast, D changed from left weightiness to symmetry, coinciding with improvement but not with deterioration, With reference to the latter findings we discuss the possibility of a particular mode of cerebral lateralization predisposing to endogenous depression.

Amitriptyline↗