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Biomedical subjects

H M Emrich

Publications and source records attributed to H M Emrich.

173 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of sodium valproate, carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine in patients with affective disorders.

During recent years alternatives to lithium prophylaxis have been developed using primary dipropylacetamide and, later on, sodium valproate, as a mono-therapy as well as in combination with low-dosage lithium treatment. It has been shown in a placebo-controlled ABA design that sodium valproate exerts an acute antimanic effect and a prophylactic action of sodium valproate has also been established. Carbamazepine represents another important contribution to the arsenal of drugs to be used as alternatives for the prophylactic treatment in patients not responding to lithium and/or experiencing too many side effects. The keto-derivative of carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, has been shown to exert acute antimanic effects in a similar way to carbamazepine itself.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Impaired binocular depth inversion in patients with alcohol withdrawal.

Binocular depth inversion represents an illusion of visual perception. Such inversion does not occur in all cases, especially when objects with a higher degree of familiarity (e.g. photographs of faces) are displayed. Cognitive factors are assumed to override the binocular disparity cues of stereopsis. We tested the hypothesis that during alcohol withdrawal the human CNS is unable to correct the implausible perceptual hypothesis. Measurements of binocular depth inversion in perception of 3D objects were performed in 10 patients with mild alcohol withdrawal and in 11 healthy volunteers. The binocular depth inversion scores were highly elevated in the patients group in comparison to the healthy volunteers. The data demonstrates a strong impairment of binocular depth inversion in alcohol withdrawal and support the view that alcohol withdrawal may be accompanied by a disorganization of the interaction between sensory input and generation of perceptual hypotheses.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reduced binocular depth inversion in patients with alcoholism.

Binocular depth inversion represents an illusion of visual perception, serving to invert the perception of implausible hollow objects, e.g. a hollow face into a normal face. Such inversion occurs frequently, especially when objects with a higher degree of familiarity (e.g. photographs of faces) are displayed. Cognitive factors are assumed to override the binocular disparity cues of stereopsis. The hypothesis was tested that during mild and moderate alcohol withdrawal, and severe and mild alcohol intoxication, the central nervous system is unable to correct implausible perceptual hypotheses. Measurements of binocular depth inversion in perception of three-dimensional objects were performed in 10 patients with severe alcohol intoxication, in 10 subjects with mild alcohol intoxication, in nine patients with moderate alcohol withdrawal treated with carbamazepine, in 10 patients with moderate alcohol withdrawal without any pharmacological treatment, in 11 patients with mild alcohol withdrawal and in 10 healthy volunteers. The binocular depth inversion scores were highly elevated in the severely intoxicated patients group and in the group with moderate withdrawal symptoms without carbamazepine treatment, in comparison to the healthy volunteers. The data demonstrate a strong impairment of binocular depth inversion in moderate alcohol withdrawal and during severe alcohol intoxication. This supports the view that these states may be accompanied by a disorganization of the interaction between sensory input and top-down component. The effects of carbamazepine are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Carbamazepine effects on preoptic GABA release and pituitary luteinizing hormone secretion in rats.

In vivo effects of carbamazepine (CBZ) on the neuroendocrine preopticopituitary feedback system were studied by local application of CBZ through a push-pull cannula into the preoptic area and measurement of local effects on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and distant effects on a subsequent biologic response: luteinizing hormone (LH). Perfusion with 8 and 12 micrograms CBZ/ml cerebrospinal fluid caused a reduction in preoptic GABA release and concomitant suppression of plasma LH levels. These results suggest a GABA component to the mechanism(s) of action of CBZ: (a) CBZ reduces extracellular available GABA concentration, and (b) owing to the known inhibitory role of preoptic GABA in pituitary LH secretion, an increase of postsynaptic GABAergic transmission by CBZ itself could be inferred.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Are biological rhythms disturbed in depression?

In a large-scale investigation of circadian rhythms in endogenous depression, no free-running rhythms or indications of phase-advance were found in the patients compared with themselves after clinical recovery and with healthy controls. They exhibited a reduction of the amplitude of depression scales, partially due to a "ceiling effect" of highly elevated scores. A reduction of the amplitude of body temperature was probably related to a negative masking of the temperature rhythm by e.g. the patients' sleep disturbances. An increase in the amplitude of the cortisol rhythm, due to an elevation of the circadian maximum, was particularly pronounced in patients with significant diurnal variation in the severity of depression. It was thus probably related to a stress-induced positive masking of that rhythm. The acrophases of depression scores and the cortisol rhythm coincided roughly during but not outside depression. This may indicate a circadian modulation of the disease process and the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical system by the same clock-like mechanism within the hypothalamus.

Body Temperature↗