Biomedical subjects

J Delahousse

Publications and source records attributed to J Delahousse.

41 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

[Anhedonia in schizophrenia].

A study on 61 subjects who meet Spitzer's Research Diagnosis Criteria of schizophrenia and on 56 normal subjects has been conducted to explore anhedonia. Anhedonia was evaluated by two rating scales, the Physical Anhedonia Scale (PAS) and a sub-scale of physical pleasure (FCPCS-PP) extracted from the pleasure scale of Fawcett. The reliabilities of the scales were studied in the schizophrenic group by the Cronbach alpha and the Kuder Richardson (KR 20) coefficient and by the correlation between the two scales (concurrent validity). The Cronbach alpha was 0.77 for the FCPCS-PP and the KR 20 was 0.82 for the PAS. The correlation between the two scales was -0.37 (p < 0.01). The schizophrenics were significantly more anhedonic than normals with higher score on the PAS and with a lower score on the FCPCS-PP. Using the Beck Depression Inventory to rate depression in the schizophrenic group and to dichotomize these subjects into depressed schizophrenics and no depressed schizophrenics, we failed to find significantly differences concerning anhedonia scales between these two sub-groups of schizophrenics. There was no difference between in and outpatients concerning the anhedonia scales. Our results suggest that anhedonia would be a possible marker of schizophrenic disease. The distribution of the anhedonia scales in the schizophrenic group is normal or unimodal and it doesn't support the hypothesis of a qualitative sub-group of schizophrenics characterised by severe anhedonia.

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[External validity, reliability and basic score determination of the Toronto Alexithymia Scales (TAS and TAS-20) in a group of alcoholic patients].

The criterion validity of the Toronto Alexithymia Scales (TAS and TAS-20) was assessed by administering the scales to 47 alcoholic inpatients. The 47 subjects were inpatients meeting the Research Diagnostic Criteria for alcoholism. The subjects were assessed by two raters using the Beth Israël Questionnaire in the first week following their hospitalization. They filled out the TAS and one week later the TAS-20. Among the 47 alcoholics, 31 were alexithymic and 16 were non-alexithymic. The TAS and the TAS-20 scores of the alexithymics were significantly higher than that of the non alexithymics. The mean (sd) of the TAS in the alexithymics and the non alexithymics were respectively (m = 76.13, sd = 9.56; m = 64.2, sd = 13.88; t = 3.38, df = 45, p = 0.0015). The mean (sd) of the TAS-20 in the alexithymics and the non alexithymics were respectively (m = 54.1, sd = 8.81; m = 43.18, sd = 11.5; t = 3.62, df = 45, p = 0.0007). The one-week test-retest was r = 0.17, p < 0.001. On the basis of these findings, TAS and TAS-20 cutoff scores were suggested. A range of potential cutoff scores around the mean TAS or TAS-20 score were tested using four methods to assess the goodness of a diagnostic test (sensitivity, specificity, Younden's coefficient, positive predictive value). The best scores that maximizes the diagnostic validity of the TAS and TAS-20 in identifying alexithymic subjects were respectively 73 and 56. On the basis of the mean TAS and TAS-20 score for the non alexithymic group and the means that we have obtained with normal groups, scores of 64 and 44 were respectively selected as the cutoff level for the identification of non alexithymic subjects.

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PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical characteristics of chronic schizophrenic patients presenting with severe anhedonia].

The aim of the present study is first to test the existence of a sub-group of chronic schizophrenics characterized by a severe anhedonia and secondly to determine the characteristics of that sub-group. 150 patients meet the DSM III-R and RDC criteria for chronic schizophrenia and 151 healthy subjects constituted the control group. The subjects filled out the Physical Anhedonia Scale of Chapman (PAS), the Fawcett Clark Pleasure Capacity Scale-Physical Pleasure (FCPCS-PP) and the abridged form of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The distributions of the PAS and FCPCS-PP were studied using a test of normality. In the normal group the distributions of the anhedonia scales were unimodal and in the schizophrenic group the distributions were not. The schizophrenics were dichotomized into anhedonic schizophrenics (PAS scores higher or equal to 29) and hedonic schizophrenics (PAS scores lower than 29) and these subgroups were compared on socio-clinical variables and PANSS, BPRS and BDI scores using chi 2 square tests or Mann and Whitney tests. They were 32 subjects in the anhedonic sub-group and 128 subjects in the hedonic sub-group. They were not significant differences between the sub-groups concerning the sex-ratio, educative level, age, mean duration of the illness, mean number of hospitalization and the mean dose of antipsychotics. The proportions of depressive and deficit syndromes did not differ between the two sub-groups but the proportion of "negatives" (using the composite score of the PANSS) was greater in the anhedonic sub-group. A discriminant analysis has been done on the items of the BPRS, PANSS and BDI and the results have shown that the anhedonic schizophrenics had more hallucinatory behavior, disorientation, blunted affect, social withdrawal, cognitive distorsions and less anxiety and displeasure than hedonic schizophrenics. Our results allow to identify a sub-group of chronic schizophrenia characterized by a severe anhedonia and will be confirmed by others studies using prospective methodology.

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PubMedDate not supplied

[A four-dimensional model of chronic schizophrenia based on the factorial structure of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). A study of a group of 153 chronic schizophrenic patients and comparison with the factorial structure of the BPRS].

The aim of the study is to explore the latent dimensions in chronic schizophrenia using factorial analysis methods. 153 subjects (89 males, 64 females) with a mean age of 38.83 years (sd = 10.15) meet the RDC criteria for chronic schizophrenia and were included in the study. They were 127 inpatients and 26 outpatients and the mean duration of the illness since the first psychotic episode was 14.69 years (sd = 9.64). The majority of the schizophrenics received antipsychotic treatment with a mean dose (in chlorpromazine-equivalent) of 401.86 mg (sd = 368.13). The schizophrenics were rated using the French versions of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Two successive principal components analyses (PCA) were carried out on the correlation matrix of the 30 PANSS and 18 BPRS items. The numbers of factors were limited using several guidelines : eigenvalues higher than 1, screen test and the parallel analysis of Horn. Then an orthogonal equamax rotation was made and the saturation value was chosen using and ad-hoc paradigm. The results have shown a four-factors solution for the PANSS with the following factors : negative, positive-hostility, disorganization-impulsivity, depressive-anxious. The composition of the four preceding factors was respectively : negative [N1, N2, N3, N4, N6, N7, G7, P4 (-)]; positive-hostility (P1, P2, P3, P5, P6, P7, G8, G9, G12, G15, G16); disorganization-impulsivity (G5, G10, G11, G13, G14, N5); depressive-anxious (G1, G2, G3, G4, G6). The ACP of the BPRS have shown a three factors solution (positive-disorganization, negative, depressive-anxious). The factorial structure of the PANSS was discussed with the different studies. Our results confirm the division of the productive symptomatology into two components, delusions-hallucinations and cognitive (disorganization). Moreover depressive and negative symptomatology constitute two separate dimensions. Contrary to the others studies we did not find an excited component, the corresponding items were found in the positive and disorganization factors. The inclusion of solely chronic schizophrenics could explain the lack of the excited component. Our data in chronic schizophrenia allow us to propose a four-dimensional model explaining the symptomatology of this disease.

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PubMedDate not supplied

[Capacity to experience pleasure and displeasure by Cloninger and von Knorring in type I and II alcoholism].

The aim of the present study is to test the hypothesis that Cloninger and von Knorring's type II alcoholics are more hedonic and experience less displeasure than type I alcoholics. 55 inpatients filled out the DSM III-R criteria for abuse or alcoholic dependence. The alcoholics were dichotomized into type I or type II using the onset of their alcoholism (type II < 25 years, type I > or = 25 years). In the few days of their hospitalization, the subjects filled out the Fawcett Clark Pleasure Capacity Scale-Physical Pleasure (FCPCS-PP), the Hardy Displeasure Capacity Scale-Physical Displeasure (HDCS-PD) and the abridged form of the Beck Depression inventory (BDI). The sociodemographic characteristics, the proportions of "abusers" and "dependents" and the scales scores were compared between the two groups. The sex-ratio and the educative level were not different between the two groups; the values of the chi 2 were respectively 1.36 (df = 1), p = 0.24 and 1.03 (df = 2), p = 0.59. The ratio "abusers" /"dependents" was not different (chi 2 = 1.115, p = 0.291). The mean age of the type I alcoholics was higher (m = 46.7, sd = 11.2) than that of the type II (m = 38.9, sd = 7.9) (U = 218.5, p = 0.013). Using covariance analyses (ANCOVA) to control the age, the results have shown that the FCPCS-PP and HDCS-PD scores of the type II alcoholics were not different than these of the type I alcoholics [respectively F (1.52) = 1.5, p = 0.23 and F (1.52) = 0.14, p = 0.7]. In conclusion, we failed to confirm the hypothesis that type II alcoholics would experience more pleasure and less displeasure than type I alcoholics. These negative results were discussed and the potential factors that could explain them are detailed.

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