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Biomedical subjects

J Hallman

Publications and source records attributed to J Hallman.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Blood platelet monoamine oxidase activity, serotonin uptake and release rates in anorexia and bulimia patients and in healthy controls.

Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, serotonin uptake rate and serotonin efflux rate have all been suggested to be markers for central serotonergic mechanisms. Platelet MAO activity is associated with certain personality traits, with low activity linked to traits such as impulsiveness, sensation-seeking and avoidance of monotony, all possible expressions of low central serotonergic activity. Low platelet serotonin uptake rate has been connected to unipolar depression and the rate of efflux, in the presence of the ATP uncoupler CCP, higher in bipolar depressives than in controls. Platelet MAO was found to be lower in 16 consecutive female inpatients fulfilling the DSM-III criteria for bulimia nervosa than in 12 female controls. Rates of serotonin uptake and efflux in the presence of CCP were, on the other hand, similar to the controls. In the controls there were no correlations between platelet MAO activity and any of the other parameters estimated. Vmax for the platelet uptake of serotonin correlated positively with the Km for the uptake, but not with any other parameter. The uninfluenced rate of efflux of serotonin correlated positively with the efflux in the presence of the ATP uncoupler CCP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Thrombocyte monoamine oxidase activity and personality traits in women with severe premenstrual syndrome.

Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) of such severity that they actively had sought medical attention for their symptoms were compared with healthy female students with regard to platelet MAO activity and temperamental correlates by means of the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP), scales from the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and Eysenck's IVE inventory. The women with PMS were divided into two groups; irritability and depression as predominating symptom. No variation in platelet MAO was found during the menstrual cycle, either in patients or in controls. Both PMS groups had significantly lower platelet MAO activity than the controls. There was no difference between the two groups with PMS. Also with regard to personality traits there were considerable differences between the females with PMS and the controls. There were few differences between the two groups of PMS patients. Thus, the patients scored significantly higher as regards somatic anxiety, muscular tension, indirect aggression, verbal aggression and neuroticism and lower as regards socialization than the controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The premenstrual syndrome--an equivalent of depression?

The prevalence and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were studied in a survey using a random selection of fertile women (n = 1,852). The prevalence of PMS was 72.8%. 7.5% of the women with PMS felt they needed to see a physician. The survey responses from this latter group were compared with the answers from the remaining women with PMS. The symptoms differ significantly in many respects between the groups. Women who want to see a physician report, to a greater extent, symptoms during the premenstrual period which are seen in depressive states. Oral contraceptives do not seem to affect premenstrual symptoms in this group. The results suggest that severe premenstrual symptoms of predominantly depressive nature are probably a manifestation of an underlying depressive disorder.

Absenteeism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Female alcoholism: differences between female alcoholics with and without a history of additional substance misuse.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate personality traits and platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, as well as occurrence of personality disorder criteria, family characteristics, and criminal activity as related to misuse pattern in a sample of female in-patients with severe alcohol dependence. In accordance with theoretical assumptions and empirical findings of underlying neurobiological correlates of disinhibition in individuals with double or multiple misuse patterns, the female alcoholics were divided into subgroups with: (1) alcohol as their single drug of misuse (ALC; n = 16); (2) a history of additional substance misuse (ALC-DRUG; n = 11). Platelet MAO activity of the female subgroups was studied in comparison to a control group of non-clinical female subjects. Marked differences were obtained between the two subgroups. The ALC-DRUG females scored significantly higher with regard to Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) impulsiveness, anxiety-related traits, and non-conformity, displayed higher frequency of depression in first degree relatives, were more frequently involved in criminal activity, and more frequently diagnosed for any personality disorder according to DSM-IV, axis II. Finally, the ALC-DRUG females displayed significantly lower platelet MAO activity than controls. In conclusion, the results support the usefulness of a classification of severe alcoholic female subjects according to having/not having a history of additional substance misuse. The present female alcoholics with a history of additional misuse formed a group of individuals fulfilling the criteria similar for male type 2 alcoholism.

Alcoholism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Exploring the connections between platelet monoamine oxidase activity and behavior: relationships with performance in neuropsychological tasks.

Platelet MAO activity has been found to have behavioral (psychiatric and personality) correlates. The purpose of the present study was to explore the nature of the connections between platelet MAO activity and behavior by analyzing performance in neuropsychological tasks in relation to platelet MAO activity, measured in 37 male subjects. The following neuropsychological tests were given: a finger tapping and alternation test, a reaction time test, a perceptual maze test, a perspective fluctuation task (the Necker cube), and a lexical decision task. The reaction time tasks comprised a motor disinhibition task, in which auditory stimuli given simultaneously with light stimuli were signals for response inhibition. Significant relationships were obtained between low MAO activity and short response times and small variations in response times to left-sided visual stimuli, suggesting a readiness for higher right hemisphere activation in low MAO subjects, and between low platelet MAO activity and many perspective reversals, in line with expectations. Furthermore, high MAO subjects had equal tapping speed for both hands, which has been found in schizophrenic patients. Of special interest in the present results is the strong negative relationship obtained between platelet MAO activity and number of failed inhibitions in the motor disinhibition task, which in a multiple regression analysis highly significantly contributed to the prediction of platelet MAO activity. This finding is in line with the poor passive avoidance performance associated with serotonergic deficiency and syndromes of disinhibition, and thus supports the assumption that platelet MAO activity may be considered as a genetic marker for some properties of the central serotonergic system.

Adolescent↗