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Biomedical subjects

S Gershon

Publications and source records attributed to S Gershon.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Attenuation of pilocarpine-induced hypothermia in response to chronic administration of choline.

Chronic treatment of rats with choline caused a decrease in the hypothermic response to pilocarpine. The action of choline on the muscarinic receptors is consistent with electrophysiological and binding studies, supporting a direct muscarinic action for choline. Administration of direct muscarinic agonists has been shown to cause a decrease in the number of muscarinic receptors. Thus, the long-term use of cholinergic precursors could have some adverse effects on central cholinergic functioning.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Aging and cortisol resistance to suppression by dexamethasone: a positive correlation.

Cortisol resistance to suppression by 0.5 mg of dexamethasone given at 11 p.m. was studied in 30 normal subjects, 17 to 78 years of age. Serum cortisol concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. A strong positive correlation was found between age and cortisol concentrations 9 hours after dexamethasone administration. The data suggest that aging, per se, might contribute to the increased cortisol resistance to suppression by dexamethasone reported in depression and dementia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Measurement of cholinergic drug effects on memory in Alzheimer's disease.

Double-blind, placebo-controlled investigations of scopolamine, physostigmine, arecoline, and tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA) in normal adults and in dementia of the Alzheimer-type (DAT) were reviewed to determine the relative sensitivity of various assessment procedures in the measurement of drug effects. In normal adults, word list learning techniques have been most widely employed and have been sensitive to drug effects. In DAT, a wide variety of assessment procedures have been employed. Based on the limited number of possible comparisons across studies, two procedures appear to be useful: word list learning tasks that generate an index of intrusion errors, and visual recognition tasks. The lack of standardized assessments limits the ability of investigators to replicate studies, to compare relative efficacy of various drugs, or to address a number of other questions that are fundamental to the development of effective cholinergic treatments for DAT.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1983

Pharmacology of the human iris: development and use of challenge strategies in the study of antidepression response.

Basic physiological and neurochemical control mechanisms of human iris musculature are reviewed. The advantages and limitations of using pupillary responses to cholinergic and adrenergic drug challenges as peripheral indices of neuronal receptor sensitivity, are examined. A group of 15 depressed patients were tested with ocular instillation of pilocarpine and phenylephrine before and during treatment with Tranylcypromine. No change of pilocarpine sensitivity was found. A significant enhancement of phenylephrine sensitivity during weeks 3-5, but not during the first or second week of treatment was noted. The above potentiation of alpha-adrenergic responsiveness was correlated with clinical recovery.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1983

A double-blind evaluation of zimelidine in comparison to placebo and amitriptyline in patients with major depressive disorder.

This paper presents the results from a large multicenter study, performed at three clinical research units in the USA. Prior to a three to seven days of placebo washout period, patients were randomly assigned to zimelidine, a potent and selective 5-HT reuptake blocker, amitriptyline or placebo. The scheduled treatment period was four weeks. Dosage range was 75-300 mg/day for active medications. The rating instruments were the Hamilton Depression Scale and the Clinical Global Impression scale. The side effects were recorded by using a side effect inventory (TESS). Vital signs, laboratory work including clinical chemistry, ECG, and plasma levels of drugs, were performed. In the main efficacy evaluation there were 229 depressed outpatients included, all having completed at least two weeks of treatment after the washout period. The patients treated with zimelidine as well as those treated with amitriptyline showed a significant improvement relative to the placebo treated patients. For the safety evaluation 263 patients were included. Side effects, in particular anticholinergic effects but also drowsiness and cardiovascular effects, were much less pronounced in the zimelidine group as compared to the amitriptyline group. Only marginal differences regarding side effects were reported for zimelidine compared to those reported for placebo.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Effect of electroconvulsive shock on muscarinic cholinergic receptors in rat cerebral cortex and hippocampus.

Single electroconvulsive shock (ECS) induced no change in [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate ([3H]QNB) binding to muscarinic cholinergic receptors in rat cortex and hippocampus. ECS administered once daily for 7 days induced a significant reduction in [3H]QNB binding in both brain areas. Concurrent ECS reversed the significant increase in cortical [3H]QNB binding induced by chronic atropine administration. These findings may have relevance to the antidepressant or amnestic effects of electroconvulsive therapy.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Zimeldine tolerability in comparison to amitriptyline and placebo: findings from a multicentre trial.

Zimeldine tolerability was compared to amitriptyline and placebo in a large multicentre study performed at three clinical research units in the U.S.A. Prior to a placebo washout period of 3-7 days, patients were randomly assigned to zimeldine, a potent and selective 5-HT reuptake blocker, amitriptyline or placebo. Dosage range was 75-300 mg/day for active medications, and the scheduled treatment period was 4 weeks. The side-effects were recorded by using a Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS). Vital signs were monitored and laboratory investigations, including chemistry and drug plasma levels, were performed. Two hundred and sixty-three patients were included in the safety evaluation. Side-effects, particularly anticholinergic effects but also drowsiness and cardiovascular effects, were much less pronounced in the zimeldine group compared to the amitriptyline group. Only marginal differences in side-effects were reported between zimeldine and placebo. Significantly more patients receiving amitriptyline were withdrawn from treatment as a result of adverse effects. Thus, zimeldine appears to be an effective antidepressant with marked advantages with regard to tolerability. It is therefore an important new contribution to the treatment of depressive disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Anxiolytic profiles.

The available data from animal and human studies on mechanisms postulated to be involved in the production and mediation of anxiety are reviewed. Effects of specific agents used to treat clinical anxiety, and/or studied in research on experimentally induced behaviors resembling clinical anxiety, are examined in terms of their implications for the etiology and management of these symptoms. In the search for an ideal anxiolytic (i.e., one which would selectively decrease anxiety without producing sedation, cognitive or psychomotor impairment, tolerance/dependence, untoward psychologic reactions, interactions with CNS depressants, or morbidity risk in overdose), recent research has focused on several nonbenzodiazepine substances. Results of these studies indicate that continued study and development of nonbenzodiazepine anxiolytics will facilitate achievement of optimum pharmacotherapeutic approaches to the management of clinical anxiety.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Failure of single-dose lecithin to alter aspects of central cholinergic activity in Alzheimer's disease.

The effect of a single dose (15 g/70 kg) of lecithin (95% phosphatidylcholine) on several measures of central cholinergic activity (memory, cortisol, prolactin, pulse, blood pressure) was assessed in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. In contrast to the reported effects of physostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, lecithin had no effect on these parameters, despite significant increases in plasma and erythrocyte choline.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

Tritiated imipramine binding sites are decreased in the frontal cortex of suicides.

Binding characteristics of tritiated imipramine were determined in the frontal cortex of suicides and well-matched controls. Maximal binding was significantly lower in brains from the suicides. This finding is consistent with reports of decreased tritiated imipramine binding in the platelets of patients diagnosed as having a major affective disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

The differential diagnosis of dementia.

Contrary to prevailing medical belief, dementia is generally not caused by arteriosclerosis of cerebral vessels. There may be, in fact, as many as 50 different causes. While the two major types of dementia, Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia, are irreversible, perhaps 20 per cent of dementias are secondary to treatable causes, and are reversible. The most important of these is the pseudodementia of depression, which can be easily missed without a high degree of suspicion. Tips on the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, and pseudodementia are discussed, as are other causes of dementia secondary to various diseases or therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

Drug interactions in controlled clinical trials.

As much information as possible should be obtained in clinical trials to assess possible interactions between test drugs and concomitant medications prescribed for other medical indications. Side effect profiles were compared in patients taking buspirone, mean = 20 mg/day; diazepam, 20 mg/day; clorazepate, 23 mg/day; and placebo, with or without concomitant medications. Approximately 1,000 anxious patients were included in the analysis; 700 received buspirone. The use of a variety of common medications did not affect the side effect profile in the buspirone, clorazepate, and placebo groups, but did increase the incidence of side effects in the diazepam group. The increased incidence of sedation noted with diazepam and clorazepate, however, was not due to concomitant medication.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗