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Improvement of right hemispheric functions in a child with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome by weak electromagnetic fields.

Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (GTS) is a chronic, familial neuropsychiatric disorder of unknown etiology characterized clinically by the occurrence of motor and vocal tics and by the presence of a variety of neurobehavioral and neurocognitive abnormalities including hyperactivity, self-multilatory behavior, obsessive-compulsive behavior, learning disabilities, and conduct disorder. On the basis of neuropsychological assessments it has been suggested that GTS is associated with greater right than left hemispheric dysfunction which accounts for decrements in visuospatial, visuoconstructional and visuomotor skills in these patients. Recent case studies have demonstrated that extracranial application of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the picotesla (pT) range intensity improves visuospatial and visuoperceptive functions in patients with neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. I now present a 6 1/2 year old boy with GTS in whom this treatment modality produced, in addition to symptomatic behavioral improvement, also improvement in visuoconstructional and visuomotor skills as evidenced on various drawing tasks particularly copy of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, a task which is especially vulnerable to right hemispheric functions. These findings suggest that pT range EMFs may be useful for the treatment of GTS and related disorders and also reverse some of the cognitive impairments associated with the disease which are related to right hemispheric dysfunction and which contribute to learning disabilities in these patients.

Brain↗

Reversal of a visuoconstructional disorder by weak electromagnetic fields in a child with Tourette's syndrome.

Tourette's syndrome (TS), a chronic familial neuropsychiatric disorder of unknown etiology, is characterized clinically by the occurrence of motor and vocal tics and by the presence of a variety of neurobehavioral and neurocognitive abnormalities including hyperactivity, self-mutilatory behavior, obsessive-compulsive behavior, learning disabilities, and conduct disorder. Cognitive deficits related to right hemispheric dysfunction are common in TS patients accounting for decrements in visuospatial, visuoconstructional and visuomotor skills. An 11 year old boy with a 5 years history of TS exhibited during a routine neuropsychological assessment an unusual visuoconstructional disorder which previously has been observed in dyslexic children. Specifically, when instructed to draw a bicycle from memory, he drew spontaneously a design executed from the perspective of a bird's eye view. After receiving a 20 minute treatment session with picotesla range electromagnetic fields (EMFs) applied extracranially, this visuocontructional disorder was spontaneously reversed and he drew an elaborate and detailed bicycle positioned in profile. A placebo EMF treatment, which was administered prior to magnetic therapy, had no effect on this child's visuoconstructional disorder. During the ensuing week there was a marked reduction in the child's hyperactive behavior with attentuation of motor tics. Spontaneous drawing of a bicycle a week after the administration of magnetic therapy was executed in profile although some elements were presented from a bird's eye view. This case demonstrates the potential impact of treatment with picotesla EMFs in reversing specific cognitive deficits in TS related to right posterior hemispheric dysfunction.

Brain Diseases↗

[Multiple tics and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome].

Tic disorders are frequent in childhood, varying from transient motor tics over multiple chronic tic disorders to full-blown Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). GTS is genetically determined. In affected families, relatives of the patient(s) with GTS may show minor symptoms only. The clinical picture is extremely variable, extending from the well known motor tics over complex compulsive obsessive behavior to purely sensory tics. The optimal treatment today is the use of dopamine antagonists.

Antipsychotic Agents↗

[A case of focal encephalitis with psychological symptoms similar to chorea minor].

We reported a patient with choreic movements, emotional lability, and compulsive-obsessive behavior that developed 4 weeks after onset of fever and lasted for several years. There was no evidence of streptococcal infection or rheumatic fever. T2-weighted MRI showed hyperintense lesions in the bilateral caudate nuclei and putamina. A diagnosis of focal encephalitis was made according to initial fever, convulsion, and CSF pleocytosis. Treatments with haloperidol and prednisolone were effective in some degree. The neurobehavioral syndrome as well as the involuntary movements in this patient can be attributed to the striatal damage, which may disrupt the basal ganglia-limbic-frontal lobe tracts. A symptomatic similarity between the syndrome in this patient and chorea minor suggests a striatal damage in chorea minor, where the causative lesions remain unknown.

Affective Symptoms↗

A randomized controlled trial of cognitive therapy versus intensive behavior therapy in obsessive compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: The study was designed to compare cognitive therapy (CT) with intensive behavior therapy (BT) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and to study their change process. METHODS: Sixty-five outpatients with DSM-4 OCD were randomized into 2 groups for 16 weeks of individual treatment in 3 centers. Group 1 received 20 sessions of CT. Group 2 received a BT program of 20 h in two phases: 4 weeks of intensive treatment (16 h), and 12 weeks of maintenance sessions (4 h). No medication was prescribed. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients were evaluated at week 4, 60 at week 16 (post-test), 53 at week 26 and 48 at week 52 (follow-up). The response rate was similar in the 2 groups. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was significantly more improved by CT (p = 0.001) at week 16. The baseline BDI and Obsessive Thoughts Checklist scores predicted a therapeutic response in CT, while the baseline BDI score predicted a response in BT. At week 16, only the changes in Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and a scale measuring the interpretation of intrusive thoughts correlated in CT, while the changes in Y-BOCS, BDI, and interpretation of intrusive thoughts correlated in BT. Improvement was retained at follow-up without a between-group difference. The intent-to-treat analysis (last observation carried forward) found no between-group differences on obsessions, rituals and depression. CONCLUSIONS: CT and BT were equally effective on OCD, but at post-test CT had specific effects on depression which were stronger than those of BT. Pathways to improvement may be different in CT and BT. The outcomes are discussed in the light of an effect size analysis.

Adult↗

Serotonergic function in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to oral m-chlorophenylpiperazine and fenfluramine in patients and healthy volunteers.

To evaluate serotonergic (5-hydroxytryptamine) function in obsessive-compulsive disorder, behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP; 0.5 mg/kg orally) and fenfluramine hydrochloride (60 mg orally) were examined in 20 patients and 10 healthy controls under double-blind, placebo-controlled conditions. Following m-CPP, but not fenfluramine or placebo, 55% (11/20) of the patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder experienced a transient exacerbation of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Prolactin response was blunted in patients following m-CPP but not following fenfluramine. Patients with greater behavioral response to m-CPP had smaller prolactin responses. Cortisol response to m-CPP and fenfluramine did not significantly differ between the groups. Behavioral and neuroendocrine responses appeared divergent. This does not suggest simply upregulation or downregulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors, but rather complex mechanisms involving multiple neurotransmitter and neuromodulator systems.

Administration, Oral↗

Noradrenergic function in obsessive-compulsive disorder: behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to clonidine and comparison to healthy controls.

To evaluate noradrenergic (NE) function in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), behavioral, physiological, and neuroendocrine responses to the alpha 2-adrenergic agonist clonidine were examined in 18 patients with OCD and 10 healthy subjects. Subjects received single i.v. doses of 2 micrograms/kg of clonidine administered under double-blind, placebo-controlled, random-assignment conditions. Following clonidine, but not following placebo, patients transiently experienced a significant reduction of obsessions and compulsions. Significant drowsiness and a reduction in anxiety were also noted, but the antiobsessional effect appeared independent of the soporific and antianxiety effects. Growth hormone (GH), cortisol, and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol responses to clonidine did not differentiate patients from healthy controls. Blood pressure and pulse in response to clonidine did not differ between groups. Improvement in OCD symptoms after clonidine significantly correlated with GH response to clonidine, suggesting specific noradrenergic mediation. This finding lends only partial support for a primary defect of noradrenergic function in OCD.

Adolescent↗

Compulsive behaviors and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): lack of a relationship between OCD, eating disorders, and gambling.

The lifetime prevalence of eating disorders and pathologic gambling was assessed in first-degree relatives of subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and well controls. There were no significant differences between the groups. The authors conclude that eating disorder and pathologic gambling have no familial relationship to OCD.

Adolescent↗

Controlled comparisons of clomipramine and fluoxetine in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behavioral and biological results.

Treatment with fluoxetine hydrochloride was compared with treatment with clomipramine hydrochloride in two groups of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder using two different experimental designs. In the first group of 11 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder studied using a randomized, double-blind, crossover design, treatment with fluoxetine for 10 weeks was found to produce therapeutic effects similar to treatment with clomipramine for 10 weeks. There were significantly fewer total side effects reported during fluoxetine than clomipramine treatment. Drug tapering and placebo substitution in the 4-week crossover interval phase led to substantial relapses in obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms and depression. Furthermore, responses to the second drug took as long to occur as responses to the first drug, although both drugs are thought to act by a common mechanism, serotonin uptake inhibition. A second group of 21 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder that had been previously stabilized on clomipramine treatment with at least partial benefit were crossed over to fluoxetine treatment in a double-blind fashion. After 10 weeks of fluoxetine administration, most patients manifested behavioral rating scores of obsessive-compulsive disorder and depressive symptoms that were comparable with precrossover ratings completed during clomipramine treatment. A significant exacerbation in obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression ratings as well as a similar lag in therapeutic efficacy were also noted in this second cohort of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Platelet 5-HT concentrations were reduced 95% during both clomipramine and fluoxetine treatment periods. These results suggest that fluoxetine may represent a viable alternative to clomipramine in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, although further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.

Adult↗

Obsessive-compulsive-like behavioral changes in pure akinesia.

Pure akinesia is a disorder characterized by profound freezing in the absence of rigidity or tremor that is not improved by levodopa therapy. We report two cases of pure akinesia who developed obsessive-compulsive-disorder- (OCD-) like behavior during their illness. Although the pathophysiological mechanism underlying freezing is unclear, the coexistence of pure akinesia and OCD-like behavior suggests that both symptoms have a common pathological basis in these two cases, presumably damage to the pallidum.

Journal Article↗

Acute intravenous administration of ondansetron and m-CPP, alone and in combination, in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): behavioral and biological results.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been linked to abnormal function of brain serotonin (5-HT) pathways. Since ondansetron is a highly selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, the present study was undertaken to investigate 5-HT3 function in OCD. We administered m-CPP (0.08 mg/kg i.v.) and the potent 5-HT3 antagonist, ondansetron (0.15 mg/kg i.v.), to 11 OCD patients. All of the subjects received four separate challenges (m-CPP + placebo, m-CPP + ondansetron, ondansetron + placebo and placebo + placebo). In comparison to placebo, administration of m-CPP was associated with significant behavioral effects, particularly self-rated measures of anxiety, altered self-reality, functional deficit and OCD symptoms. Pretreatment with ondansetron did not affect any of the self-rated behavioral symptoms. After administration of m-CPP relative to placebo, significant increases in plasma cortisol and prolactin were found. These changes were not affected by ondansetron. In conclusion, our results do not support the hypotheses that 5-HT3 receptor-mediated mechanisms modulate m-CPP's behavioral and neuroendocrine effects in patients with OCD.

Adult↗

[Behavior therapy of obsessive compulsive disorders].

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCD) were once considered a relatively rare condition and highly refractory to treatment. Behavioral treatments consisting primarily of various methods of exposure and response prevention are reported to be approximately 70% effective in treating this condition that may affect 2 to 3% of the population and, in many cases, the effectiveness of these interventions persists over a number of years. However much remains to be done in refining these strategies and determining which patients are most likely to respond to these interventions.

Behavior Therapy↗

What predicts improvement and compliance during the behavioral treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder?

The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with treatment compliance and clinical improvement when obsessive compulsive disorder is treated with graded exposure and response prevention. The sample consisted of all patients with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder admitted over a 3-year period to a unit specialising in behavioral treatment. All subjects were diagnosed using reliable diagnostic criteria and all were followed-up for 12 months. A range of social and clinical variables was examined using stepwise regression analysis. Treatment compliance was associated with being employed during treatment and living with one's family. Clinical improvement was associated with never having been treated previously, being employed during treatment, having a fear of contamination, having overt ritualistic behaviour, the absence of depression and living with one's family.

Adolescent↗

Symptom subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder in behavioral treatment studies: a quantitative review.

Recent reviews and meta-analytic studies have provided an encouraging account of the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). One question regarding these estimates concerns their degree of generalizability to the range of OCD subtypes encountered in clinical settings. The purpose of the present study was to provide a quantitative description of the prevalence of various OCD subtypes (i.e. type of compulsions) within the behavioral treatment literature. We examined 65 studies that permitted classification of patients according to symptom subtype. Patients with primarily cleaning and/or checking compulsions predominated, accounting for 75% of the treatment population. On the other hand, patients with multiple compulsions or other compulsions, such as exactness, counting, hoarding, or slowness rituals were underrepresented, comprising only 12% of the population, which is markedly less than clinical epidemiological estimates. Rates of improvements in patients with OCD are most applicable to patients with cleaning and checking compulsions, but may not yet be generalizable to patients with other symptoms. These findings encourage studies of the efficacy of existing and novel interventions for patients with counting, repeating, symmetry, hoarding, or multiple compulsions in order to broaden the clinical application of OCD behavioral treatment.

Behavior Therapy↗

Cognitive-behavioral treatment of obsessive thoughts: a controlled study.

Twenty-nine patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder as diagnosed in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., revised; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) who did not have overt compulsive rituals were randomly assigned to treatment and waiting-list conditions. Patients in the treatment condition received cognitive-behavioral therapy consisting of a detailed explanation of the occurrence and maintenance of obsessive thoughts, exposure to obsessive thoughts, response prevention of all neutralizing strategies, cognitive restructuring, and relapse prevention. Compared with waiting-list patients, treated patients improved significantly on measures of severity of obsessions, current functioning, self-report obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and anxiety. When waiting-list patients were subsequently treated, the combined group improved on all outcome measures. Treatment gains were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Results indicate that cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective in the treatment of patients with obsessive thoughts, a group that has often been considered resistant to treatment.

Adult↗