Engagement of multifocal neural circuits during recall of autobiographical happy events

Happy emotional states have not been extensively explored in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies using autobiographic recall paradigms. We investigated the brain circuitry engaged during induction of happiness by standardized script-driven autobiographical recall in 11 healthy subjects (6 males), aged 32.4 ± 7.2 years, without physical or psychiatric disorders, selected according to their ability to vividly recall personal experiences. Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) changes were recorded during auditory presentation of personal scripts of happiness, neutral content and negative emotional content (irritability). The same uniform structure was used for the cueing narratives of both emotionally salient and neutral conditions, in order to decrease the variability of findings. In the happiness relative to the neutral condition, there was an increased BOLD signal in the left dorsal prefrontal cortex and anterior insula, thalamus bilaterally, left hypothalamus, left anterior cingulate gyrus, and midportions of the left middle temporal gyrus (P < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). Relative to the irritability condition, the happiness condition showed increased activity in the left insula, thalamus and hypothalamus, and in anterior and midportions of the inferior and middle temporal gyri bilaterally (P < 0.05, corrected), varying in size between 13 and 64 voxels. Findings of happiness-related increased activity in prefrontal and subcortical regions extend the results of previous functional imaging studies of autobiographical recall. The BOLD signal changes identified reflect general aspects of emotional processing, emotional control, and the processing of sensory and bodily signals associated with internally generated feelings of happiness. These results reinforce the notion that happiness induction engages a wide network of brain regions.

Dose-related effects of propericiazine in rats

We evaluated the effects of the neuroleptic agent propericiazine on animal models of anxiety and memory. Adult male Wistar rats (250 to 350 g) received intraperitoneal injections of propericiazine (0.05, 0.075 and 0.1 mg/kg), diazepam (1 mg/kg), saline, or diazepam vehicle (20 percent propylene glycol and 80 percent saline) 30 min prior to the experimental procedure. Animals (10-15 for each task) were tested for step-down inhibitory avoidance (0.3-mA footshock) and habituation to an open-field for memory assessment, and submitted to the elevated plus-maze to evaluate the effects of propericiazine in a model of anxiety. Animals treated with 0.075 mg/kg propericiazine showed a reduction in anxiety measures (P<0.05) similar to that observed in those treated with diazepam. Propericiazine at the doses of 0.05 and 0.1 mg/kg had no significant anxiolytic effects (P>0.05) in the elevated plus-maze model of anxiety. Memory was not affected by propericiazine in any of the tests, but was impaired by diazepam. The results indicate a dose-related, inverse U-shaped effect of propericiazine in an anxiety model, but not on memory tasks, perhaps reflecting involvement of the dopaminergic system in the mechanisms of anxiety

Hormonal response during a fenfluramine-associated panic attack

Secretion curves for prolactin, cortisol, TSH, and GH from a 37-year old woman with dysthymia and panic disorder with agoraphobia were determined one day prior to (day I), and during a panic attack (day II) associated with an oral dose of 60 mg dl-fenfluramine, a drug known to increase anticipatory anxiety. The increased cortisol secretion observed is discussed in relation to the hormonal correlates of anxiety and the possible role of depresion, dl-fenfluramine, and serotonergic receptor sensitivity.

Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory correlates of panic disorder with agoraphobia: changes with treatment

Forty-seven patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder with agoraphobia (PAG) were assessed by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment with imipramine, clomipramine and placebo. At pre-treatment patients had higher MMPI scores than the local normative data, the highest scores being for depression, hypochondria and hysteria. At week 8 the scores of most MMPI scales were significantly reduced. In addition, patients who showed clinical improvement had pre - and post-treatment scores lower than the unimproved patients. The results suggest that the abnormal MMPI profile found in PAG patients reflects the clinical state and that personality pathology relates to treatment outcome. The reduction in MMPI scores was associated with response to active treatment. We conclude that therapeutic interventions that successfully reduce PAG symptoms also modify personality scores

Psychophysiological effects and dose equivalence of zopiclone and triazolam administered to healthy volunteers. Methodological considerations

1. Dose-equivalence studies of zopiclone and triazolam were out. 2. Zopiclone (6.25, 8.75 and 11.25 mg), triazolam (0.1875, 0.275 and 0.5 mg) and placebo were given in the morining to 14 healty male volinteers aged 20-25 years under double-blind conditions according to an incomplete block design. Each patient received three of the seven possible treatment at intervals of at least 1 week. Subjects were evaluated using physiological measures, rating scales and memory taskes before and 1.5h after drug administration. 3. The sedative and amnestic effects of zopiclone were qualitatively similar to those of triazolam, with the highest dose of each havin the greatest effect. 4. On the basis of the digit symbol substitution test, 10 mg of zopiclone is equivalent to 0.5 mg of triazolam. Methodological problems of the experimetnal design of dose-equivalence studies are discussed

Dados sobre 508 casos de doença do pânico e respostas ao tratamento com alprozolam, clomipramina, imipramina e tranilcipromina / Data about 508 cases of panic disorders and response of treatment with alprazolam, clomipramine, imipramine and tranylcypromine

Quinhentos e oito casos de Doenças do Pânico foram estudados. A evitaçäo fóbica está correlacionada freqüentemente aos ataques de pânico. Em apenas 23% dos pacientes, o diagnóstico de depressäo maior, no passado ou presente, foi dado. Em 238 casos, Alprazolam, Clomipramina, Imipramina e Tranilcipromina foram efetivos em doses mais baixas do que as citadas na literatura. Como cada uma das medicaçöes tem alguns inconvenientes específicos, nenhuma foi considerada superior às outras

uso de psicoestimulantes e energizantes por universitarios. / Use of psychostimulants and energizing drugs by university students

Foi aplicado um questionario sobre a incidencia de uso de alguns medicamentos psicotropicos, com enfase em psicoestimulantes e energizantes, em uma amostra de estudantes da area bimedica da Universidade de Sao Paulo. Dos medicamentos selecionados, as incidencias mais elevadas foram com Reactivan, Hipofagin, Nootropil e glicose. Dos grupos de medicamentos, os tranquilizantes e psicoestimulantes apresentaram alta incidencia de uso. A automedicacao e o consumo de medicamentos controlados sem prescricao foram caracteristicas do uso das drogas selecionadas