Distribution Patterns of Calbindin-D28K and NADPH-Diaphorase Positive Neurons in the Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray of the Rabbit / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: We attempted to compartmentalize the periaqueductal gray (PAG) of the rabbit in terms of the different distribution patterns between NADPH-diaphorase (NADPHd)- and calbindin D28K (CB)-positive neurons. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescent labelling for CB and histochemistry for NADPHd were carried out on coronally-sectioned midbrain slices of the rabbit. RESULTS: NADPHd-positive neurons were selectively localized in the dorsolateral (DL), the middle one-third of the lateral (L), the dorsal half of the ventrolateral (VLd) PAG, and the supraoculomotor cap nucleus (Su3C). Clusters of CB-immunoreactive perikarya marked the dorsal half of DL (DLd), Su3C, the ventral one-third of L, and the ventral half of the ventrolateral (VLv) PAG. Double labelling for NADPHd and CB revealed that two markers labelled different neuronal groups in DLd and Su3C subdivisions. CONCLUSION: The present data suggest that NADPHd and CB can be regarded as reliable neurochemical markers to reveal the longitudinally-columnar organization within the PAG and to subdivide each columnar area.

A Case of Schizophrenia with Periventricular Leukomalacia on Magnetic Resonance Imaging / 신경정신의학

Schizophrenia was once known as a functional psychosis, a disorder with no structural basis. However, nowadays research has identified and confirmed many structural abnormalities in schizophrenia. One prominent such feature is the combination of ventricular enlargement and decreased cerebral volume. Periventricular leukomalacia causes cerebral palsy, cognitive impairment, visual impairment, and seizures. Recent studies reveal that periventricular leukomalacia causes ventricular enlargement and many brain circuit disruptions. Ventricular enlargement caused by periventricular leukomalacia is the most common pathological marker of schizophrenia. In this study, we report a case with periventricular leukomalacia on MRI findings in a 28-year-old schizophrenia patient. This patient showed auditory hallucinations and somatic delusions. We highlight the structural abnormalities, especially periventricular leukomalacia, in this case of schizophrenia.

The Effect of Intern and Resident's Perspective of Death on the Attitude to Patient Care / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect of intern and resident's perspective of death on the attitude to Patients care. METHODS: Participants were recruited from interns and residents working in Chosun University Hospital. The questionnaires on perspective of death and attitudes to patient care include i) the perspectives of death and degree of fear of death ii) the attitude of telling truth to dying patients iii) the attitude to the disease frequently associates with the thought of "living with it is worse than dying", and iv) the avoidant or acceptable attitude when they are treating patients with low chance of recovery thus facing death. RESULTS: Eighty-eight interns and residents participated in this survey. The most frequent reply on the perspective of death was "death is a part, and a process of life" (48.9%). This group also choose more those types of diseases in which they think "living is worse than dying if oneself get it" (p=0.014). This group also showed more avoidant inclination in treating patients with low chance of recovery and facing death compared with other groups (p=0.068). Paradoxically those people who answered that they have no fear to death showed significantly more avoidant behavior against the care of dying patients (p=0.050). CONCLUSION: This study showed that interns' and resident's perspectives of death affect their pattern of patients care, particularly with avoidant patterns against patients. This study suggests the importance of the medical education on thanatology that including the ethical and moral aspects of death.

The Relationships between Drinking Habits and Biopsychosocial Factors in Korean College Students / 신경정신의학

OBJECTS AND METHODS: In order to evaluate the relationships between drinking habits and biological and psychosocial characteristics, the authors administrated the questionnaires about drinking patterns and acute physiological and psychological responses after drinking, several psychological scales and ethanol patch test to 94 male medical students in Chosun University. RESULTS: 1) Low consumer group had significantly more severe physiological repondents after drinking in family members than high consumer group(p<.005). 2) Low consumer had significantly more severe acute physiological responses(p<.005) and high consumer group revealed more positive psychological responses after drinking(p<.005). But there was no difference in the degree of negative psychological responses between tow groups. 3) High consumer group had significantly more extroversion tedency(p<.01) and recieved more financial support from family than low consumer group(p<.01). 4) In the results of ethanol patch test. low consumer group showed more positive skin reaction in three test occasions than high consumer grou(p<.005). 5) Also the high consumer group revealed higher scores in factor 1,2,4(alpha=0.005), and 3(alpha=0.01) in comparison of factors of Korean Alcohol Use Inventory. 6) In comparison of drinking habits, low consumer group revealed higher incidence of nearly non-drinkers and sublimatory drinkers. But there were more casulal social drinkers, selcontrolled social drinkers, impusive-binge drinkers, and habitual-excessive drinkers in high consumer group(p<.005). And in drinking patterns, the items of dependence and duration of drinking, daily drinking disposition, preferential beverage, average and maximum drinking amount of each liquor, and magnitude of sips taken were higher in high consumer group. Only one item of interval between sips was longer in low consumer group(p<.005). 7) In comparison of sociodemographic variables, there were more students who were smokers(p<.01), from larger cities and small family(p<.05), and whose parents were well educated(p<.05) but had worse marital realtionship(p<.05) in high consumer group. CONCLUSEION: For better explanation of the etiology and characteristics of alcoholism, we investigated the differences in various aspects between low alcohol consumers and high alcohol consumers in college students. The most evident differences lied in the degree of acute physiological reaction and positive rates of ethanol patch test that strongly suggested the relations with the activty of ALDH. Some differences in psychosocial aspects between two groups were noticed but could not appropriately be explained at this time.

The Effects of Achievement Self Discrepancy and Evaluative Threat Stress on Performance Anxiety / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study to examine if the levels of anxiety(emotional, cognitive, and behavioral measures) during performance are influenced by interaction of both achievement related self discrepancy(=psychological vulnerability variable) and evaluative threat stress(=stressor) based on vulnerabilitystress model in order to identify the mechanism of development of performance anxiety and furthermore to suggest psychological intervention strategies to reduce and prevent it effectively. METHOD: High and low self discrepancy subjects consisted of students from the upper(n=40) and lower 15%(n=40) on achievement related self discrepancy scale, respectively. They were randomly assigned to either evaluative threat condition or neutral condition, and then all subjects took intellective task(verbal reasoning test and digit symbol test). RESULTS: The results were as follows; 1) High self discrepancy subjects under evaluative threat reported significantly higher level of state anxiety during performance than low self discrepancy subjects under any condition and also experienced higher degreee of state anxiety with marginal significance than high self discrepancy subjects under neutral condition, whereas there were no significant effects on the anxiety level of group variable under neutral condition or of stress variable in low self discrepancy subjects. 2) High self discrepancy subjects reported more cognitive interference during performance than low self discrepancy subjects regardless of the level of stress. 3) High self discrepancy subjects performed marginally significantly more poorly in digit symbol test than low self discrepancy subjects regardless of the level of stress, whereas there were no significant effects on verbal reasoning test. CONCLUSION: The hypothesis that performance anxiety could be affected by achievement related self discrepancy and stress, and specially by interaction between self discrepancy and stress was relatively strongly supported by the results on emotional measure of performance anxiety. In addition, this hypothesis received partial support by the results on cognitive and behavioral measures. We might conclude that it is important to consider achievement-related self discrepancy and evaluative threat stress together to understand the mechanism of development of performance anxiety and to reduce or prevent this anxiety effectively.

The influence of H1, H2-histamine antagonists and disulfiram to ethanol and acetaldehyde patch test results / 신경정신의학

No abstract available.