ABSTRACT
Cholineacetyltrasnferase (ChAT) is a key enzyme that facilitates synthesis of acetylcholine affecting the memory, learning, awakening and sleep process of the cerebrum. The object of this study was to test the hypothesis that the ChAT-gene 2384G>A (rs3810950) polymorphism is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) susceptibility, and galantamine response. To elucidate a genetic predisposition of AD, we studied ChAT-gene 2384G>A (rs3810950) polymorphism in 52 AD patients in 93 normal controls. We also examined the association of this polymorphism and galantamine therapeutic response in 52 AD patients who received a 24-week galantamine treatment. There were no significant differences in the genotype or allele frequency of the ChAT polymorphism between the AD and control groups. However, we found that the allele-carrier distributions, allele frequency for the ChAT polymorphism differed significantly between responders and non-responders. The frequency of A-allele carriers (GA+AA) was higher in responders than in non-responders (chi-square=4.282, df=1, p=0.039), as was the A-allele frequency (chi-square=5.216, df=1, p=0.022). These results suggest that the ChAT-gene 2384G>A (rs3810950) polymorphism is associated with galantamine therapeutic response.
Subject(s)
Humans , Acetylcholine , Alzheimer Disease , Cerebrum , Galantamine , Gene Frequency , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Genotype , Learning , MemoryABSTRACT
The authors described a case of male schizophrenia who developed myoclonic jerk repeatedly and one episode of convulsive seizure during the treatment of clozapine. According to literatures and reported cases, myoclonic jerks induced in a small amount of clozapine may precede and predict the development of a convulsive seizure. Therefore clinicians have to pay attention to the development of a myoclonic jerk during the administration of clozapine. They may decrease the dosage of clozapine step by step at first in the convulsive state, and observe EEG changes of patients frequently.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Clozapine , Electroencephalography , Myoclonus , Schizophrenia , SeizuresABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of risperidone on attention and information-processing in schizophrenic patients after 8 weeks of treatment and to determine whether any improvement on cognitive function relates to improvement in psychopathology. METHODS: The subjects were 29 schizophrenic inpatients with active psychotic symptoms and the controls were 25 normal volunteers. Pre- and post-treatment clinical symptoms were assessed by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Clinical Global Impression and Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale. Vigilance, continuous atttention, the speed of information-processing and fine motor coordinations were assessed by standardized computerized neurocognitive function tests. RESULTS: At baseline, patients showed significantly poor vigilance and continuous attention than normal controls and these functions were not improved after treatment. The positive and negative symptoms and the general psychopathology were significantly improved. The only item of cognitive tasks signi-fica-ntly improved after treatment was decision time to complex audio-visual stimuli in information-processing task. This improvement was not related to the improvements in psychopathology. The level of extrapyramidal symptoms was not related with any of the cognitive fucntion tests items. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with risperidone appeared to exert a favorable effect on the speed of information-processing and this appeared to be due to a direct pharmacodynamic characteristics of the drug.
Subject(s)
Humans , Healthy Volunteers , Inpatients , Psychopathology , Risperidone , SchizophreniaABSTRACT
Frontotemporal dementia is a common cause of dementia and distinguished from Alzheimer's disease. Because its clinical symptoms are characterized by slow progressive social breakdown and change of personality before cognitive impairments become prominent, it may be diagosed as other psychiatric disease. We have presented three cases of frontotemporal dementia. They had typical clinical histories and symptoms which deserve to be considered frontotemporal dementia. They showed appropriate findings of frontotemporal dementia in the neuropsychological tests and brain imaging study with brain magnetic resonance imaging and 18F-FDG positron emission tomography. Their clinical histories and findings are thought to be helpful for clinician to give attention to and diagnose frontotemporal dementia.