ABSTRACT
The study presents for the first time the blood level of glutamate and aspartate in schizophrenic patients and in normal subjects in Bangladeshi population. The serum level of glutamate and aspartate were measured in thirty newly diagnosed schizophrenic patients and the same number of subjects matching age was taken from non-schizophrenic control. The age group of the patient was between 15 and 45 years and the male female ratio was 2.7:1. Serum concentration of glutamate (598.83 +/- 574.48 nmol/ml) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in schizophrenic group compared to control (196.16 +/- 171.31 nmol/ ml). The serum asparate concentration was also significantly higher in schizophrenic cases (282.91 +/- 299.94 nmol/ml) as compared to control (33.89 +/- 42.68 nmol/ml, p < 0.001). The correlation coefficient between serum glutamate and asparate was significant (p < 0.001). The increased serum glutamate and asparate levels may be the causative or contributing factor in the pathogenesis and progression of schizophrenia.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Aspartic Acid/blood , Bangladesh/epidemiology , Case-Control Studies , Disease Progression , Excitatory Amino Acids/blood , Female , Glutamic Acid/blood , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Schizophrenia/bloodABSTRACT
This study includes 15 patients of Writer's cramp. All were male and their age ranged from 21 to 57 years. They were from urban areas and of different occupation. They had obsessional pre-morbid personality. The study showed the prognosis of Writer's cramp after 12 weeks of treatment. This study showed that younger age group with early onset and less obsessional feature improved significantly by drug, psychotherapy and behaviour therapy.