Alteration of Cognitive Function in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Patients Grouped by Subjective Depression / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of subjective depressive symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). METHODS: 36 patients with mTBI without structural abnormality in the brain imaging study were recruited. Participants were subdivided into two groups by a cutoff score of 70T in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Cognitive functions including intelligence, memory, and executive function were significantly lower in the or =70T group. In addition, BDI scores were negatively correlated with performances in most of the neuropsychological tests. RESULTS: Patients group who scored 70T or more in the BDI showed significantly lower scores in most items of the neuropsychological tests. CONCLUSION: High subjective depression is associated with low neuropsychological performance in mTBI.

Venlafaxine-Induced Acute Toxic Hepatitis

Venlafaxine is among the most widely prescribed antidepressants. It is extensively metabolized to O-desmethylvenlafaxine via cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6. We report a case of acute toxic hepatitis resulting from venlafaxine in a 54-year-old woman with pain disorder. During venlafaxine treatment, laboratory tests revealed elevated liver enzymes with a maximum of 169 IU/L for aspartate transaminase (AST) and 166 IU/L for alanine transaminase (ALT). AST and ALT levels returned to normal after 6 days of discontinuation of venlafaxine. The patient was finally diagnosed with acute toxic hepatitis through liver biopsy. This case indicates the importance that clinicians should be aware of the hepatotoxicity of venlafaxine in practice.