Comparison of the effectiveness of venlafaxine in peri- and postmenopausal patients with major depressive disorder.

INTRODUCTION: This study examines the difference in the efficacy and tolerability of an antidepressant inhibiting the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin--IRNS--on climacteric patients diagnosed of major depressive disorder, comparing the therapeutic response between perimenopausal and postmenopausal patients. METHODS: Observational, prospective, open-label, multicenter study 24 weeks study. The sample consisted of women between 45 and 55 years diagnosed of major depressive disorder. The study drug was venlafaxine extended release at doses according to the investigator's clinical criteria. The efficacy was assessed using repeated measures of the scales: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Blatt-Kupperman Menopausal Index. RESULTS: 36 depressed women were included in the study and 35 completed it. The patient's age range was 47 to 55 years old. Throughout the study, a significant clinical improvement in depressive and hormonal symptoms was seen. The comparison of the pattern of improvement, according to the menstrual status of the patients, showed no significant different between pre and postmenopausal patients. Perimenopausal women reported a higher rate of adverse events. CONCLUSION: The Venlafaxine was effective in treating depressive and hormonal symptoms regardless of the menstrual status of climacteric patients with a slightly worse tolerance in perimenopause.

[Dimensions of personality disorders and neurophysiological correlates]. / Dimensiones de los trastornos de la personalidad y correlatos neurofisiológicos.

INTRODUCTION: To objective is to identify the factorial structure underlying personality disorders, using clinical and personality measures, and to check whether the resulting structure is valid and theoretically comprehensible, using neurocognitive and psychophysiological measures for establishing possible differences between the factors. METHOD: From the data obtained with the scales MCMI-II and BFQ administered to a sample of 87 subjects diagnosed as a case of any clinical category of DSM-IV personality disorders, and 17 normal controls, we carried out first-order and second-order factor analyses. RESULTS: Five first-order factors (designated as aggressive personality, personality with social deficit, non-pathological personality, obsessive personality and non-assertive personality) and three second-order factors (non-pathological/obsessive personality) were found. CONCLUSIONS: On studying the second-order factors in relation to neurocognitive and psychophysiological measures, it was found that socially-inhibited and non-assertive personalities (factor 1) are characterized by specific neuropsychological deficits in sustained attention; that aggressive personalities (factor 2) are characterized by impulsiveness and deficit in concepts formation; and that in non-pathological personalities with obsessive traits (factor 3), as obsessiveness increases, subjects present less efficacy in sustained attention tasks and greater psychogalvanic response to stress.

Dimensiones de los trastornos de la personalidad y correlatos neurofisiológicos / Dimensions of personality disorders and neurophysiological correlates

Introducción. El objetivo es identificar la estructura factorial que subyace a los trastornos de la personalidad utilizando medidas clínicas y de la personalidad y comprobar si la estructura resultante es válida o teóricamente comprensible utilizando medidas neurocognitivas y psicofisiológicas para establecer las posibles diferencias existentes entre los factores. Método. A partir de los datos obtenidos con las escalas MCMI-II y BFQ en una muestra de 87 sujetos diagnosticados de alguna de las categorías clínicas de los trastornos de la personalidad del DSM-IV y 17 controles normales se realizaron análisis factoriales de primero y segundo orden. Resultados. Se obtuvieron cinco factores de primer orden (denominados personalidad agresiva, personalidad con déficit social, personalidad no patológica, personalidad obsesiva y personalidad no asertiva) y tres factores de segundo orden (personalidad con déficit social/no asertiva, personalidad agresiva y personalidad no patológica/obsesiva). Conclusiones. En el análisis de la relación existente entre los factores de segundo orden y las medidas neurocognitivas y psicofisiológicas se encontró que las personalidades socialmente inhibidas y no asertivas (factor 1) se caracterizaron por déficit neuropsicológicos específicos en la atención sostenida, que las personalidades agresivas (factor 2) se caracterizaron por la impulsividad y el déficit en la formación de conceptos y que las personalidades no patológicas con rasgos obsesivos (factor 3), presentaban un nivel progresivamente menor de eficacia en tareas de atención sostenida y una mayor respuesta psicogalvánica al estrés a medida que los rasgos de obsesividad aumentaban

Introduction. To objective is to identify the factorial structure underlying personality disorders, using clinical and personality measures, and to check whether the resulting structure is valid and theoretically comprehensible, using neurocognitive and psychophysiological measures for establishing possible differences between the factors. Method. From the data obtained with the scales MCMI-II and BFQ administered to a sample of 87 subjects diagnosed as a case of any clinical category of DSM-IV personality disorders, and 17 normal controls, we carried out first-order and second-order factor analyses. Results. Five first-order factors (designated as aggressive personality, personality with social deficit, non-pathological personality, obsessive personality and non-assertive personality) and three second-order factors (non-pathological/obsessive personality) were found. Conclusions. On studying the second-order factors in relation to neurocognitive and psychophysiological measures, it was found that socially-inhibited and non-assertive personalities (factor 1) are characterized by specific neuropsychological deficits in sustained attention; that aggressive personalities (factor 2) are characterized by impulsiveness and deficit in concepts formation; and that in non-pathological personalities with obsessive traits (factor 3), as obsessiveness increases, subjects present less efficacy in sustained attention tasks and greater psychogalvanic response to stress