[Psychotropic effects of a new beta noradrenergic receptor blocking agent, acebutolol, in psychotics (author's transl)]. / Les effets psychotropes d'un nouveau bêta-bloquant, l'acébutolol, chez les psychotiques.

In a pilot, phase II open trial, 32 psychotics, aged between 19 and 54, whose illness was evolving from between 1 and 25 years, and was not improved with classic treatments, were given daily 200 to 1 400 mg of acebutolol orally, in three divided doses. Following global clinical evaluation and scores of BPRS, in 18 patients was observed a mild improvement, in 2 a clear one, in 2 others a clear improvement with partial social rehabilitation and in 2 a clear improvement with long lasting social rehabilitation, while 6 patients showed no improvement. Acebutolol could be considered as a mild or partial neuroleptic and its action as amphidromic or double.

[Progressive exhaustion of the psychotropic effect of T.R.H. Clinical and neuroendocrinologic study]. / L'épuisement progressif de l'effet psychotrope de la T.R.H. Etude clinique et neuroendocrinienne

The progressive exhaustion of the psychotropic effect of T.R.H. clinical and neuroendocrinological study. The study of a complicated clinical case permitted us to use T.R.H. because of the ineffectiveness of other psychotropic agents the patient (male, aged 38) was given previously. A major and atypical depressive state with severe anorexia was lasting from several months. T.R.H. was administered 3 times per day (at 8 h. 11 h and 14 h) as an intravenous injection of 0.5 mg of T.R.H. lasting 1 min. (total dose per day: 1.5 mg). From the 1st to 7th day the patient showed a market improvement) in the depression symptoms, followed by a light degradation observed from the 7th to 10th day. During a third phase, he showed wild improvement which was maintened stable from the 10th to the 21st day. Then, there was a progressive return to the state prior to T.R.H. period till the 30th day. This phase lasted up to the end of the therapeutic trial of T.R.H. These fluctuations of the depressive state were not found to be correalted with significant plasma-T.R.H. changes and seem to happen when changes in catecholamines and/or serotonin were not observed, according to methods used. Independently of various theoritical approaches concerning the mechanism of psychotropic T.R.H. action, it seems that its effect is exhausted progressively and rapidly.

Localization of the central sympatho-inhibitory effect of a narcotic analgesic agent, fentanyl, in cats.

Fentanyl (10 and 30 mug/kg), a narcotic analgesic, induced in cats a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate and reduced spontaneous splanchnic nerve activity. Fentanyl reduced the pressor response to medullary stimulation, but did not change the pressor response to hypothalamic or cervical spinal cord stimulation. Fentanyl reduced the potential evoked in the splanchnic nerve by stimulation at low frequency of a pressor area of the medulla oblongata. The potentials evoked in the splanchnic nerve by hypothalamic or cervical spinal cord stimulation were only slightly changed. Nalorphine (0.5 mg/kg) or naloxone (30 mug/kg) induced a recovery in blood pressure, heart rate and spontaneous splanchnic discharges which had been reduced by fentanyl, but nalorphine or naloxone did not restore pressor response to medullary stimulation or potentials evoked in the splanchnic nerve by medullary stimulation, which had been decreased by fentanyl.