The use and abuse of clonidine as a psychopharmacological tool.

Because early reports on the mechanisms of action of clonidine emphasized its "pure" postsynaptic alpha-norepinephrine stimulatory properties. clonidine has enjoyed an ever-growing popularity in psychoneuroendocrinology research as a central NE agonist. Clonidine appears to have some psychotropic activity. However, its biphasic and sometimes unpredictable effects (such as the ones we obtained in our laboratory) and the evidence of activity at presynaptic receptors which interfers with the NE feedback loop and turnover indicates that the rational for its use in research is in need of complete reevaluation and may be even opposite to the one heretofore utilized.

An ecological analysis of A-B and its relationship to field dependence.

Because of conceptual and methodological problems of the A-B categorization, several authorities (Gomes-Schwartz, Hadley, & Strupp, 1978; Stephens, Shaffer & Zlotowitz, 1975) have suggested that a moratorium on A-B research deserves serious consideration. In anticipation of this possibility, and to attempt to clarify the confusing findings with regard to the nature of A-B and the relationships of A-B and Field Dependence, the authors initiated this study of the ecological framework of a psychiatric ward and the role characteristics of both staff and patients (N = 99). The results of the study supported the two major hypotheses that were derived from a functional analysis of the demand characteristics for both patients and staff on an inpatient psychiatric unit. First, it was found that the staff scored higher on type A characteristics than on type B characteristics and, second, it was found that the patients scored higher on type B characteristics than on type A characteristics.

Field dependence and extraversion neuroticism on an inpatient psychiatric service.

Compared relationship between field dependence (FD) and the scales of Neuroticism (N) and Extraversion (E) using paraprofessionals (N = 22), professionals (N = 42) and psychiatric inpatients (N = 35) to elucidate the high FD found among the psychiatric inpatients. Recent evidence contradicts Witkins' (1965) early view that as a group, psychiatric inpatients would show psychopathology at the extremes of the FD continuum. The N scale was chosen because it taps a narrow behavior band, the individual's vulnerability to break down under stress. The major hypothesis that FD and N would be functionally related was based on previous empirical findings (Cattell, 1955) and Seligman's (1975) theory of "learned helplessness." Similarly, it was expected that age and sex (i.e., being female) were related functionally to FD. The latter hypotheses were supported. The hypothesis that the profiles of inpatients, professionals and paraprofessionals would throw more light on the high FD found among inpatients was not supported. The relationship between FD and N was discussed in terms of Seligman's (1975) concept of learned helplessness.

Delirium associated with combined fluphenazine-clonidine therapy.

The authors report a case of acute organic brain syndrome in a patient being treated with clonidine and fluphenazine that cleared when clonidine was discontinued. Theoretical considerations of dopamine-norephinephrine interactions are discussed in the context of the drug-drug interaction.

Failure of apomorphine to induce dopamine receptor hypersensitivity.

Apomorphine, a direct dopamine agonist, failed to induce the so called dopamine receptor supersensitivity. Furthermore, a review of the evidence strongly suggests that the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are not purely dopaminergic. This phenomenon is more complex than one of simple changes in the sensitivity or number of a particular type of receptor. Also sexual differences were observed and the literature suggest an involvement of serotoninergic mechanisms in sterotyped behavior.

Rat dopamine hypersensitivity. I. Effect of age.

Two groups of 5 Sprague-Dawley rats were tested with either d-amphetamine or saline following our drug abuse-kindling model for dopaminergic hypersensitivity on pretest and posttest. However, when the animals were 40 weeks older, the saline group also received d-amphetamine. Thus, this group served as saline control for the initial two tests and-amphetamine control for age on the third session. The control group showed significantly more stereotyped behavior on Phase 3 as compared with the experimental group in the first session. These results suggest an increased responsivity of dopaminergic receptors with age as measured by stereotyped behavior in rats.

Rat dopaminergic hypersensitivity. II. Effects of sex.

Two groups of 5 male and 5 female Sprague-Dawley rats each were tested for dopaminergic hypersensitivity on d-amphetamine or apomorphine following a drug abuse-kindling model. In constrast to the males, the female animals did not develop hypersensitivity on either drug, had a higher baseline stereotyped behavior on low doses of d-amphetamine, and lower baseline for apomorphine. Furthermore, on apomorphine the females showed tolerance instead of hypersensitivity with a significant decrease of stereotyped behavior a posttest as compared with pretest. Female rats do not develop a readily demonstrable dopaminergic hypersensitivity with this procedure and show an absence of reverse tolerance to apomorphine.

Field dependence and blood cholesterol: an expansion.

In a pilot study of 65 newly admitted psychiatric patients the first author evaluated the relationship between cholesterol, uric acid, and field dependence. The results suggested that high uric acid and low cholesterol individuals were more field independent whereas low uric acid and high cholesterol individuals were more field dependent. However, the differences were influenced mostly by the values of cholesterol and little by the uric acid. We have now expanded the sample to 229 consecutive admissions excepting only in-patients that were alcoholics or taking medication that has effects on any of the dependent variables. Included were age, ponderal index (a ratio of height and weight), and sex. For the whole group, field dependence correlated highly with age and cholesterol but less with blood uric acid. Dividing the sample by sex the situation changed. For males field dependence did not correlate with any of the other variables. However, for the females field dependence showed a positive correlation with cholesterol and age and with cholesterol even after correcting for age. Diagnoses did not correlate with any other variables except field dependence as an analysis of variance showed an incrase of field dependence when the patients were divided into three groups: (1) schizophrenics, (2) miscellaneous (including personality disorders), and (3) affective disorders. Again, these results demonstrated no relationship of field dependence with blood uric acid.

Lithium erythrocyte/plasma ratio as a predictor of response.

The authors measured RBC/plasma lithium ratios in 33 patients with primary diagnoses of unipolar depression (N=20), bipolar depression (N=9), schizo-affective psychosis (N=2), and alcoholism (N=2). Subjects rated as having marked or moderate improvement at follow-up (average = 17.1 months) tended to have high ratios (greater than or equal to .41), whereas all 9 patients rated as minimally improved were in the low-ratio group. Although further research with larger samples, controls, and longer follow-up is necessary, the results suggest a predictive value for the RBC/lithium ratio.

Postsynaptic supersensitivity and kindling: further evidence of similarities.

Fourteen Sprague-Dawley rats of 150 to 200 g of initial weight were given either d-amphetamine or cocaine intermittently following both a drug-abuse model previously described by the author and an intermittent model for pharmacological "kindling." The psychotogenic effects of the drugs were measured as stereotyped behavior utilizing standardized scales. A retest with the same drug and same protocol as the pretest stage was executed after an off-drug period of 12 weeks, demonstrating dopamine receptors hypersensitivity as measured by stereotyped behavior for both d-amphetamine and cocaine. The importance of demonstrating dopamine receptor hypersensitivity with an intermittent (kindling) drug-abuse-type model is discussed.