ABSTRACT
Tardive dyskinesia (TD), a possible marker of the defect state of schizophrenia, was studied along with defect symptoms in 55 neuroleptic-treated chronic schizophrenic patients. Our cross-sectional data failed to replicate earlier findings of increased defect symptoms in TD patients (n = 14), except for more severe paucity of speech content when compared with non-TD patients (n = 41). Methodological issues that may account for some of the current and previously reported findings are discussed.
Subject(s)
Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced/complications , Schizophrenia/complications , Adolescent , Adult , Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Schizophrenia/diagnosis , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Schizophrenic PsychologyABSTRACT
Ten patients with chronic schizophrenia completed a 3-month double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a vasopressin analogue. Modest improvement occurred, but several patients also experienced significant fluid and electrolyte imbalance.
Subject(s)
Deamino Arginine Vasopressin/therapeutic use , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Chronic Disease , Clinical Trials as Topic , Deamino Arginine Vasopressin/adverse effects , Double-Blind Method , Female , Humans , Male , Placebos , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Schizophrenia/diagnosis , Schizophrenic Psychology , Water-Electrolyte Imbalance/chemically inducedABSTRACT
Renewed interest in the role of negative symptoms in "defect state" schizophrenia calls for the design of a standardized, easy to use, reliable, and valid instrument to assess these aspects of psychopathology. In order to measure negative symptoms, we developed the Negative Symptom Rating Scale (NSRS). We report on the design, interrater reliability, and construct-validation of NSRS against the most frequently used negative symptom scales or subscales. In summary, the NSRS is a short, sensitive, highly specific, reliable, and apparently valid instrument for measuring negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
Subject(s)
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Schizophrenia/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Psychometrics , Schizophrenic PsychologyABSTRACT
LH and FSH of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum were radioimmunologically measured. Samples were obtained simultaneously from 116 subjects of the following groups: A. 22 patients with non-endocrine diseases, B. 18 patients with cranial diabetes insipidus (DI) of whom 4 with metastatic carcinomas, C. 5 patients with primary empty sella syndrome, D. one with hydatiform mole, and E. 70 patients with pituitary adenomas, i.e. growth hormone--or prolactin-secreting or "non-secreting" adenomas, of whom 38 patients with invasive and 32 with enclosed adenomas. LH and FSH are normal constituents of CSF and their CSF levels poorly correlates with the serum ones (LH r = 0.477 p less than 0.01). Enclosed adenomas with SSE showed low levels of LH in CSF. High CSF-gonadotropins concentrations (above 4.0 mIU/ml) with a low serum/CSF ratio (below 3) was frequently, but not constantly found in patients with invasive adenomas and are not indicative per se of this diagnosis. Some patients with brain metastasis from breast carcinoma and DI, or with non-tumoral diseases and DI showed similar high patterns of CSF gonadotropins though the serum levels were within normal range. This suggests that local vascular mechanisms, including the retrograde circulation of gonadotropins from the pituitary to the hypothalamus, influence the blood-brain barrier much more than the release of gonadotropins into the systemic blood circulation.
