Vergence eye movements impairments in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

One of the most evaluated eye tracking tasks in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) are smooth pursuit eye movements. They rely on the maintenance of slowly moving object on the fovea. While most of the studies evaluated tracking of a target that moves in the fronto-parallel plane, only two assessed vergence eye movements (VEM), which relies on the pursuit of object that moves in depth. The aim of our study was to compare VEM performance in SZ and BD. We evaluated 28 SZ patients, 32 BD patients and 25 healthy controls (HC). Participants underwent thorough optometric examination before eye tracking task. VEM were measured with the use of infrared eye tracker and dedicated vergence stimuli generator. SZ patients showed higher mean break and recovery points of fusion and shorter correct tracking time than HC. BD individuals revealed tracking accuracy deficits and higher number of saccades than HC. Compared to BD, SZ patients showed decrease of maximal convergence and divergence. Moreover, they presented tracking accuracy deficits of non-dominant eye: altered eyes positioning error during convergence and divergence gain. Exploratory analysis revealed significant gender differences between groups in terms of binocular VEM parameters. In this study we have recognized pattern of eye movement disturbances differentiating abovementioned groups. SZ patients showed decreased vergence tracking range with shorter tracking time and impaired accuracy of non-dominant eye, while BD patients showed higher number of saccades with decreased tracking accuracy. Neuroimaging studies are necessary to identify neuronal underpinnings of VEM impairments in SZ and BD.

Vergence eye movements in bipolar disorder. / Ruchy wergencyjne w chorobie afektywnej dwubiegunowej.

OBJECTIVES: With respect to bipolar disorder (BD), previous research have demonstrated saccadic eye movements abnormalities, manifested mainly as an increase in reaction time (latency) in both prosaccadic and antisaccadic task. So far, there were no studies related to vergence eye movements in subjects with BD. Our primary aim was to evaluate vergence tracking performance in this clinical group. METHODS: 30 patients with BD in remission and 23 healthy controls were enrolled. Subjects underwent optometric examination where near point of convergence was measured by the use of Wolff Wand. Instrumented convergence measurements were performed using infrared eye tracker and dedicated vergence stimuli generator. RESULTS: BD patients presented significantly higher average error between eyes' convergence and convergence required to fixate the target and higher number of saccadic intrusions compared with healthy controls group. Principal component analysis performed on oculometric parameters revealed differences between BD patients and healthy controls. Significant correlations between the vergence disturbances and saccadic intrusions were found. CONCLUSIONS: BD patients showed the alterations of the vergence eye movements similar to the disturbances of eye movements in the fronto-parallel plane. While the abnormalities of vergence eye movements in some mental disorders have been reported, we have for the first time objectively measured this phenomenon in BD.

[The influence of pentoxifylline on the course of experimental peritonitis]. / Wplyw pentoksyfiliny na przebieg doswiadczaneigo zapalenia otrzewnej.

The influence and relation between pentoxifylline (PTX) dose and time of administration and mortality rate of animals with experimental peritonitis (EP) were studied. Forty-five rats used in this study. Experimental peritonitis was elicited in study animals. All animals were divided onto 3 groups. The sorting was made according to drug dose and moment of administration. Group 1--the control one--consisted of non-treated animals with EP. Animals from group 2 received 50 mg of PTX per kg of body weight before cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). In group 3 PTX was administered in a dose of 250 mg/kg 8 hrs after CLP. The influence of PTX inactivating phosphodiestherase as a cyclooxigenas inhibitor on the behavior of C-reactive protein, II-11beta, TNFalph and its soluble sTNF-R type I p55 and type II p75 receptors' study animal serum concentrations was estimated. The influence of administered drugs on the course of EP was assessed by means of animal survival period and CRP serum concentration dynamics observation. Thirty-three percent of control group animals survived the experiment compared to 53.3% in group 2 and 46.6% in group 3. The study proved that PTX administration in animals with EP caused TNFa serum concentration decrease, however not changing the overall animal survival rate. On the contrary, cycloooxygenase inhibitors decrease arachidonic acid peroxidation product cytotoxicity in experimental peritonitis.

[Tests for the usefulness of glucocorticosteroids in treatment of experimental peritonitis]. / Badania nad przydatnoscia glikokortykosteroidów w leczeniu doswiadczalnego zapalenia otrzewnej.

In this experimental study the influence of glycocorticosteroids on the course of infection and prognosis in 75 rats with diffuse peritonitis was examined. We focused on the relation between doses, moment of pharmacotherapy introduction and the course of disease. To achieve this we estimated the dexamethasone doses and moment of its introduction on C-reactive protein (CRP), TNF-alpha and its soluble type I--p55 and type II--p75 receptors' concentrations in examined animals' serum. A diffuse peritonitis was elicited in study animals by means of cecum ligation and perforation (CLP). Cytokine concentrations were estimated with ELISA test. In group 1 (test) no steroids were given. In group 2 20 mg/kg b.m., and in group 3 100 mg/kg b.m. dexamethasone was given 2 hrs before CLP. In group 4 dexamethasone was used in the dose of 20 mg/kg b.m., and in group 3--of 100 mg/kg b.m. 8 hrs after CLP. The results of this study show that glycocorticosteroids administered during the initial phase of experimental diffuse peritonitis display favorable action decreasing animal mortality rate regardless of the dose. However, glycocorticosteroids given in the developed septic syndrome decrease the pro-inflammatory cytokine serum concentration regardless of the dose, still not affecting the animal mortality rate.