Spontaneous activity of rat dorsal horn cells in spinal segments of sciatic projection following transection of sciatic nerve or of corresponding dorsal roots.

Natural forms of stimulation were used to compare the spontaneous and evoked activity of dorsal horn neurons in three groups of rats: controls with no surgical lesion, rats with transection of the sciatic nerve and rats with transection of the dorsal roots at the same segmental level. In control rats, cells encountered in the dorsal horn were classified according to their peripheral field as tactile specific, convergent tactile and nociceptive, nociceptive, or movement driven. In 20 control animals, only 20% of the 140 cells with a peripheral field were spontaneously active. After sciatic nerve transection made on the side of recording a few days previously (18 rats), all of the 141 cells studied showed spontaneous activity, only 69 of them having a peripheral field. After dorsal root transections a few days previously (nine rats), 25 spontaneously active cells were found in the dorsal horn ipsilateral to the section, none with a peripheral field. Spontaneous activities of cells without a peripheral field were separated into three types as a function of bursting pattern, which were similar following both types of transection. The spontaneous activity shown by dorsal horn cells without peripheral fields following dorsal root transection precludes attribution of spontaneous spiking in such cells to abnormal input from the periphery, and shows that abnormal activity can develop in deafferented dorsal horn cells themselves. A possible role played by this spontaneous activity in deafferentation pain is considered.

[Clinical follow-up -- EEG -- serum determinations: therapeutic experience with clozapine]. / Suivi clinique--EEG--dosages sériques: expérience thérapeutique de la clozapine.

The effects of clozapine were studied during 5 years at the Villejuif psychiatric hospital in outside and inside patients. Among the results obtained in 114 cases treated, we report here the results obtained in a group of 18 patients in which the longitudinal therapeutic data given by EEG recordings were confronted with those obtained for the plasma levels of the drug and it demethyl metabolite. This study shows on one side that EEG abnormal activities are frequent and need to be taken in account. On another hand we found an important inter as well as intra-variability of the plasma concentrations. For the intra-individual variations a large number of responsible factors was found. The interest to perform the demethyl metabolite dosage is discussed.

[Chemotherapy in Alzheimer's disease. Retrospective study in a specialized hospital center]. / Chimiothérapie dans la maladie d'Alzheimer. Etude rétrospective dans un Centre Hospitalier Spécialisé.

In this study, our aim was to analyse the prescriptions of drugs used to improve Alzheimer's disease at CHS Paul Guiraud. This study was carried out a posteriori on 16 hospitalized patients. We have seen that for our patients there is no general rule, nor therapeutic scheme but the choice of treatment is carried out according to the professional experience of the physician. The treatment therefore is composed of symptomatic drugs alone or associated with etiologic drugs. Eleven anxiolytic or hypnotic drugs were prescribed. Alimemazine is the most prescribed in the sixteen cases. The preferential use of this drug can be explained by its presentation in the form of drops. In two cases, behavioural improvements were noted, in two other cases, we noted accentuation of dementia. Meprobamate used in seven cases of the sixteen, was never used alone. We find neuroleptics in fifteen of the sixteen cases studied: In seven cases they were administered from the beginning of the hospitalisation; for the others they were introduced later during a phase of agitation or delirium. On the whole, they were effective on aggressive agitation, in particular thioridazine. Eight of the patients, were treated with halopéridol. In two cases, the behaviour disorders were not stopped; in four cases, there was a worsening of dementia. We noted depression in 6 cases from the beginning of hospitalization, and two cases during hospitalization. The anti-depressive drugs besides their main effect, reduce also anxiety. In two cases, we observed an aggravation of disorientation and confusion following of the prescription of amitryptiline and mianserine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Humoral and cellular immunologic reactions in various forms of chronic psychiatric diseases]. / Etude des réactions immunitaires humorales et cellulaires dans diverses formes de pathologies psychiatriques chroniques.

Studies on the status of the immune system in mental disorders have mostly provided contradictory results. For example, some authors have reported dramatic increases of immunoglobulin G in schizophrenic patients, and others a decrease of immunoglobulin G in the same patients. This prompted us to undertake a study on a large cohort of psychiatric patients (120 schizophrenics, 30 manic-depressives, 8 epileptics, 48 cases of Alzheimer and vascular dementia, 23 cases of alcoholic dementia, 14 cases of childhood psychosis, 47 encephalopaths, and 21 chronic alcoholics), all chronically hospitalized. Plasma antitetanus antibodies were assayed in 238 previously immunized patients, the tuberculin test was performed on 302 patients, and the candidine test on 287 patients. Furthermore, 21 patients had an antitetanus vaccine booster injection with antibodies assayed before the injection and one month later, and 31 patients had 2 tuberculin tests with a year or more between them. The results show no major abnormal immune disorders in the patients. Nevertheless some particular features have been found. The first is a very significant relation between the age and the weakness of the immune defences. The second is a large scattering of the blood tetanus antibodies titers in schizophrenic patients, specially in the paranoid subgroup (20.6% of abnormally high or low titers). And the third is the existence of inpredictable variations in the responses when stimulations, or tests, are repeated. These results can raise the hypothesis of a state-dependent component of the immune response in mentally ill patients, but further in, depth studies are needed for better understanding the nature of our findings.

[Effects of two drugs substituted o-anisamides: sulpiride and sultopride on the sleep awakening cycle (author's transl)]. / Action sur le cycle veille-sommeil de deux dérivés des o-anisamides substituées: le sulpiride et le sultopride.

The study of the sleep awakening cycle was carried out on implanted cats free of their movements, which received separately each drug in long lasting intake, inorder to differentiate their behavioural and electrophysiological activities. The qualitative and quantitative changes induced by these o-anisamides are reported. Like in man, sulpiride was found to be quite an original substance. It may be distinguished from the other psychotropic drugs studied because it has no effect on the sleep awakening cycle. The effects of sultopride are comparable with those of some neuroleptics, although its both incisive and sedative activity is very special. The neurophysiological results are discussed in the light of other studies and clinical data.

[Benzodiazepines and limbic system. Anxiety and vigilance (author's transl)]. / Benzodiazépines et système limbique. Anxiété et vigilance.

A neurophysiological study of 4 benzodiazepines in the free implanted cat serves as basis to a discussion concerning tranquilizers, anxiety and vigilance. The electrophysiological and behavioural effects of diazepam, nitrazepam, lorazepam and of clorazepate dipotassique are analysed and compared between them and other psychotropic drugs. Their mode of action on the behaviour, on the bioelectric cortical and hippocampal rhythms, is explained according to recent biochemical data. The relations with anxiety, vigilance and neuro-psycho-physiologic mechanisms which subtend them are discussed at the light of clinical effects provoked by substances called tranquillizers.

[Effects of two drugs substituted o-anisamides: sulpiride and sultopride on the sleep awakening cycle (author's transl)]. / Action sur le cycle veille-sommeil de deux dérivés des o-anisamides substituées: le sulpiride et le sultopride.

The study of the sleep awakening cycle was carried out on implanted cats free of their movements, which received separately each drug in long lasting intake, in order to differentiate their behavioural and electrophysiological activities. The qualitative and quantitative changes induced by these o-anisamides are reported. Like in man, sulpride was found to be quite an original substance. It may be distinguished from the other psychotropic drugs studied because it has no effect on the sleep awakening cycle. The effects of sultopride are comparable with those of some neuroleptics, although its both incisive and sedative activity is very special. The neurophysiological results are discussed in the light of other studies and clinical data.