[Features of decision-making in patients with alcohol dependence]. / Osobennosti prinyatiya reshenii u bol'nykh alkogol'noi zavisimost'yu.

OBJECTIVE: To identify electroencephalographic correlates of decision-making features in patients with alcohol dependence. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty men with alcohol dependence were examined as the main group. Thirty people were examined as a control group. The Cambridge Gambling Task and the Iowa Gambling Task were used to study decision-making functions. Additionally, a background electroencephalogram was recorded with the calculation of absolute spectral power indicators. RESULTS: In the main group, the relatively higher indicators of decision-making logic (65 [50; 80]%, p<0.05) were associated with larger values of the spectral power of the theta and alpha rhythm of the electroencephalogram in the central and parietal-occipital leads (R=0.426, p=0.019; R=0.418, p=0.022; R=0.394, p=0.028 and R=0.445, p=0.014; R=0.458, p=0.011; R=0.382, p=0.035, respectively). Difficulties in making decisions based on emotional learning in patients with alcohol dependence were associated with larger values of the spectral power of the beta rhythm of the electroencephalogram in the temporal leads. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that the deficit of decision-making functions in patients with alcohol dependence may be due to an imbalance of the excitation/inhibition mechanisms in the brain.

[Quantitative characteristics of the alpha-band of the electroencephalogram in people with alcohol dependence]. / Kolichestvennye kharakteristiki al'fa-ritma elektroentsefalogrammy u lits s alkogol'noi zavisimost'yu.

OBJECTIVE: To study the quantitative characteristics of the alpha-band in patients with alcoholism, depending on the main clinical and dynamic characteristics of the disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 76 patients, aged 24 to 55 years, with alcohol dependence were examined. Forty-five healthy individuals were examined as a control group. Recording and analysis of the electric activity of the brain was carried out using a 16-channel encephalograph in a state of calm wakefulness with closed and open eyes. The values of the absolute spectral power of the alpha-band were analyzed, the microstructure of the alpha spindle and the alpha band reactivity index were evaluated. RESULTS: The values of the spectral power of the alpha-band with closed eyes were statistically significantly lower in patients with alcohol dependence in all leads (p<0.05), except for the antero-temporal and mid-temporal. The microstructure of the alpha spindle in patients with alcohol dependence was mainly represented by a flat (59.2%) or low-amplitude (28.9%) type with a predominance of an accelerated band (40.8%). The degree of alpha-band depression in the leads P3 (p=0.043), P4 (p=0.047), O2 (p=0.039), T5 (p=0.037) and T6 (p=0.002) was significantly less pronounced in patients with alcohol dependence compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that some aspects of addictive behavior are accompanied by significant objective functional changes in the brain.

[Clinical and electrophysiological parameters of alcohol dependence and its comorbidity with affective disorders]. / Klinicheskie i neirofiziologicheskie osobennosti pri alkogol'noi zavisimosti i pri ee komorbidnosti s affektivnymi rasstroistvami.

OBJECTIVE: To identify characteristics of and possible differences in clinical and electroencephalographic parameters in patients with alcohol dependence with- and without comorbid affective disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-five patients, including 74 with an established diagnosis of alcohol dependence and 21 with alcohol dependence and affective disorders, were examined. Duration of alcohol dependence and affective disorder (years), number of hospitalizations and suicidal attempts were analyzed as anamnestic data. Hamilton's anxiety and depression scale (HDRS), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the General clinical impression scale (CGI-s) were used as psychometric tools. The study of bioelectric activity of the brain was carried out using a 16-channel encephalograph. The background electroencephalogram was recorded, the values of absolute spectral power and coherence of theta, alpha and beta rhythms were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Patients with comorbidity of alcohol dependence and affective disorders have a significantly higher risk of suicidal behavior, a greater frequency of hospitalizations, higher levels of anxiety compared with patients without affective disorders. Electrophysiological data have shown that patients with comorbidity of alcohol dependence and affective disorders have higher values of spectral power of alpha-rhythm in all parts of the cerebral cortex (except for temporal lobes) and beta-rhythm in the occipital cortex, as well as an increase in interhemispheric coherence in all frequency ranges.

[The role of reamberin in combined therapy of abstinence syndrome in alcoholics].

Clinical efficacy of 7 day reamberin therapy of abstinence syndrome was compared in 32 alcoholics with concomitant exogenous organic brain lesions (F 10.2, mean age 41.2 +/- 6.3 YR) and 46 control patients given no treatment. Reamberin accelerated reduction of somatovegetative manifestations of abstinence syndrome with subsequent normalization of its affective components. It is concluded that combined therapy including reamberin significantly reduced severity of endogenous intoxication in alcoholics suffering exogenous organic brain lesions.

[Humoral and cellular indices of nonspecific resistance in viral hepatitis A and ascorbic acid]. / Gumoral'nye i kletochnye pokazateli nespetsificheskoi rezistentnosti pri virusnom gepatite A i askorbinovaia kislota.

A total of 260 patients aged 15 to 57 years with virus hepatitis A were examined over time for some indicators of humoral and cellular immunity (serum IgA, IgM, IgG, the phagocytic number and indicator of the completeness of neutrophil phagocytosis, cytochemical content of ribonucleic and deoxyribonucleic acids in blood leukocytes). The immunological indicators were determined in two patients' groups after intake per os of 300 mg/day of ascorbic acid for 2-3 weeks and without its administration. It has been established that in virus hepatitis A, vitamin C exerts a remarkable immunomodulating action. In view of this fact, it should be necessarily included into multimodality treatment of patients suffering from pathology under consideration.