[Morphological changes of the corpus callosum in schizophrenia]. / Alteraciones morfológicas del corpus callosum en esquizofrénicos.

Morphological brain alterations have long been noted in schizophrenia, although it is unclear whether they are a consequence of an early disturbance in brain development or represent a deterioration of a normal brain structure. The purpose of the present study is to establish a relationship between corpus callosum (CC) surface and perimeter. A female right handed schizophrenic group (n = 31) was compared with a control group (n = 25) of comparable sex, age (range: 40-68 years) and handedness on measures of the CC area from a midsagittal T1 weighted image magnetic resonance imaging. Patients completed DSM IV criteria for Residual Schizophrenia. Patients with a known history of brain injury or neurologic illness were excluded. All had received neuroleptic drugs but no electroconvulsive treatment. Control and schizophrenic groups were subdivided into two age-ranges (E1 < or = 54 years and E2 > 54 years). Mean +/- SE (cm2) of CC surface in controls E < or = 54 and E > 54 were respectively 7.09 +/- 0.42 and 8.97 +/- 0.62 (p < 0.01) and in schizophrenics E < or = 54 and E > 54 were respectively 7.61 +/- 0.24 and 6.60 +/- 0.29 (p < 0.05). Among control and schizophrenic E > 54 sub-groups there were significant differences (p < 0.01). Statistically significant differences among sub-group values were obtained through analysis of variance. Correlation coefficient (r) between age and surface in control and schizophrenic groups were respectively 0.55; p < 0.05 and -0.45; p < 0.02. Our results provide evidence that chronic female schizophrenic patients have diminished CC surface and altered proportionality among surface and perimeter, that increases with age. However, in the control group, there is an increment of corpus callosum surface without altered perimeter proportionality.

Inversion of the hemispheric laterality of the anterior cingulate gyrus in schizophrenics.

The anterior cingulate gyrus (acg) is involved in mechanisms of attention and emotion, where the right hemisphere is considered to be dominant. One of the models for neuropsychological dysfunction in schizophrenia suggests an impairment in the balance of lateralized functions. Fourteen adult human female brains, having no macroscopic lesions, were used in this study. Seven brains came from female patients with clinical diagnoses of residual schizophrenia (DSM-III-R; APA 1987). Seven female brains were used as controls. Thirteen male brains were also studied, with the sole purpose of establishing the typicality of the female controls. All schizophrenic brains were age matched with control brains. Right laterality for weight (71.4%) and surface (85.7%) was observed in the acg of female control brains. The inversion of this laterality in a significant number of the schizophrenic cases was the most relevant finding in this study.

Gastric acid secretion response in the Cebus apella. A monkey model of chronic Chagas' disease.

The objective was to study the secretory pattern, both basal and stimulated either by histamine (0.1 mg/kg) or pentagastrin (64 micrograms/kg) in eighteen Cebus apella monkeys chronically infected with different T. cruzi strains (CA1, n = 10; Colombian, n = 4 and Tulahuen, n = 4) and to describe the morphological findings in the gastrointestinal tract in twelve infected (6 sacrificed and 6 spontaneously dead) and four healthy monkeys. All infected monkeys and 35 healthy ones were evaluated by contrast X-ray examination. No differences were observed in basal acid output between control and infected groups. Animals infected with the Tulahuen and Colombian strains showed significant lower values of peak acid output in response to histamine or pentagastrin (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05 respectively; "t" test) in comparison to the controls. Barium contrast studies showed enlargement and dilatation of the colon in three infected animals. Histopathological lesions were seen in 75% of the autopsied animals either in colon alone (33%) or both, in colon and esophagus (42%). The normal secretion observed in the CA1 infected group could be due to a lower virulence of the strain, a lower esophageal tropism or the necessity of a longer post-infection time to cause lesions.

Influence of jejunal hypertonic glucose infusion on sham-feeding-stimulated gastric acid secretion: evidence of a defective mechanism in duodenal ulcer patients.

The aims of the present study were to determine in 14 healthy subjects and 14 duodenal ulcer patients the reproducibility of the acid secretory response to a modified sham-feeding test and the effect on this response of intrajejunal hypertonic glucose instillation, in order to evaluate the possibility of the existence of a defective inhibition of the cephalic phase of gastric acid secretion in duodenal ulcer disease. The reproducibility of the acid secretory response to a modified sham-feeding test was demonstrated in both groups in two consecutive tests. The hypertonic glucose instillation produced a significant inhibition of the acid secretory response to modified sham feeding only in the healthy subjects, suggesting that duodenal ulcer patients may have a defective mechanism of acid inhibition during vagal stimulation by modified sham feeding. Non-significant changes were observed in plasma gastrin and pancreatic glucagon levels.

Direct assay of urinary steroid glucuronides for monitoring the approach of ovulation.

The concentrations of estrone-3-glucuronide (E(1)3G) and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (P(2)3G) in daily samples of early morning urine (EMU) were correlated with the levels of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P) and LH in respective plasma samples. Forty-six menstrual cycles were studied, in order to determine the practical usefulness of the urine assays for detecting: a) an individualized estrogen concentration threshold value, announcing the approach of ovulation. b) an individualized signal provided by P(2)3G in urine from which it can be assumed that ovulation has already occurred. The results showed that the concentration of E2 in plasma, in any day of the cycle, can be precisely inferred from the respective concentration of E(1)3G in EMU. The estimation of the plasmatic P values from those of P(2)3G in EMU had to be based on different factors according to the phase of the cycle, fact that suggests the presence of a phase-related variation in the glucuronization of P metabolites. Considering three consecutive E(1)3G urinary assay results, it was possible to identify a threshold value termed Estrogen-Peak Initiating Rise (E-PIR), which anticipated in 3.02 +/- 0.18 days the occurrence of an LH peak. The attempts to detect the occurrence of ovulation by an individualized urinary P(2)3G signal proved disappointing. The signal was detected, either before, simultaneously or after the LH peak.

Effect of d-amphetamine, ethanol and genever on learning in the rat.

The effect of oral administration of d-amphetamine (5 mg/kg), ethanol (2.5 g/kg), genever (equivalent to 2.5 g/kg ethanol) and the combinations d-amphetamine-ethanol and d-amphetamine-genever was studied on learning in the rat, using a shuttle-box in 4 sessions at 24 hr intervals. Acquisition was significantly favored by all treatments, being more constant in the 4 sessions when combinations d-amphetamine-ethanol and d-amphetamine-genever were administered.