[Comparative action of melatonin and bilobil on light perception and psychophysiological indices in patients with cerebral trauma anamnesis].

Pineal hormone melatonin (melaxen preparation) and a typical cognitive enhancer Ginkgo biloba (bilobil preparation) decreased the retinal light sensitivity thresholds upon two-week administration in young (aged 19-23) patients with cerebral trauma anamnesis. This effect was more significant in evening than in the morning hours. Both drugs also attenuated the reactive anxiety (bilobil was slightly superior to melaxen in this respect) and insignificantly increased the volume of acoustic memory. The observed similarity of the psychotropic effect of two preparations allows melatonin to be classified into nootropic agents.

[Effects of melatonin and motherwort tincture on the emotional state and visual functions in anxious subjects].

The chronic administration of melatonin (0.75 mg at night, 10 days) led to a significant decrease in the thresholds of retinal brightness sensitivity and improved the emotional state in anxious young subjects. Analogous changes were less pronounced after the treatment with common motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) tincture. It is suggested that there is a relation between the limitation of anxiety and the improvement of visual function (sensitivity).

[The effect of tofisopam and tinctura leonuri on the color-discrimination function in young humans].

Enhanced anxiety state is accompanied by limitation of the color-discrimination function of retina in young humans. Chronic administration of tofisopam (grandaxin) or tinctura leonuri decreased anxiety and significantly improved the color discrimination function of retina with respect to all four colors studied. It is suggested that this improvement is related to the drug action upon the GABAergic processes both in the retina and in the related cerebral structures.

[Effect of pyracetam on the color discriminative function of retina in patients with craniocerebral trauma]. / Vlianie piratsetama na tsvetorazlichitel'nuiu funktsiiu setchatki glaza u lits, perenesshikh cherepno-mozgovuiu travmu.

The chronic administration of piracetam over a period of four weeks in patients after heavy craniocerebral traumas significantly improves the color discrimination of retina with respect to all four colors studied. It is suggested that the improved functioning is related to the nootrope effect upon the GABAergic processes both in the retina and in the related cerebral structures.

[Effect of piracetam on photosensitivity of the retina and timing of the visual-motor reaction with head injury]. / Vliianie piratsetama na svetochuvstvitel'nost' setchatki glaza i vremia zritel'no-motornoi reaktsii u lits, perenesshikh cherepno-mozgovuiu travmu.

The chronic administration of piracetam over a period of four weeks in patients with heavy cerebrocraneal traumas led to a significant decrease in the retina sensitivity threshold and in the sensomotor response delay time. It is suggested that the increase in the sensitivity is related to the nootrope effect upon the GABAergic processes in the retina.

[Melatonin lowers the threshold of light sensitivity of the human retina]. / Melatonin snizhaet porog svetochuvstvitel'nosti setchatki glaza cheloveka.

After chronic use of melatonin (3 mg before night-time for 14 days) campimetry showed a significant decrease of the threshold of brilliance sensitiveness of the retina in the absence of authentic changes of the sensorimotor response latency in individuals of the older age group. A connection between the eye light sensitivity and the direct effect of the hormone on the photoreceptors is suggested.

[The effect of caffeine on the color-discriminating function of the retina in volunteers]. / Vliianie kofeina na tsevtorazlichitel'nuiu funktsiiu setchatki dobrovol'tsev.

A low dose (0.2 g) of caffeine had no effect, whereas a high dose (0.4 g) lowered the light sensitivity threshold of the eye retina, as determined by campimetry in young people.

[The possible participation of the visual apparatus in the psychopharmacological effect]. / Vozmozhnoe uchastie zritel'nogo apparata v psikhofarmakologicheskom éffekte.

The review attempts to evaluate the possible interest of the visual system and, particularly, the retina in formation of the effect of psychotropic drugs. One of the aspects of the problem associated with the direct effect of drugs on eye function is discussed. Information on modification of neurochemical processes in the retina by psychotropic agents is given. Data confirming the responsibility of the eyes for the origin of specific psychotropic activity of drugs is generalized.

[The effect of the blinding of rats on the dynamics of short-period rhythmic processes with removal of the epiphysis]. / Vliianie oslepleniia krys na dinamiku korotkoperiodnykh ritmicheskikh protsessov pri udalenii épifiza.

Epiphysisectomy was shown to increase depression in swimming rats, whereas epiphysisectomy combined with blending decreased it. Epiphysisectomy alone affected the minute rhythms of haloperidol catalepsy while the combined action was less obvious.

[The epiphysis in the visual analyzer system]. / Epifiz v sisteme zritel'nogo analizatora.

The brain gland epiphysis, participated in the regulation of the endocrine functions of mammals, is rudimentary third eye of lower vertebrates. In the process of evolution the gland has lost it own photoreceptor functions, but saved very close contacts with visual system. By means of it biologically active combinations and, first of all, melatonin hormone, the epiphysis support control over transmission of visual information and participate in realization of biological effects of light on organism.

[Epiphyseal interrelations with the striatum in the haloperidol-induced catalepsy model]. / O vzaimootnosheniiakh épifiza so striatumom na modeli galoperidolovoi katalepsii.

Removal of the rat pineal gland entailed an attenuation of haloperidol-induced catalepsy and readjustment of its time-course. This may depend on either direct of indirect effects of the pineal factors, mostly in the ventral portion of the striatum whose hyperactivity determines the main parameters of the neuroleptic effect.

[The role of the epiphysis in the pathogenesis of depressions]. / Rol' épifiza v patogeneze depressii.

On the pinealectomized rats shifts of main parameters of forced swimming and its time course with increase of rhythmical depression index were observed. Pinealectomy also potentiated depressogenic effect of reserpine which was attenuated by melatonin. At the same time on this model pineal compounds (melatonin, peptides) after acute and chronic administration demonstrated their own antidepressant activity.

Influence of pineal peptides on the dynamics of the circadian and minute motor biorhythms in rats.

A peptide preparation of the pineal, epithalamin, when administered chronically, exerts a modulating influence on the diurnal fluctuations of the motoric activity of rats. It also decreases the amplitude of apomorphine stereotypy and induces a restructuring of a modulatory character in its rhythmic structure. It is hypothesized that the pineal peptides participate in the maintenance of homeostasis by means of the stabilization of rhythmic processes of various periods.

[Attenuation of the effect of imizin on the dynamics of forced swimming and the circadian rhythm of mobility in rats chronically administered melatonin]. / Oslablenie vliianiia imizina na dinamiku prinuditel'nogo plavaniia i tsirkadiannogo ritma podvizhnosti u krys pri khronicheskom vvedenii melatonina.

Imizine (10 mg/kg, 14 days) was shown to change the temporal dynamics of forced swimming in rats and to decrease the biorhythmical index of depression. The antidepressant also produced reorganization of the circadian rest-activity rhythm with the acrophase shift for the late night hours. A pineal hormone melatonin (1 and 10 mg/kg, 7 days) administered in combination with imizine attenuated the main rhythmic indices of its action and precipitated the occurrence of tolerance.

[The effect of the acute and chronic administration of melatonin on the relearning of rats in a Y maze and their sensitivity to haloperidol]. / Vliianie ostrogo i khronicheskogo vvedeniia melatonina na pereobuchenie krys v U-obraznom labirinte i ikh chuvstvitel'nost' k galoperidolu.

After acute (10 mg/kg) and chronic (1 mg/kg, 10 days) administration melatonin facilitated parameters of rats relearning in the Y-maze. A simultaneous shortening of latency avoidance reaction was observed. Haloperidol (0.1 mg/kg) against the background of chronic melatonin administration more strongly optimized the animals' relearning. The hormonal action is supposed to depend on its sedative properties.

[The effect of epiphyseal peptides on the dynamics of the circadian and minute motor biorhythms in rats]. / Vliianie épifizarnykh peptidov na dinamiku tsirkadnogo i minutnogo dvigatel'nykh bioritmov u krys.

Chronic administration of pineal peptide drug epitalamin (0.5 mg/kg for 5 to 10 days) modulated the rat circadian locomotor activity: the animals with low circadian rhythm amplitude were activated whereas the rats with an obvious circadian fluctuations were depressed. The epitalamine obviously decreased an apomorphine-induced stereotype at 13.00 hours rather than at 19.00 hours. The rhythmicity of the stereotype changed in different ways depending on the rat individual susceptibility. The drug decreased the number of 1-3-minute waves if it had been high initially, and increased it if slow fluctuations had dominated. Pineal peptides seem to participate in the maintenance of homeostatic equilibrium at the expense of stabilizing different periods of rhythmical processes.

Chronic administration of pineal peptides change the circadian locomotor activity and time-course of forced swimming in rats.

After chronic administration of epithalamin (a pineal peptide drug), an increase in the amplitude and shifts in the acrophase of rat's circadian locomotor activity to late hours were observed. These results were obtained only in rats with low initial amplitude of their circadian rhythm. Epithalamin also changed the time-course of forced swimming and decreased the rhythmic index of depression. These observations suggest that the pineal gland of the rat, via its peptides, may prevent the development of depressive-like events.