Comportamiento antisocial y uso de drogas: implicaciones para la prevención / No disponible

El comportamiento antisocial se asocia frecuentementeal consumo de drogas. En la práctica clínica, elabuso y dependencia de las drogas suele asociarse altrastorno antisocial de la personalidad y a una historiapositiva de trastorno disocial. Los trastornos relacionadoscon el uso de drogas y con el comportamiento antisocialpueden tener mecanismos etiopatogénicos comunes,entre los que los factores de riesgo y de protecciónde naturaleza familiar jugarían un papel central.Los adolescentes que muestran un comportamientoantisocial pueden precisar intervenciones específicaspara prevenir posteriores trastornos relacionados con eluso de drogas. A pesar de la amplia literatura que muestrala eficacia del entrenamiento familiar como unaestrategia adecuada para prevenir el abuso de sustanciasentre los adolescentes con comportamiento antisocial,los programas de prevención familiar son escasos tantoen España como en América Latina, una situación quecomienza a cambiar con el desarrollo de nuevos programasde prevención selectiva

Antisocial behaviour is frequently related to substanceuse. In clinical practice, substance abuse anddependence are commonly associated to antisocial personalitydisorders and a positive history of conduct disorder.Both substance use and antisocial behaviour disordersmay share common etiopathogenic factors, withfamily-related risk and protective factors playing animportant causative role.Adolescents showing behaviour problems mayrequire specific interventions to prevent subsequentsubstance use disorders. In spite of the extensive literatureshowing the efficacy of parental training as anappropriate strategy to prevent substance abuse amongantisocial adolescents, family prevention programmesare scarce in Spain and Latin America, a situation that isbeginning to change due to the development of newselective prevention programmes

Depresión y cáncer de mama. Relación no negligible / Depression and breast cancer. A not negligible relationship

No disponible

Evaluación psicofisiológica del estrés mediante la reactividad cardíaca / Psychophysiological evaluation of stress through cardiac reactivity

No disponible

Técnicas morfométricas para el análisis deestructuras cerebrales de imágenes de resonanciamagnética: aplicaciones en psiquiatría / Morphometric techniques for the analysis of cerebral structures from magnetic resonance imaging scans: applications in psychiatry

No disponible

[Auditory evoked potentials and alcohol: characteristics of the mismatch negativity component in alcoholism]. / Potenciales evocados auditivos y alcohol: características del componente mismatch negativity en el alcoholismo.

AIMS: The aim of this work is to review the effects of alcohol on the MMN component, to discuss its viability as a vulnerability marker for alcoholism, and to link it with the P300 component. METHOD: Alcohol alters the P300 and MMN components of auditory evoked potentials. In alcoholism, the alterations observed in the P300 component in risk subjects have been seen as markers of susceptibility to development of the illness. In the case of the MMN component, on the other hand, to date its viability as a vulnerability marker has only been evaluated in three studies, with varying results. While two of them found no differences, in the third and most recent it was found that risk subjects presented an increase in the amplitude of the MMN, which was interpreted as a reflection of the cortical hyperexcitability suggested by other authors and which was also reflected in the decrease in the P300 amplitude. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained do not enable us to draw conclusions about whether the MMN component is altered in risk subjects for alcoholism. The differences in the studies that have been conducted could be due to the variations in the characteristics of the samples used or of the evaluation of the characteristics of MMN. The analysis of previous work on P300 or MMN suggests that broader, more homogeneous samples should be used in future research and that, in addition to the MMN peak, its mean amplitude in successive intervals, together with its two subcomponents should also be evaluated separately.

Potenciales evocados auditivos y alcohol: característicasdel componente mismatch negativity en el alcoholismo / Auditory evoked potentials and alcohol: characteristics of the mismatch negativity component in alcoholism

Objetivo. Revisar los efectos del alcohol sobre el componente MMN (del inglés mismatch negativity), discutir acerca de su viabilidad como marcador de vulnerabilidad del alcoholismo y relacionarlo con el componente P300. Desarrollo. El alcohol altera los componentes P300 y MMN de los potenciales evocados auditivos. En el alcoholismo, las alteraciones observadas en el componente P300 en sujetos de riesgo se han considerado como marcadores de susceptibilidad al desarrollo de la enfermedad. En el caso del componente MMN, en cambio, hasta la actualidad, únicamente se ha evaluado su viabilidad como marcador de vulnerabilidad en tres trabajos, y los resultados son dispares. Mientras que dos de ellos no observan diferencias, en el tercero, y más reciente, se constata que los sujetos de riesgo presentan un aumento de la amplitud de MMN, interpretada como reflejo de la hiperexcitabilidad cortical sugerida por otros autores y reflejada también en la disminución de la amplitud de P300. Conclusiones. Los resultados obtenidos no permiten sacar conclusiones sobre si el componente MMN se altera en sujetos de riesgo para el alcoholismo. Las diferencias en los trabajos realizados podrían deberse a las dispares características de las muestras utilizadas o de la evaluación de las características de MMN. El análisis de los trabajos previos sobre P300 y MMN sugiere que en estudios futuros se deberían utilizar muestras más amplias y homogéneas, y se debería evaluar, además del pico de MMN, su amplitud media en intervalos sucesivos, así como sus dos subcomponentes por separado (AU)

[The potential P300 in the evaluation of the side effects of dexchlorpheniramine]. / El potencial P300 en la valoracion de los efectos secundarios de la dexclorfeniramina.

INTRODUCTION: The antihistamine chlorpheniramine presents multiple adverse side effects on the central nervous system. In earlier work it has been observed that a dose equal to the one used in this study alters the evoked potentials PN (processing negativity) and MMN (mismatch negativity), which are, respectively, indicators of selective attention and of an automatic mechanism for detecting changes in auditory stimulation. AIMS. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a single 4 mg dose of dexchlorpheniramine on the evoked potential P300, to enable us to better define its effects on the central nervous system. Subjects and methods. Using the double blind procedure, half a sample consisting in 20 subjects was administered 4 mg of dexchlorpheniramine and the other 10 received placebo. 150 minutes after ingestion the potential P300 was recorded using an active oddball paradigm. Likewise, efficiency in detecting target stimuli was also evaluated. RESULTS: results show that a single 4 mg dose of dexchlorpheniramine does not alter P300 nor efficiency in detecting target stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that the dose used has no effect on voluntary processes involving the categorization of target stimuli nor on their detection. However, the alteration of other attentional mechanisms observed in previous work using the same doses suggests that it would be advisable to employ different evoked potential paradigms in the evaluation of the side effects other active principles or psychoactive substances have on auditory attention.

El potencial P300 en la valoraciónde los efectos secundarios de la dexclorfeniramina / The potential p300 in the evaluation of the side effects of dexchlorpheniramine

Introducción. El antihistamínico clorfeniramina presenta múltiples efectos secundarios adversos sobre el sistema nervioso central. Previamente se ha observado que una dosis igual a la utilizada en el presente estudio altera los potenciales evocados PN ( processing negativity) y MMN (mismatch negativity), indicadores respectivamente de la atención selectiva y de un mecanismo automático de detección de cambios en la estimulación auditiva. Objetivo. El objetivo del presente estudio es evaluar los efectos de una dosis única de 4 mg de dexclorfeniramina sobre el potencial evocado P300, a fin de delimitar mejor los efectos de dicha sustancia sobre el sistema nervioso central. Sujetos y métodos. Muestra formada por 20 sujetos, mediante un procedimiento de doble ciego la mitad de ellos recibió 4 mg de dexclorfeniramina y la otra mitad placebo. Al cabo de 150 minutos de la ingestión, se registró el potencial P300 mediante un paradigma de oddball activo. Asimismo, se evaluó el rendimiento en la detección de los estímulos designados ( target). Resultados. Los resultados indican que una dosis única de 4 mg de dexclorfeniramina no altera el P300 ni el rendimiento en la tarea de detección de estímulos designados. Conclusiones. Si bien los resultados indican que la dosis utilizada no afecta a los procesos voluntarios de categorización de los estímulos designados ni a su detección, la alteración de otros mecanismos atencionales observada en trabajos previos utilizando la misma dosis sugiere la idoneidad de emplear diferentes paradigmas de potenciales evocados en la evaluación de los efectos secundarios sobre la atención auditiva de otros principios activos o sustancias psicoactivas (AU)

[The secondary effects of the antihistamine chlorpheniramine on the central nervous system]. / Efectos secundarios del antihistamánico clorfeniramina sobre el sistema nervioso central.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to review the main investigations into the secondary effects of the antihistamine chlorpheniramine on the central nervous system (CNS). DEVELOPMENT: The antagonists of the H1 receptors of histamine, usually used in the treatment of symptoms of allergy or the common cold, have many adverse effects on the CNS. They cause day time drowsiness, cause poorer performance of tasks involving visuo motor coordination and make it more difficult to detect target auditory stimuli in tasks involving sustained concentration. When using evoked potentials (EP) it has been observed that they alter the system for maintaining auditory attention. They cause increased P300 latency, an EP related to the voluntary ability to discriminate between relevant stimuli, a reduction in the amplitude of mismatch negativity (MMN), an EP which is seen as a pre attention mechanism for automatic detection of environmental acoustic changes and alters selective attention capacity, reflected by a reduction in the amplitude of processing negativity (PN). CONCLUSIONS: These studies show that chlorpheniramine has major adverse effects on the CNS, and the patient may not be subjectively aware of this (e.g. selective attention). This means that in certain situations it is a dangerous substance. The characteristics of these adverse effects should lead to a review of the prescription of chlorpheniramine, and stimulate the search for other substances with similar therapeutic actions but fewer side effects on the CNS.

Efectos secundarios del antihistamínico clorfeniramina sobre el sistema nervioso central / The secondary effects of the antihistamine chlorpheniramine on the central nervous system

Objetivo. El objetivo del presente trabajo es revisar las principales investigaciones centradas en la evaluación de los efectos secundarios del antihistamínico clorfeniramina sobre el sistema nervioso central (SNC). Desarrollo. Los antagonistas de los receptores H1 de la histamina, usados habitualmente en el tratamiento de los síntomas de alergias y resfriados, presentan múltiples efectos secundarios adversos sobre el SNC. Causan somnolencia diurna, disminuyen el rendimiento en tareas de coordinación visuomotora y dificultan la detección de estímulos target auditivos en tareas de atención sostenida. Además, mediante la utilización de potenciales evocados (PE), se ha observado que la histamina altera el sistema atencional auditivo. Provoca un aumento de la latencia de P300, un PE relacionado con la capacidad voluntaria de discriminación de los estímulos relevantes, una disminución de la amplitud de MMN (mismatch negativity), un PE que refleja un mecanismo preatencional de detección automática de los cambios acústicos en el entorno, y altera la capacidad de atención selectiva, reflejada en una disminución de la amplitud de PN (processing negativity). Conclusiones. Los estudios realizados han puesto de relieve que la clorfeniramina presenta importantes efectos secundarios en el SNC, algunos sin que el sujeto tenga indicadores subjetivos de ello (p. ej., atención selectiva); ello la convierte en una sustancia de riesgo en determinadas situaciones. Las características de estos efectos adversos deben servir para revisar la prescripción de la clorfeniramina y para estimular la búsqueda de otras sustancias con iguales efectos terapéuticos y menores efectos secundarios sobre el SNC (AU)

Relation of Apo E and ACE genes to cognitive performance in chronic alcoholic patients.

Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 and ACE genes have been related to several conditions involving cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's disease, normal ageing and cerebrovascular disease. However, it has not been established whether their genotypes are associated with alcoholism or its cognitive functioning. Genotypic distributions of 140 chronic alcoholic patients were compared with a non-alcoholic sample, and the cognitive performance of a subsample of the alcoholic subjects was assessed with standard neuropsychological tests. No differences in allele or genotype distributions of Apo E or ACE genes were found when comparing controls and alcoholics (Apo E epsilon2/2; patients 1.4%, controls 0% p < 0.06; epsilon2/epsilon3; patients 9.3%, controls 6.6% p < 0.29; epsilon2/epsilon4; patients 0%, controls 1% p < 0.31; epsilon3/epsilon3 patients 71.4%, controls 72% p < 0.89; epsilon3/epsilon4; patients 15.7%, controls 19.2%, p < 0.36; epsilon4/epsilon4; patients 2.1%, controls 1.2% p < 0.44; ACE D/D; patients 35%, controls 28.5% p < 0.14; I/D; patients 47.5%, controls 51.1% p < 0.51; I/I; patients 14.5%, controls 20.4% p < 0.19). In terms of cognitive performance, epsilon4/epsilon3 patients did better on visuoconstructive (p < 0.001) and visual memory (p < 0.04) functions compared with epsilon2/epsilon3 bearers. Furthermore, ACE D/D patients performed better on a test of abstract reasoning (p < 0.03) compared with the ACE I/I homozygous group. The cognitive results suggest that Apo E or ACE genotypes may modify the effects of ethanol on cognitive deterioration in alcoholic patients. However, the data do not support an association between the Apo E epsilon4 allele and reduced cognitive performance in alcoholism.

Gender differences in diurnal variations of subjective activation and mood.

This article evaluates the influence of gender on diurnal and postlunch period variations in subjective activation and mood. This topic is not often addressed in the literature; particularly, little attention has been paid to how biological rhythms might bias research results. We studied 40 university student volunteers (20 men, 20 women) aged 18 to 23 years old (X = 20.23, SD = 1.03); they responded to questions on eight unipolar visual analog scales every hour from 08:00 to 21:00. Gender differences were observed in both diurnal and postlunch variations for scales of positive activation (alertness, vigor); sleepiness, however, was only sensitive to diurnal variation, and weariness was sensitive only to a postlunch effect. Women displayed a morning-type pattern, with their optimal moment (11:00) coming 2h earlier than for men, and their activation ratings ranged more widely. The only mood scale that showed differences related to gender was that of happiness, for which women had a higher diurnal mean, a diurnal peak 2h earlier, and a less-intense postlunch effect. Endogenous control of rhythmic pattern appears to be less intense in women, probably due to the coexistence of circamensual rhythmicity, although environmental or sociocultural influences may play a modulating role. Chronopsychological gender differences in affective states should be studied further given the implication they have for the prevention and treatment of mood disorders.

Influence of smoking and gender on diurnal variations of heart rate reactivity in humans.

We evaluated the influence of smoking and gender on diurnal variations of heart rate reactivity during performance of two vigilance tasks (auditory and visual) and a working memory task. Heart rate was measured hourly (08:00-21:00 h) at rest and during performance tasks in 20 smokers (ten men, ten women) and 20 non-smokers (ten men, ten women). Smoking and gender influenced reactivity only at certain times, especially at the earliest and latest hours and during the post-lunch period. Smokers displayed major post-lunch interference and a pattern of lowered stress in the second half of the day. Women showed greater reactivity at the first daily recording, although their levels later became similar to the men's and were even lower. The statement that women are myocardial hyperreactors must be further investigated, as it seems women may take longer than men to adapt to a task.

The H1-receptor antagonist dextro-chlorpheniramine impairs selective auditory attention in the absence of subjective awareness of this impairment.

Although previous studies have shown that the human attention system is partially affected by chlorpheniramine, the effects of chlorpheniramine on human auditory selective attention have not yet been explored. This study examines the effects of a single dose of 4 mg of dextro-chlorpheniramine on human auditory selective attention by means of the evaluation of the event-related brain potential (ERP) processing negativity (PN). The study sample consisted of 20 healthy male humans, who received either a single 4-mg dose of dextro-chlorpheniramine or a placebo in a double-blind design. The subjects were given a dichotic listening task, in which they were instructed to press a response button upon detecting deviant tones (target) while their ERPs were recorded. In parallel, subjective tests evaluated the daytime sleepiness, overall vigor, and affect of the subjects. Results showed that the auditory selective attention is impaired under the effects of chlorpheniramine, as reflected by an attenuation of PN amplitude and by a decrease of performance in the group of subjects who took a single 4-mg dose of dextro-chlorpheniramine. No subjective change in the daytime sleepiness, overall vigor, or affect of the subjects was observed. This lack of conscious awareness of the side effects may lead to situations of risk in tasks for which auditory information is important, because no subjective indicators of attention impairment are available to the subjects.

[Prevention of drug abuse in the secondary school after the reform of the Spanish educational system. Implementation of several programs in the city of Barcelona, Spain]. / Prevención del abuso de drogas en la escuela secundaria tras la reforma educativa. Implantación de diversos programas en la ciudad de Barcelona.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the adoption of 3 different school-based drug abuse prevention programmes in secondary schools, analyzing some features of their implementation and the relationship between the percentage of schools adopting each intervention and the prevalence of addiction to opiates at district level. METHODS: Mail survey with telephone follow-up to the 235 secondary schools located in Barcelona, carried out at the end of 1997-1998 school-year. A bivariate analysis of correlations (Spearman) was performed to assess the association between the percentage of schools having adopted each of the 3 prevention programmes in each city district, and the previously reported estimates of the prevalence rates of opiate addiction. RESULTS: 44.7% of all schools completed the survey, 38 of them (16.2% of respondents) had offered 1 of the programmes within the school-year, 20 schools (19.0%) offered 2 programmes, and 4 schools (3.0%) the 3 programmes. Statistically significant correlations were found for the adoption of different programs between districts, but not for the percentages of schools offering prevention programmes and the prevalence of opiate addiction. CONCLUSIONS: Social and health needs, indicated by prevalence rates of opiate addiction, do not explain geographic inequalities in the adoption of prevention programmes. The need for prevention programmes aimed at risk groups is discussed.

Prevención del abuso de drogas en la escuela secundaria tras la reforma educativa. Implantación de diversos programas en la ciudad de Barcelona / Prevention of drug abuse in the secondary school after the reform of the Spanish educational system. Implementation of several programmes in the city of Barcelona, Spain

Objetivos: Evaluar la adopción de tres programas escolares diferentes de prevención del abuso de drogas en centros de educación secundaria, analizando algunas características de su implantación, así como la relación entre el porcentaje de escuelas que han adoptado cada intervención y la prevalencia de la adicción a los opiáceos en diferentes distritos. Métodos: Encuesta por correo con seguimiento telefónico a los 235 centros de educación secundaria de Barcelona realizada al finalizar el curso escolar 1997-1998. Se practicó un análisis de correlación bivariada (Spearman) para evaluar la asociación entre el porcentaje de escuelas que habían adoptado cada uno de los tres programas en cada distrito y las estimaciones de la tasa de prevalencia de la adicción a los opiáceos publicadas anteriormente. Resultados: un 44,7 por ciento de las escuelas completaron la encuesta, 38 de ellas (16,2 por ciento de las respondientes) ofrecieron uno de los programas durante el curso, 20 escuelas (19,0 por ciento) ofrecieron dos programas, y cuatro escuelas (3,0 por ciento) los tres programas. Se observaron correlaciones estadísticamente significativas entre distritos en la adopción de diferentes programas, pero no entre los porcentajes de escuelas que ofrecían programas de prevención y la prevalencia de adicción a los opiáceos. Conclusiones: Las necesidades sociales y sanitarias, indicadas por la prevalencia de la adicción a los opiáceos, no explican la desigualdad territorial en la adopción de programas de prevención escolar. Se discute la necesidad de desarrollar programas de prevención destinados a grupos en riesgo (AU)

Behavioral effects of aluminum in mice: influence of restraint stress.

The influence of restraint stress on potential aluminum (Al)-induced behavioral changes was assessed in CD-1 mice. Three groups of adult mice were given 0, 300 and 600 mg Al/kg body weight per day in drinking water for 2 weeks. One-half of the animals in each group were concurrently subjected to restraint stress during 1 h per day throughout the study. After cessation of treatment, open-field activity, active avoidance learning, and motor resistance and coordination of the animals were evaluated. At the end of the behavioral testing period, mice were killed and Al concentrations were determined in a number of tissues. There were no remarkable effects of Al, restraint stress or their combined administration on either open-field activity or on the number of avoidances in an automatic reflex conditioner. However, a lower motor resistance and coordination in a rotarod were observed following exposure to Al at 600 mg/kg/day, restraint alone or concurrent administration of Al (300 and 600 mg/kg/day) plus restraint stress. The levels of Al in whole brain and cerebellum were significantly enhanced in mice exposed to Al plus restraint. Although the present results scarcely show Al-induced neurobehavioral effects, the influence of restraint stress on Al levels in whole brain and cerebellum can be the basis for further studies on the potential role of this element in certain neurological disorders.

Reduced design fluency in subclinical obsessive-compulsive subjects.

This study examined the verbal and design fluency abilities of 25 subclinical obsessive-compulsive (OC) subjects and 27 noncompulsive control subjects. As hypothesized, the OC group showed reduced design fluency, and design fluency was also negatively correlated with obsessionality. These results provide further evidence for the involvement of the right corticostriatal systems in the mediation of OC behaviors, extending the findings to individuals with subclinical symptoms.

Neuropsychological functioning in a subclinical obsessive-compulsive sample.

BACKGROUND: Previous neuropsychological research has suggested that the study of psychometrically defined subclinical samples might be a valid approach to understand the underlying pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This approach has the potential benefit of overcoming some of the methodological problems linked to the use of clinical samples. METHODS: A group of subclinical obsessive-compulsive (OC) subjects (n = 35), selected on the basis of their scores on the Padua Inventory, and a control group were assessed on executive functioning tasks and other neuropsychological tests which have been demonstrated to be impaired in clinical OCD patients and/or in those with several basal ganglia disorders. RESULTS: Subclinical OC subjects needed significantly more moves than controls to reach the solution criteria on the Tower of Hanoi puzzle, and performance on this test was positively correlated with total score and the Checking factor of the Padua Inventory. There were no between-group differences on the other frontal lobe tests. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that deficits in manipulating spatial information might be basic in OCD, and are congruent with the involvement of the frontostriatal circuits in the disorder.

Hemispheric functional imbalance in a sub-clinical obsessive-compulsive sample assessed by the Continuous Performance Test, Identical Pairs version.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) sufferers have long been observed to give excessive consideration to normally ignored exogenous and endogenous stimuli. This over-focused attention concerning their symptoms has led researchers to experimentally investigate the attentional mechanisms involved in this disorder and its psychobiological basis. Previous psychometric and neuropsychological research has demonstrated the validity of the sub-clinical analogue in the study of the mechanisms underlying OCD. In this study, 71 introductory university students were recruited from an original pool of 450 people on the basis of their scores on the Spanish version of the Padua Inventory. A high obsessive group (n = 35) was compared with a control group (n = 36) on a standard sustained attention task: the Continuous Performance Test, Identical Pairs version (CPT-IP). The results showed a significant interaction effect between CPT-IP subscales (verbal and spatial) and group membership. This effect was more evident among men. The results were unrelated to general intelligence, depression, anxiety, personality or motivational factors. These findings support the hypothesis that neuropsychological deficits in OCD may be related to a hemispheric functional imbalance rather than to a lateralised dysfunction of a particular hemisphere.