Folia psychiatrica et neurologica japonica最新文献

The serum prolactin concentrations of schizophrenics with delusions or hallucinations, hypomanics, depressives, alcoholics with and without psychotic symptoms were examined. Among them, only the serum prolactin concentrations of alcoholics with psychotic symptoms were significantly higher when compared to the normal controls. In a stress experiment, the alterations of serum prolactin seen in schizophrenics were significantly greater when compared to the normal controls. The results are discussed in connection with the neurochemical mechanisms for the emotional states caused by stress.

Presented here are three epileptic patients suffering from periods of frequent complex partial seizures. The importance of the following two points for the diagnosis of epileptic status of complex partial seizure is stressed. The first is the importance of EEG examination for differentiation of such epileptic status from psychogenic attack and absence status. The second is the importance of disturbed consciousness lasting between seizures. Based on EEG and clinical findings in our three patients, it was concluded that two of the three patients suffered from epileptic status of complex partial seizure and that the condition in the remaining one patient could not be judged as epileptic status of complex partial seizure. Detailed clinical and electroencephalographic findings in previously reported seven patients suffering from status epilepticus of complex partial seizure were compared with those of our two patients. The seven cases out of nine patients had epileptiform EEG activities beginning with localized rhythmic activities. All of the nine patients showed marked motor manifestations during the complex partial seizure such as adversive movement and automatic behaviors. Such motor manifestations of complex partial seizure are very useful for confirming the initiation and termination of the seizure. When the frequency of complex partial seizure is markedly increased, it become difficult to detect the initiation and termination of each seizure, and the discontinuous form of status epilepticus of complex partial seizure passes into its continuous form.

Three baboons, Papio cynocephalus, (two photosensitive and one nonphotosensitive) were subjected to amygdaloid kindling. Electroclinical profile of seizure development-developed seizure compares very favourably to that described in photosensitive baboons, Papio papio, with rapid seizure progression and ultimate emergence of Stage 5 bisymmetrical and bisynchronous generalized convulsive state. In addition, one baboon developed spontaneous recurrent seizures which were identical to the kindled Stage 5 seizure. It is concluded that the state of exceptional seizure susceptibility observed in Papio papio is shared by Papio cynocephalus, although photosensitivity and kindled generalized convulsion appear to be independent variables.

The present study was undertaken to assess age-related changes in the Purkinje's cells in the rat cerebellar cortex. The cellular and nucleolar volumes and the volume percentage of lipofuscin per cytoplasma were measured in six age groups. The number of Purkinje's cells was also counted. The cellular volume of rats aged 18, 24 and 30 months decreased significantly as compared with that of 3-month-old rats. The nucleolar volume of rats aged 12, 18, 24 and 30 months decreased significantly as compared with that of 3-month-old rats. The accumulation of lipofuscin in the cytoplasma of the Purkinje's cells was observed more or less in all ages. The degree of accumulation of lipofuscin in the Purkinje's cells increased with aging. The number of Purkinje's cells at the ages of 24 and 30 months decreased significantly as compared with that of 3-month-old rats.

We have classified 200 pre-adolescent patients, with whom we have met during the last three years, into the following four types: school refusal and obsessive behavior, psychosomatic disorders, depressive reactions, and schizophrenic disorders. During our therapeutic process, we realized that even though their symptoms seemed varied and severe, they disappeared after comparatively short periods. The pre-adolescent period is a turning point at which the children depart from their earlier relationships with parents and start to form new ones with friends. We facilitated the patients' developmental process in this period so that they would recover naturally by themselves. However, when we looked at the social phenomena which influence the family and children, we noticed that some factors interfered with the pre-adolescents trying to get over the above-mentioned turning point.

Phosphatidylinositol (PI)-cycle in the platelet membrane was examined in eight untreated patients with psychotic symptoms. A defect of PI-cycle in the transformation from 1,2-diacylglycerol into phosphatidic acid was found in three patients, who were diagnosed as having Schizophrenic Disorders or Schizophreniform Disorder according to the DSM-III criteria. Two out of the three patients were reexamined while undergoing neuroleptic medication, and they showed the same abnormality in PI-cycle. Further studies were required to determine the nature of the abnormality in PI-cycle in the platelets of schizophrenics.

Progressive mental deterioration associated with parkinsonism was observed in a 68-year-old patient in the senile period. Pathologically, evidence of senile changes was obtained consisting of degeneration of the neurons and numerous senile plaques with classical and perivascular types. Further, neuronal degeneration in the form of Lewy bodies was evidently observed in the hypothalamus, substantia nigra et innominata, locus caeruleus of the vagus nerve, some nuclei in the reticular formation of the brainstem and neurons in the cerebral cortex. The clinical and pathological manifestations were those of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. It is suggested that some common etiological factors may cause those lesions as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

A dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was carried out on autistic and other handicapped children to investigate the function of the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis (HPA-axis). The subjects were 19 autistic children consisting of 11 relatively well-developed and eight poorly-developed children. The control groups were 26 normal volunteers, 19 patients with schizophrenia and 15 children with mental retardation (MR) or minimal brain dysfunction (MBD). The DST procedures followed the Carroll method. As a result, all of the normal volunteers and 19 schizophrenic patients showed normal response (suppressor). Nine of the 11 well-developed autistic children exhibited suppressor, while all of the poorly-developed children showed an abnormal response (non-suppressor). Nine of the 10 children with MR and all of the five children with MBD were suppressor. These results suggest that there might be a dysfunction in the HPA-axis of the poorly-developed autistic children.