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Biomedical subjects

C G Gottfries

Publications and source records attributed to C G Gottfries.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Treatment of depression in the elderly. General clinical considerations.

Epidemiological investigations indicate that there is a high incidence of affective disorders in the elderly. Women predominate over men which may be due to diagnostic problems. It is a general assumption that socio- and psychogenic factors, somatic illness and treatment with drugs have etiological importance for affective disorders in the elderly. This assumption needs further investigation, however. Post mortem investigations have shown that there are biochemical changes in the brain in the elderly and in dementia disorders, indicating that there is a reduced activity in the serotoninergic and cholinergic systems. These biochemical changes may increase vulnerability to affective disorders in the elderly and in demented patients. When discussing the cause of the high incidence of affective disorders among the elderly a chain of factors must be considered. Psychogenic and sociogenic factors may precipitate the disease but biochemical disturbances related to the ageing process may make the individual vulnerable to affective disorders. Theoretically zimelidine seems to be the drug of choice when treating affective disorders in the elderly.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Post-mortem distribution of dopamine and homovanillic acid in human brain, variations related to age, and a review of the literature.

The post-mortem brain concentrations of dopamine (DA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were determined in 16 parts of the brain from patients with no history of neurologic or psychiatric illness. Fifteen men and nine women, with a mean age of 61.0 +/- 18.7 years (range 23--92 years) were included. They had died from either ischaemic heart disease or cancer. In the post-mortem investigation several factors were controlled: age, time between death and autopsy, time between autopsy and chemical analysis and storage time (-20 degrees C). The DA concentrations in the different brain areas were found to be positively intercorrelated, especially those in the basal ganglia, hippocampus and the mesencephalon. The HVA concentrations measured in various cortical structures were also positively intercorrelated. In several regions of the brain there was a significant inverse correlation between the DA and HVA concentrations. The DA and HVA concentrations did not differ according to sex, but age had a marked influence on the DA concentration. Significant decrease with age was observed in the nucleus caudatus, globus pallidus, mesencephalon, hippocampus and in the cortex gyrus hippocampus. These findings are discussed in relation to the effect of aging neurons. A review of human post-mortem investigations on DA and HVA concentrations is also presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Monoamines and monoamine metabolites in brains from demented schizophrenics.

The brains from 12 schizophrenic patients were investigated post-mortem for their content of noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA). Six of the schizophrenics had been lobotomized 25--30 years prior to death. A control group matched for age was collected in the autopsy room. The concentrations of NA, DA, and HVA in different parts of the brain from the schizophrenic group did not differ from those of the controls. 5-HT was determined in 11 nuclei or areas of the brain. The schizophrenic group had lower mean values compared with the controls, and in the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and hippocampus the difference was at a significant level. 5-HIAA was determined in six areas of the brain but only in a few cases. There was a trend towards lower means of 5-HIAA in the schizophrenics. Cause of death, medication, food intake, age, time between death and autopsy, time the corpses have lain in room temperature, and dissection technique are discussed in relation to these findings. These variables have to be kept under careful control before changes can be claimed as having pathogenetic importance for schizophrenia or for the progressing dementia in this disease.

Brain↗
PubMed1979

Changes in the brain catecholamines in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type.

Brain monoamine concentrations were determined post mortem in 19 patients with dementia of Alzheimer type. Samples were taken from 10 parts of the brain and compared with an age-matched control group. There were lower mean concentrations of dopamine in the demented group of patients in seven regions of the brain, and two of these were at a significant level. There were also significantly lower concentrations of homovanillic acid in the nucleus caudatus and in the putamen. The means of the concentrations of noradrenaline were also lower, and in the putamen and the cortex gyrus frontalis significant differnces were observed. The 5-hydroxytryptamine concentrations were slightly lower in the demented group but the differences did not reach significance. The degree of intellectual deterioration was negatively correlated with the noradrenaline concentrations in the hypothalamus and the cortex gyrus cinguli.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Monoamine oxidase in platelets and brains of non-psychiatric and non-neurological geriatric patients.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity has previously been found to be high both in brain and in platelets in patients with Alzheimer's disease and low in patients with cycloid psychosis and suicidal behaviour and/or ethanol abuse. To establish if there is a correlation between brain and platelet MAO activities in patients without psychic disease, blood samples from patients in a geriatric ward were collected before death and from 4 different parts of the brain at autopsy. The MAO activities in platelets and brain were then estimated with different substrates. No correlation between the MAO activities in the two tissues was, however, found, regardless of the substrate used.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1977

Monoamine oxidase activity in gamma-irradiated rat brains.

The short-term effect of gamma-irradiation (single dose, 100 Gy = 10 000 rad) on tth monoamine oxidase activity in the rat brain was investigated. In contrast to other investigations virtually no changes in MAO-activity were found.

Animals↗