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Biomedical subjects

L H Thorell

Publications and source records attributed to L H Thorell.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Attitudes towards and observations of nonverbal communication in a psychotherapeutic greeting situation: III. An interview study of outpatients.

An interview study of 50 Swedish nonpsychotic outpatients treated by some kind of psychotherapy was performed to investigate their attitudes towards and observations of nonverbal communication in a greeting situation according to the Questionnaire on Nonverbal Communication (psychotherapy patients' version) in relation to background factors such as gender, age, education, and profession, interest in psychological matters, "reading articles and books in psychology," duration of professional help for psychological troubles, number of occasions waiting for a new therapist, and number of therapeutic sessions before the interview. The greeting situation was the first time a patient and a therapist met in a waiting room. Test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was larger for items about observation of nonverbal communication than for those about attitudes. Face communication (eye contact and smile) was considered by the subjects to constitute the most important nonverbal communication in the greeting process. The importance of the face in communication was stressed when the patient believed that such communication corresponded to more than 50% of the total communication in general, was female, was elderly, or reported special interest in nonverbal communication in the greeting situation. Some effects of bias were discussed. The analyses also showed a considerable consciousness and observation in the greeting situation by many psychotherapeutic outpatients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Effects of zimeldine and its metabolites, clomipramine, imipramine and maprotiline in experimental allergic neuritis in Lewis rats.

The influence of the selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibiting antidepressant zimeldine and its metabolite norzimeldine was tested on experimental allergic neuritis (EAN) in Lewis rats, which is an animal model of the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in man. Zimeldine and norzimeldine both suppressed clinical signs of actively induced EAN when given at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally via osmotic pumps. The effects of zimeldine, its metabolites norzimeldine and CPP 200 as well as of the antidepressants clomipramine, imipramine and maprotiline on in vitro immune response were tested. Thereby we used an immunospot assay for interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) produced by lymph node mononuclear cells (MNC), which reflects number of memory T lymphocytes activated by antigen or lectin, in this experiment bovine peripheral nerve myelin (BPM) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA), respectively. In the IFN-gamma secretion assay zimeldine, CPP 200, clomipramine and maprotiline all in a concentration-dependent mode reduced the number of IFN-gamma secreting cells while norzimeldine and imipramine did not affect the IFN-gamma secretion. In assays for proliferation in response to antigen or lectin, the concentration 10(-4) M was judged toxic for all substances tested, and at concentrations below that all but zimeldine showed a dose-dependent slight reduction of MNC proliferation. The action of several drugs on induced T cell secretion of IFN-gamma suggests that the mechanisms for the suppressive effect of zimeldine and norzimeldine on EAN symptoms can be due to an action on myelin T cell autoreactivity. All the monoamine reuptake inhibiting antidepressants tested in this study showed immunomodulatory effects by either a reduction of the number of IFN-gamma-secreting cells or the MNC proliferation. These observations call for further studies of immunological mechanisms in the pathogenesis of mental disorders as well as on the potential role of drugs acting on the monoamine systems in the treatment of recognized autoimmune diseases.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Psychotherapists' attitudes towards and observations of nonverbal communication in a greeting situation: II. Relationships to background variables.

An interview study of 79 Swedish psychotherapists was performed to investigate their attitudes towards and observation of nonverbal communication in a reference situation in relation to background factors such as gender, length of professional experience, and theoretical approach. The greeting situation, i.e., the first time a therapist and patient meet in a waiting-room, was chosen as the reference situation. Face communication in that greeting situation was significantly less achieved by male psychotherapists with relatively short experience than by female therapists. However, this sex difference was not significant among therapists whose psychotherapeutic experience was longer than 13 years. Attaching great importance to nonverbal communication in psychotherapy was related to an intention to be well-kept and to perform correctly in front of the patient, to establish direct communication in the greeting situation, and to background factors such as frequent work in psychotherapy and an eclectic psychotherapeutic approach.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1991

Psychotherapists' attitudes toward observations of nonverbal communication in a greeting situation: I. Psychometrics of a questionnaire.

A questionnaire was designed for the assessment of psychotherapists' attitudes toward nonverbal communication and their observation of it in a reference situation, i.e., the first time the therapist and the patient meet in a waiting room. The interrater reliability of the questionnaire was measured. Upon minor modifications, a final version of the questionnaire was completed, and the intrarater (test-retest) reliability, the discriminating capacity, and the homogeneity of the questionnaire were studied. The questionnaire has satisfactory psychometric qualities for use in research on nonverbal communication in psychotherapeutic greeting.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1988

Electrodermal activity in depressive patients in remission and in matched healthy subjects.

Electrodermal activity (EDA) was investigated in 28 patients when depressive and when in remission and in 28 matched and 59 unmatched healthy subjects. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 37 months (median two years). All the EDA variables were significantly elevated at follow-up and did not differ significantly from the EDA of the matched healthy subjects. However, in patients with extremely low electrodermal responsivity (EDR) when depressed, including suicide attempters, EDA was significantly elevated, but did not reach the levels of the healthy subjects, except for one EDA variable. Further, patients with major depressive episode and a history of recurrent depression did not reach the EDR levels found in the healthy subjects. The results are interpreted as an indication that normalization of EDA does not parallel clinical recovery and may be extended for several months (perhaps years for the EDR), possibly indicating vulnerability to relapse. The data may also be interpreted that persons who are normally electrodermally hyporesponsive, may, when depressive, develop a state of extreme hyporesponsivity that seems to be linked to the ability to carry out a suicide attempt.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Electrodermal activity in relation to cortisol dysregulation in depressive patients.

Electrodermal activity (EDA), basal morning plasma cortisol, outcome of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST), and nocturnal urinary cortisol excretion were studied in a somewhat confined number of originally 59 depressive patients and 59 matched healthy subjects. The patients showed nocturnal hypercortisolism. According to the DST, EDA and cortisol dysregulation were unrelated. In the total patient group, the correlations between EDA and cortisol in plasma and in urine were small and insignificant. However, in suicide attempters, in nonsuicidal patients, and in the healthy subjects, complex patterns of correlations were found between tonic electrodermal activity, electrodermal responsivity, basal morning plasma cortisol, and nocturnal urinary cortisol. Some inconsistencies in the patterns may be explained by differences in the sampling of data. Future research should try to delineate possible relationships between EDA and hormones on all levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Electrodermal activity in antidepressant medicated and unmedicated depressive patients and in matched healthy subjects.

A group of 59 depressive in- and outpatients displayed statistically significantly subnormal electrodermal activity (EDA) according to the skin conductance level, the skin conductance response magnitude, the skin conductance response rate, and the index of nonresponding during neutral tone stimulation, compared to 59 mentally and somatically healthy subjects, individually matched for age and sex. Comparisons between 20 antidepressant medicated and 20 unmedicated patients, matched for age, and comparisons between 21 drug-free patients and 10 patients medicated exclusively with antidepressants yielded no statistically significant difference in any EDA variable. However, all the electrodermal central values were somewhat lower in the medicated patients, possibly an effect of greater severity of symptoms. The present and previous findings offer strong support to the hypothesis of a subnormal function of the electrodermal activity in groups of depressive patients.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1987

Electrodermal activity in relation to diagnostic subgroups and symptoms of depressive patients.

The electrodermal activity (EDA) in 59 depressive patients was investigated during stimulation with neutral tone stimuli. The patients were classified according to six dichotomies: 1) dysthymic disorder vs major depressive episode (DSM-III); 2) melancholic vs nonmelancholic major depressive episode (DSM-III); 3) endogenous vs nonendogenous (Newcastle scale); 4) high vs low inhibition; 5) psychomotor inhibition vs agitation; and 6) indices of high vs low hypothalamic disturbance. The low EDA usually found in depressive patients seems to be more pronounced in endogenous patients and in patients with symptoms of inhibition. Relationships between indices of hypothalamic dysfunction and low EDA were found, but lacked homogeneity. Early debut and long duration of current depression were related to small magnitude of the skin conductance response.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Electrodermal activity in suicidal and nonsuicidal depressive patients and in matched healthy subjects.

The electrodermal activity (EDA) was measured in 25 suicidal and 34 nonsuicidal depressive patients and 59 individually matched healthy subjects during stimulation with neutral tone stimuli. Suicidal behaviour, especially the occurrence of attempts, was related to low electrodermal responsivity (EDR) and low stimulus-unrelated phasic activity, but unrelated to tonic EDA. The EDR of different groups of subjects was successfully illustrated and tested by statistical methods known as survival statistics. The extreme hyporesponsivity in the attempters was observed irrespective of whether the attempt had been made previously or during the current depression. Electrodermal hyporesponsivity among depressive patients may be a part of a mechanism operating in the suicidal process, and an expression for a factor related to the ability to carry out a suicide attempt. This nonverbal and noninvasive method may yield additional valuable information when estimating the suicide risk in depressive patients in clinical work.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Cognitive and affective functions in patients with affective disorders treated with lithium. An assessment by questionnaire.

A questionnaire of 19 items was devised to assess subtle changes in affective and cognitive function in patient with effective disorders under long-term lithium therapy. Of 147 patients, 138 (93.9%) answered the questionnaire. The function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis was also analysed by biochemical investigations, and the interrelations between the function of this axis and affective and cognitive functions were studied. The patients under lithium maintenance therapy showed no clearcut changes in effective and cognitive functions. Some statistically significant correlations were found between rising thyrotropin levels and improved affective function. Patients who admitted periods of depression under lithium therapy showed highly significantly greater variance both in free thyroxine index and in thyrotropin levels than patients denying such periods. We may conclude that successful prophylactic lithium therapy against depression is linked to a stabilizing effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of monoamine reuptake inhibiting antidepressants on major histocompatibility complex expression on macrophages in normal rats and rats with experimental allergic neuritis (EAN).

This study examined the modulation of IFN-gamma induced MHC class I and II expression on normal Lewis rats and rats with EAN peritoneal macrophages cultured in the absence or presence of 10(-4)-10(-8) M of the 5-HT reuptake inhibiting antidepressants zimeldine, and its metabolites norzimeldine and cpp200 oxalate as well as the antidepressants clomipramine and imipramine, in addition amitriptyline, nortriptyline and maprotiline in EAN rats. In normal rats, MHC class I expression was suppressed by the antidepressants zimeldine, norzimeldine and cpp200 oxalate at concentrations up to 10(-5) M. At concentrations between 10(-6) to 10(-8) M, the same drugs significantly enhanced MHC class expression. Clomipramine at 10(-8) M and imipramine at 10(-6)-10(-7) M enhanced MHC class I expression, while the MHC class II expression was not significantly influenced by concentrations < or = 10(-5) M of these two drugs. In EAN rats, MHC class I expression was enhanced by zimeldine, cpp200, imipramine, and nortriptyline at 10(-5)-10(-8) M, amitriptyline at 10(-5)-10(-7) M as well as by norzimeldine and clomipramine at 10(-6) M-10(-8) M. However, maprotiline at 10(-4)-10(-6) M suppressed class I expression in the presence of 0.5 U/ml and 1.0 U/ml of IFN-gamma. MHC class II expression was suppressed by cpp200 and clomipramine at 10(-4)-10(-5) M in presence of 0.5 U/ml of IFN-gamma. At concentrations < 10(-5) M most tested drugs significantly enhanced IFN-gamma induced MHC class II expression. Compared to the results in normal rats, drug effects on EAN macrophages were more pronounced and reached higher levels of significance. The 5-HT reuptake inhibiting antidepressants also exerted a modulatory effect on MHC class I and II in EAN rat macrophages even in the absence of IFN-gamma. The modulatory effect of antidepressant drugs on IFN-gamma induced MHC class I and II expression may contribute to their influence on demyelinating autoimmune diseases, and may have implications for their clinical use.

Amitriptyline↗