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Biomedical subjects

L M Neckers

Publications and source records attributed to L M Neckers.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Serotonin concentrations in brain and blood of scrapie-infected and normal hamsters and mice.

Whole brains and bloods of scrapie-infected and control mice and hamsters were assayed for serotonin content. Late clinical scrapie-infected mice showed a 20% reduction in whole-brain serotonin concentrations but no change in blood concentrations relative to controls. Late clinical scrapie-infected hamsters showed no change in whole-brain serotonin concentrations but a 2.5-fold decrease in blood concentrations relative to controls.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Increased whole blood serotonin concentrations in chronic schizophrenic patients.

Whole blood serotonin concentrations were studied in 33 chronic schizophrenic patients who previously had computed tomographic (CT) brain scans and in 23 healthy volunteers. The chronic schizophrenic patients had a mean serotonin concentration significantly higher than that of the controls. The patients were subcategorized into a group with abnormal CT scan findings (enlargement of cerebral ventricles, cerebral atrophy, or both) and a group with normal CT scans. The patients with abnormal CT scans had significantly higher serotonin concentrations when compared with schizophrenics with normal CT scans and with controls. The chronic schizophrenic patients with normal CT scans did not have significantly elevated serotonin concentrations compared with controls. Furthermore, ventricular size in the total group was significantly correlated with serotonin concentration.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Quantitative determination of immunoglobulins in CSF and plasma of chronic schizophrenic patients.

Immunoglobulins, IgG, IgA and IgM were quantified in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma from chronic schizophrenic patients and controls using an immunofluorescent antibody technique. A generalized reduction in immunoglobulin levels was observed in the schizophrenic patients compared with controls. While this study supports other reports of abnormal immune functioning in schizophrenia, it failed to replicate previous findings of elevations in CSF IgG and elevations in serum IgA. The aetiology and significance of these findings are hypothesized but remain elusive.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Lymphocyte monoamine oxidase and plasma prolactin and growth hormone in tardive dyskinesia.

Twelve elderly women with tardive dyskinesia were matched with 12 patients without dyskinesia. Lymphocyte monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and plasma prolactin and growth hormone concentrations were determined "blind" in these 12 pairs of patients. Chronic schizophrenic patients with tardive dyskinesia had significantly lower lymphocyte MAO activity as compared to controls. Organic brain syndrome patients with dyskinesia did not differ from controls in the lymphocyte MAO activity. These results with lymphocyte MAO parallel our earlier findings on platelet MAO. No significant differences were found between dyskinesia group and controls in the plasma prolactin and growth hormone concentrations. Possible implications of our findings are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

T-lymphocytes in migraine.

T and B lymphocytes have been examined in patients suffering from migraine. T lymphocytes are significantly reduced during the headache when compared to headache-free periods (or to values of non-migraine patients). Tg and Tm lymphocytes are reduced by an equal percentage. The basophils are also reduced in migraine patients. Evidence is presented that the cell-mediated immunity functions aberrantly in these patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Immunity in migraine: the effect of heparin.

There is evidence that migraine has an immunologic component. Migraine patients have reduced levels of circulating basophils and T-lymphocytes and there is a negative correlation of T-cell levels and disease activity. Clinical improvement of migraine is observed after the repeated inhalation of heparin in those patients in whom heparin raises both basophil and T-lymphocyte values to the normal range.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

A sensitive and rapid fluorimetric assay for monoamine oxidase utilizing high pressure liquid chromatography.

A rapid and sensitive assay for the measurement of monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was developed. This method utilizes high pressure liquid chromatography with fluorescence excitation at 280 nm and detection of 330 nm at pH 5.0 of indoleacetic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, the deaminated products of two substrates for MAO, tryptamine, and serotonin, respectively. The assay allows for the complete separation of metabolites from either of the two substrates. The method has been used to determine MAO activity in the frontal cortex and caudate nucleus of rat brain using tryptamine and serotonin as substrates. The ease and rapidity of this assay make it sutable for use where routine enzyme determinations are required.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Lymphocyte monoamine oxidase activity and chronic schizophrenia.

Lymphocyte monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was assayed in 62 chronic schizophrenic patients, 113 normal volunteers, and 23 first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients. Mean lymphocyte MAO activity was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the chronic schizophrenic group than in controls; first-degree relatives had a mean lymphocyte MAO activity midway between the schizophrenics and normals. No relationship was found between lymphocyte MAO activity and sex or age of subjects. When subjects were subgrouped by race, blacks had significantly lower MAO activity than whites (p < 0.001).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Substance P afferents from the habenula innervate the dorsal raphe nucleus.

The lateral habenula nuclei of the diencephalon innervate the median and dorsal raphe nuclei of the brainstem. Habenula lesions lead to decreased substance P levels in the dorsal but not median raphe within 24 hours. From this data, we propose a peptidergic innervation of the dorsal raphe nucleus by the habenula nuclei.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1979

Some kinetic parameters of platelet monoamine oxidase in chronic schizophrenia.

The michaelis constants (Vmax and Km) for platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) with tyramine as substrate are found to be significantly lower in chronic schizophrenic patients than in normal controls. Furthermore, these kinetic parameters for the MAO of paranoid chronic schizophrenics are significantly lower than those for nonparanoid chronic schizophrenics. Paranoid chronic schizophrenia may be a separate biochemical disorder from other chronic schizophrenias.

Blood Platelets↗