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Biomedical subjects

M Asberg

Publications and source records attributed to M Asberg.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Scale construction of the Swedish CPRS version.

A sample of 161 schizophrenic and depressive patients were interviewed in a Stockholm hospital to find out whether the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale construction carried out by Maurer et al. [Int. Pharmacopsychiat. 17: 338-353, 1982] and valid for German-speaking areas could be reproduced with a Swedish-speaking sample. Only the superimposed 2-factor solution resembled, in its factor-structure, that of Maurer et al. (depressive and schizophrenic syndrome). The fact that a 'depressive' syndrome was found instead of a 'manic-depressive' syndrome, is to be attributed to the different sample compositions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

A rating scale for emotional distress in patients with malignant diseases.

As a contribution to assessment of quality of survival in malignant disease a rating scale for emotional distress (EDS) has been developed. The scale consists of eight items with explicit definitions, and the ratings are based on short interviews. The scale was applied on 34 patients with malignant blood diseases, and ratings were performed at regular intervals both prior to and during cytostatic treatment courses. The patients accepted the interview procedure well and the scale proved to be easy to apply in a clinical setting. Raters with little previous experience (nurses and physicians) had good interrater reliability (r = 0.98). The EDS scores of patients in good somatic condition increased significantly (P less than 0.01) during cytostatic treatment courses while no change was found among the more severely ill. There was a tendency for pure cytostatic schedules to inflict more discomfort than those also containing high doses of steroids, indicating that the scale may discriminate between various treatments. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.73, P less than 0.01) between the EDS scores and the physical condition of the patients. The results indicate that the EDS may be a reliable and sensitive instrument which adds an important aspect to the evaluation of the quality of survival in the treatment of malignant disease. It may also be of value when comparing different treatment regimens.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

CSF monoamine metabolites in melancholia.

The neurotransmitter metabolites 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl glycol (HMPG) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured by mass fragmentography in 83 patients with melancholia (diagnosed by the Newcastle Inventory and the Research Diagnostic Criteria), and 66 healthy volunteer controls. After adjustment by analysis of covariance for differences between the subject groups in body height, age and sex distribution, significantly (P less than 0.001) lower concentrations of 5-HIAA and HVA were found in the melancholia patients than in the controls. HMPG did not differ between the groups. The differences could not be accounted for by differences in timing or examination techniques, and not by previously administered drugs (all patients were drug-free at the examination, but a minority had taken small amounts of psychotropic drugs prior to the wash-out period). The differences persisted after excluding the suicidal patients. There were no clear-cut differences between unipolar and bipolar patients. It is suggested that the reduced concentrations of 5-HIAA and HVA in the melancholic patients may be due to altered serotonin and/or dopamine functions in the central nervous system, which may be connected with an increased vulnerability to certain types of affective illness.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

CSF monoamine metabolites of depressed patients during illness and after recovery.

Repeated lumbar punctures in 16 healthy volunteers showed reproducible concentrations of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In seven depressed patients, studied during two or three illness periods, the metabolite concentrations were also fairly stable. In 11 patients CSF concentrations of 5-HIAA, but not of HVA, were higher after recovery than during depression. This increase of 5-HIAA after recovery was confined to patients whose initial serotonin metabolite levels were low. The finding constitutes further evidence of a biochemical heterogeneity within the depressive disorders, and suggests that patients whose CSF 5-HIAA is low during a depressive episode may have a less stable serotonin system than other patients with depressive illness.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Gradients of monoamine metabolites and cortisol in cerebrospinal fluid of psychiatric patients and healthy controls.

Amine metabolites and cortisol were measured in four consecutive 3 ml samples of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). There were pronounced concentration gradients for both 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and homovanillic acid, and there was no difference in the gradients of 11 controls and 17 psychiatric patients (10 depressed). As there was a close correlation between the mean of the first two fractions and the mean of all four fractions, a concentration obtained in 6 ml can be used to calculate that in a 12 ml CSF sample. In psychiatric patients there was a slight, but statistically significant concentration gradient for 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (unconjugated as well as conjugated). No gradient was found for cortisol in CSF.

Body Height↗
PubMed1982

Rorschach ratings in depressed and suicidal patients with low levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in cerebrospinal fluid.

In order to explore the psychodynamics of a previously observed association between a low concentration of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and an increased tendency to suicidal behavior, blind ratings of Rorschach variables were compared between depressed and/or suicidal patients with low (less than 80 nanomoles/l) and normal (greater than 80 nanomoles/l) CSF 5-HIAA. In 14 patient pairs matched for sex, age, body height, and interview-based ratings of severity of depression, the low 5-HIAA subjects had significantly more anxiety and more hostility in the Rorschach ratings. Their anxiety tolerance was lower, and they were significantly less efficient in their handling of conflict. The results support the hypothesis that biochemical variables may be of importance for certain psychodynamic mechanisms suggested to be relevant for psychopathology, including suicidal behavior.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid--no relationship to the level in cerebrospinal fluid.

Concentrations of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined in urine and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by mass fragmentography. A pronounced day-to-day variation in the urinary excretion of 5-HIAA was found both in psychiatric patients and a healthy control. Lumbar punctures performed twice 3-12 weeks apart in 11 healthy controls resulted in reproducible levels of 5-HIAA in CSF (r = 0.89; P less than 0.001). The mean of three periods of daily 5-HIAA excretion was not correlated to the CSF level measured in 18 psychiatric patients (r = 0.09). Three weeks of chlorimipramine treatment significantly decreased CSF 5-HIAA levels (P less than 0.05), but not the urinary excretion of 5-HIAA. It might be concluded that measurement of urinary 5-HIAA excretion is of little value compared to CSF levels in studies of serotonin in the central nervous system.

Clomipramine↗
PubMed1981

Monoamine metabolites in CSF and suicidal behavior.

Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of the monoamine metabolites 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl glycol (MHPG) were measured in 30 psychiatric patients who had attempted suicide and 45 healthy volunteers. The suicide attempters had a significantly lower CSF 5-HIAA level than the controls, especially those who had made more violent attempts. After adjustment for differences in body height and age between controls and patients, the difference in 5-HIAA level became even more marked. Concentrations of 5-HIAA also were lower than normal in suicidal patients who were not diagnosed as depressed at the time of lumbar puncture, while HVA levels were lowered only in the depressives. A follow-up study of these and 89 more patients (depressed and/or suicidal) revealed a 20% mortality by suicide within a year after lumbar puncture in patients with a CSF-HIAA level below the median.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Studies of CSF 5-HIAA in depression and suicidal behaviour.

The present series of studies of CSF monoamine metabolites support the hypothesis of a role for serotonin in depressive illness, insofar that depressed patients have slightly lower CSF 5-HIAA concentrations than normal controls. Apparently a normal association between CSF 5-HIAA and platelet MAO activity is disrupted in depression. The importance of serotonin does not, however, appear to be confined to depressive illness. There is a strong association between a low CSF 5-HIAA and a tendency to suicidal behaviour, also outside the setting of depression. The nature of this relationship is unclear, but it is suggested that certain personality features may form a mediating link. A connection between a low serotonin turnover and a weakened control of aggressive or hostile impulses is one possibility.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1981

Platelet MAO activity and monoamine metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid in depressed and suicidal patients and in healthy controls.

Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol (HMPG) were simultaneously measured in 20 currently depressed patients, 11 recovered depressed patients, 15 nondepressed suicide attempters, and 42 healthy control subjects. Both 5HIAA and HVA were positively and significantly correlated to platelet MAO activity in the healthy subjects, but not in any of the patient groups. Suicide attempters had significantly lower CSF 5HIAA than nonsuicidal patients.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1980

Cortisol in the CSF of depressed and suicidal patients.

Cortisol concentrations in CSF were measured by radioimmunoassay in healthy controls, depressed patients, patients who had attempted suicide but were not depressed, and obsessive-compulsive patients. The factors that contributed most to the variance in CSF cortisol levels were a diagnosis of depression, height, and important life changes during the six months preceding the investigation. Depression was by far the most important factor. The depressed patients had significantly higher CSF cortisol levels than the controls. In obsessive-compulsive and depressed patients treated with clomipramine hydrochloride, the levels were significantly correlated with mean urinary cortisol excretion. Of the three monoamine metabolites measured, only 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid level was weakly correlated with CSF cortisol level. This correlation was confined to the depressed patients and could be accounted for by the common correlation with height.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1980

Clomipramine treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. I. A controlled clinical trial.

The effect of clomipramine hydrochloride in severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was compared with that of nortriptyline hydrochloride and placebo in a five-week randomized, double-blind trial. Clomipramine, but not nortriptyline, was superior to placebo in interview-based ratings of severity of OCD. The effect was not clear-cut until after five weeks of treatment. When clomipramine was given openly to 22 patients after the end of the controlled trial, half of the patients responded to the drug. The response could not be predicted from severity or duration of illness, sex or age of the patient, or presence or absence of secondary depressive symptoms. The amelioration with clomipramine was not sustained if the drug was withdrawn.

Adult↗