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Biomedical subjects

Michael Gitlin

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Gitlin.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Free T4 index and clinical outcome in patients with depression.

INTRODUCTION: Many studies of patients with major depression have reported that a significant decrease in serum free T(4) index is associated with specific treatments; what has been unanswered is whether these observations are generalizable. This study evaluated baseline thyroid function and its relationship to rapidity of treatment response as measured by hospital length of stay (HLOS). METHODS: Admission thyroid indices and HLOS data were harvested from the medical record of patients hospitalized for depression, both unipolar and bipolar. The relationship between admission thyroid indices and HLOS was evaluated using survival models. RESULTS: Controlling for age and year of discharge, an inverse relationship between FT(4) index (FT(4)I) and HLOS was present in men, but not in women. The mean HLOS stratified by gender and median FT(4)I was 50% shorter in men with a relatively high FT(4)I in comparison to the other three groups. LIMITATIONS: This is a retrospective study limited by the absence of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview and prospective controlled antidepressant evaluation. CONCLUSION: These data would suggest that a relatively elevated FT(4) index in depressed men is associated with a faster antidepressant response time. Prospective study is encouraged to further clarify this potential thyroid/gender relationship and whether thyroid supplementation can accelerate the improvement in depression as measured by HLOS.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Peripheral thyroid hormones and response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between baseline measurements of thyroid function and response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and to consider the effect of these antidepressants on thyroid hormone levels. METHODS: Nineteen subjects with major depression, but without a history of thyroid treatment or lithium treatment, were treated openly with either sertraline or fluoxetine in a university- affiliated tertiary care hospital. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (Ham-D) scores were measured before and after treatment. Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scores were measured at study end. Thyroid data, consisting of values for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T(3), measured by radioimmunoassay [RIA]), thyroxine (T(4), measured by RIA) and free T(4), were collected before and after treatment. Complete thyroid data were available for 17 subjects. Data were collected during 1997-1999. RESULTS: Baseline TSH correlated strongly with response to treatment as measured by change in Ham-D scores (r = 0.64, p = 0.003). Low TSH values correlated with greater improvement in depressive symptoms. Thyroid hormone levels decreased with treatment, but these decreases did not correlate with clinical improvement. CONCLUSION: Baseline thyroid function, as measured by serum TSH, may predict a patient's response to antidepressant treatment with SSRIs. Optimal thyroid function, beyond simply being within the normal laboratory values, may be necessary for an optimal response to antidepressants.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Dysregulated brain development in adult men with schizophrenia: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

BACKGROUND: Recent imaging evidence suggests that normal brain development/maturation of the frontal lobes and association areas is a well-regulated process consisting of continued myelination and expansion of white matter volumes into the late 40s accompanied by complementary reductions in gray matter volumes. The possibility that a dysregulation of this process may contribute to the syndrome of schizophrenia was investigated using magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: Fifty-two normal adult males and 35 males with schizophrenia underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Coronal images were acquired using pulse sequences that maximized myelin signal. The age-related change in the gray to white matter ratio was used as a measure of developmental dysregulation in the schizophrenic subjects and contrasted to the age-related changes of the normal control group. RESULTS: Regression analyses on frontal and temporal gray to white matter ratio yielded highly significant interactions of diagnosis and age for both regions (p =.0003 and p =.01, respectively). In the normal group, both frontal and temporal gray to white matter ratios decreased significantly and linearly across the age range. In contrast, neither ratio showed meaningful age-related change in the schizophrenia group. Thus, differences in gray to white matter ratio between the groups increased markedly with age, driven primarily by the absence of a white matter volume expansion in the patient group. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of the normal complementary volume changes in the gray and white matter with age in the schizophrenic sample suggests that this dynamic developmental process is dysregulated in adult schizophrenic subjects. The importance of myelination to the continued maturation and normal functioning of the brain has implications for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The effect of previous mood states on switch rates: a naturalistic study.

OBJECTIVES: A recent study suggested that post-manic depressions (post-MD) may differ from post-euthymia depression (post-ED). The goal of this study was to compare the switch rates and length of depressive episodes stratified by the pre-depression mood states. METHODS: The course of 72 prospectively observed depressions in 28 patients with Bipolar I depressions were divided into post-MD versus ED. The two groups, both all episodes and first observed episode, only were compared in their switch rates and length of episode. RESULTS: Almost two-thirds (65%) of episodes were rated as ED. There was no difference in switch rates between the two groups, whether analysed by all episodes, first episodes only, or episodes not treated with antidepressants. Length of depressive episodes were also not significantly different between the two groups. DISCUSSION: These findings do not suggest different switch characteristics between post-MD and post-ED.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed2003

Sexual dysfunction with psychotropic drugs.

Sexual dysfunction caused by psychotropic medications has become an increasingly important clinical topic. Only recently have we acknowledged the extent to which many psychotropic medications, especially antidepressants and antipsychotics, cause sexual side effects. Prevalence rates of sexual side effects are extraordinarily difficult to estimate due to a variety of factors, such as the effect of the disorder being treated, comorbid disorders and baseline sexual dysfunction. Among the antidepressants, those with strong serotonergic properties have the highest rate of sexual side effects. Among the antipsychotics, those with greater D(2) blockade leading to increased prolactin levels are probably associated with more sexual dysfunction. Treatment approaches have been poorly developed for both antidepressants and antipsychotics. Antidotes for antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction include bupropion, buspirone and sildenafil.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inpatient treatment of depression and associated hospital charges.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated inpatient treatment of depression, prescribing patterns for antidepressants, and associated hospital charges. METHODS: We reviewed administrative data of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital between July 1994 and July 1997 for all 1698 hospitalizations for mood disorders. We evaluated drug utilization patterns and hospital charges by analysis of variance and multiple regression, and by stratifying on diagnosis, severity, age, and other factors. RESULTS: Length of stay was the major contributor to total charges, which included room charges and charges for services, procedures, supplies, and tests. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were prescribed most often (to 47% of patients), followed by the atypicals (heterocyclics, 12%), the tricyclics (TCAs, 7%), venlafaxine (7%) and the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs, < 1%). The atypicals were given to the oldest patients. After controlling for length of stay, patient age, genders and comorbidity, the atypicals were associated with the highest total inpatient charges: $2000 more than MAOIs, $600 more than SSRIs, and $600 more than venlafaxine. Higher charges were the result of more expensive procedures, especially ECT. DISCUSSION: The SSRIs were the most commonly used antidepressant. Charges for antidepressant medications contributed only 0.5% of total inpatient charges. Patients receiving atypicals had among the highest total charges, partly because of the higher use of ECT. They may represent a more severely depressed group who have not responded to other antidepressants.

Adolescent↗