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Biomedical subjects

N Janakiramaiah

Publications and source records attributed to N Janakiramaiah.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Heart rate variability as an index of cue reactivity in alcoholics.

BACKGROUND: Autonomic responses follow exposure to conditioned stimuli such as contextual factors associated with alcohol ingestion. Heart rate variability is under autonomic control and may be a measure of such response. METHODS: Twenty alcoholics and 23 matched social drinkers (all male) were exposed to a neutral cue and then an alcohol cue in identical settings, during which the electrocardiogram of these subjects was recorded. Time and frequency domain parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) were computed by a blind rater. RESULTS: Coefficient of variation of R-R intervals and absolute powers of HRV spectrum (in frequency bands 0.05-0.15 Hz and 0.01-0.05 Hz) following alcohol cue were significantly higher in alcoholics than social drinkers. The mean heart rate (MHR) failed to reflect this difference. CONCLUSIONS: HRV paradigm appears more sensitive than MHR to measure cue reactivity.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

P300 amplitude and antidepressant response to Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY).

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) has significant antidepressant effects. OBJECTIVE: The present study examined whether pretreatment P300 ERP amplitude predicts antidepressant response to SKY. METHODS: Consenting, drug-free depressed patients (n = 30; dysthymics, 15, melancholics, 15) who received SKY as the sole treatment were assessed clinically at pretreatment, 1 month and 3 months. Auditory P300 was recorded before treatment. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients responded favourably to SKY. The pretreatment P300 amplitude neither distinguished responders and non-responders nor was associated with differential rates of response. DISCUSSION: It is concluded that SKY therapy is uniformly effective regardless of the pretreatment P300 amplitude.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Sex difference in age at onset of schizophrenia: discrepant findings from India.

Consecutive male (n=100) and female (n=100) DSM-IV schizophrenics newly registered for treatment in a large psychiatric hospital were examined with regard to age at onset of the first psychotic symptom. Age at onset of the first psychotic symptom did not differ between the sexes regardless of whether schizophrenia was diagnosed by DSM-IV or by several alternative systems. Age at onset defined by other criteria, namely age at first contact with a physician, and age at first admission for psychiatric care, also did not show any differences between the sexes. Survival analysis of subjects having a documented date of birth revealed a female preponderance at younger ages. A higher positive symptom score predicted older age at onset of the first psychotic symptom in the total sample. These findings call into question the universality of the traditional view of a younger age at onset of schizophrenia among males. Tentative neurodevelopmental and cultural explanations are presented to explain why there is no sex difference in age at onset of schizophrenia in India.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Once vs. three times weekly ECT in melancholia: a randomized controlled trial.

Once weekly and three times weekly schedules of ECT, each at two stimulus dose levels (high and low), were compared for therapeutic efficacy in melancholia. Three times weekly ECTs were more efficacious than once weekly ECTs. A high stimulus dose did not enhance the efficacy of once weekly ECTs. However, the patients who remitted did so over a comparable time-course regardless of the ECT schedule. Although three times weekly ECTs are superior, 55% of patients responded to once weekly ECTs. There is therefore a need for research to identify the patients for whom once weekly ECT may be sufficient.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

EEG seizure in bilateral ECT is different between low and high stimulus doses.

Melancholic depressive patients referred for ECT were randomized to receive either low dose (n = 20) or high dose (n = 20) stimulus applied bifrontotemporally. The two stimulus groups were comparable on the clinical variables. The EEG seizure was recorded on two channels (right and left frontal), digitized, coded and analyzed offline without knowledge of ECT parameters. EEG seizure was of comparable duration in the two stimulus (high dose and low dose) groups. A new composite measure, Strength-Symmetry-Index (SSI), based on strength and symmetry of seizure EEG was computed using fractal geometry. The SSI of the early-seizure was higher in the high dose than in the low dose ECT group. In a stepwise, logistic regression model, this variable contributed to 65% with correct classification of high dose and low dose ECT seizures.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Gender but not stimulus parameters influence prolactin response to electroconvulsive therapy.

The post-ictal prolactin (PRL) response represents one of the most consistent findings of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), but correlates variably with the gender of the patient, ECT stimulus waveform, dose and electrode placement. Forty patients with endogenous depression (29 drug-naive) received either high-energy (240 mC) or low-energy (60 mC) bilateral brief-pulse ECT once or three times a week. The PRL and growth hormone (GH) levels were estimated using double antibody radioimmunoassay. The average post-ECT PRL levels differed significantly from the pre-ECT levels, with a seven- to nine-fold increase in PRL at each week of treatment. No such difference was observed in the GH levels. All patients showed an increase in PRL levels, whereas 42% failed to show an increase in GH levels. The delta PRL response (difference between post-ECT and pre-ECT serum hormone levels) was not significantly different between the drug-naive and medicated patients nor between the high-energy and low-energy groups at first ECT. Similarly, no difference was observed between the once-weekly and thrice-weekly groups at the third week of ECT. At each week of treatment, the delta PRL was significantly higher in females than in males, unlike the GH response. Electroencephalographic (EEG) seizure duration did not correlate with either delta PRL or delta GH at first ECT and third week ECT. Apart from gender, none of the variables, such as age, baseline severity of illness, presence of psychotic symptoms, drug-naive status, stimulus dose, seizure duration, seizure strength, pattern and symmetry, frequency of ECT and degree of improvement predicted the delta PRL response. Neither stimulus energy nor frequency of ECT had a significant effect on PRL response. Gender differences in PRL response to ECT merit further investigations.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Strength Symmetry Index: a measure of seizure adequacy in ECT.

Seizure electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from two channels--right (Rt) and left (Lt)--during bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) (n = 12) and unilateral ECT (n = 12). The EEG was also acquired into a microcomputer and was analyzed without knowledge of the clinical details. EEG recordings of both ECT procedures yielded seizures of comparable duration. The Strength Symmetry Index (SSI) was computed from the early- and midseizure phases using the fractal dimension of the EEG. The seizures of unilateral ECT were characterized by significantly smaller SSI in both phases. More unilateral than bilateral ECT seizures had a smaller than median SSI in both phases. The seizures also differed on other measures as reported in the literature. The findings indicate that SSI may be a potential measure of seizure adequacy that remains to be validated in future research.

Cerebral Cortex↗
PubMed1996

"Normal' P300 amplitude predicts rapid response to ECT in melancholia.

Consenting melancholic depressives (n = 17) were treated with bilateral ECT under anaesthesia. All patients except two were antidepressant-naive. The auditory P300 event-related potential (ERP) was recorded before and after the ECT course. The latency of P300 in depressives before treatment did not differ from controls, but the amplitude was smaller than in matched controls (n = 15). The P300 amplitude was larger in depressives who had rapid response than in the rest. Rapid responders did not differ from controls on P300 amplitude before treatment. Hence it is suggested that "Normal' P300 predicts rapid therapeutic response to ECT in melancholia.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Smaller auditory P300 amplitude in schizophrenics in remission.

The P300 event-related potential (ERP) was recorded using the auditory oddball paradigm in 12 (6 male) schizophrenic (DSM-IIIR) patients in rigorously defined clinical remission. The ERP was also recorded in 10 (5 male) age-, sex- and education-matched control subjects. ERP latencies and amplitude were measured at Cz and Pz recording sites. Mean latencies of the P300 in schizophrenic patients in remission at Cz [343.6 +/- 31 (SD) ms] and Pz (346.15 +/- 30 ms) did not differ from those of normals (Cz: 332.8 +/- 23 ms, Pz: 323 +/- 38 ms). The P300 ERP amplitude was significantly (p < 0.05) smaller in schizophrenics in remission at both Cz (9.2 +/- 4.4 microV) and Pz (8.8 +/- 4.4 microV) than in normals (Cz: 13.3 +/- 2.90 microV; Pz: 12.71 +/- 4.18 microV). The significance of the smaller auditory P300 amplitude in schizophrenia is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Viral antibodies in recent onset, nonorganic psychoses: correspondence with symptomatic severity.

A parallel of generalized viral infection with psychiatric symptoms has been reported in nonorganic psychotic disorders. The patients concerned had been ill for long periods and some of them had been readmitted. In order to determine the presence of viral infection at the very onset of the psychosis, antibodies in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to six viruses [cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex (HSV) Type 1, mumps, measles, varicella zoster virus (VZV), and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV)] were assayed in 35 psychotic patients [14 schizophrenics; 13 manic patients; and 8 patients with psychosis not otherwise specified (NOS)] within 1 month of onset of illness. Ten (28.6%) patients had a diagnostic (fourfold) change in the antibody titer in the paired serum and/or CSF samples (drawn at 2-week intervals) and another 10 had high titers (above 2 SDs from the mean in 35 control subjects). The striking temporal correlation with the initial severity and resolution of psychopathology by 2 weeks on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) suggests a causally significant, currently active viral infection in these 20 cases.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

Twice versus thrice weekly ECT in melancholia: a double-blind prospective comparison.

Thirty patients with major depressive disorder of melancholic subtype were randomly allocated to receive ECT either twice or thrice a week. Double-blind ratings on the Hamilton Scale for Depression and Clinical Global impression showed no differences in the outcome through 4 weeks of trial as well as at 6-month follow-up. Cumulative seizure duration was higher in the thrice weekly group but not significantly so in spite of having received a significantly greater number of ECTs. The results indicate that ECT given thrice a week conferred no advantage over ECT given twice a week.

Adult↗