PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R A Remick

Publications and source records attributed to R A Remick.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The effects of ultraviolet-A wavelengths in light therapy for seasonal depression.

Although light therapy is a recognized effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), there has been little research into the critical wavelengths of light that produce the antidepressant effect. Previous studies found conflicting results for the importance of the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum in the therapeutic effect of light therapy. To assess the clinical effects of UV-A wavelengths (315-400 nm), we studied 33 depressed SAD patients diagnosed with structured interviews by DSM-IIIR criteria. Following a baseline week, patients underwent 2 weeks of 2500 lux light therapy for 2 h daily (06:00-08:00). Light therapy consisted of cool-white fluorescent light with the addition of a special UV-A fluorescent tube. Patients were randomized to wear glasses during light therapy that either blocked (UV-blocked condition) or passed (UV-A condition) wavelengths below 400 nm. Both treatments significantly reduced all depression ratings, but no differences were found between the UV-A and UV-blocked conditions. We conclude that the UV-A spectrum does not increase the antidepressant response of light therapy. Given the potential side effects of chronic UV exposure, clinical application of light therapy should use light sources that have the UV spectrum filtered.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Low electrooculographic ratios in patients with seasonal affective disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Changes in retinal sensitivity to light have been hypothesized as etiological in seasonal affective disorder. This study was undertaken to investigate sensitivity to light in seasonal affective disorder using electrooculography (EOG), an objective measure of retinal light response. METHOD: In a mood disorders clinic, 19 depressed, drug-free patients with seasonal affective disorder, diagnosed by DSM-III-R criteria, were compared with 19 age- and sex-matched normal comparison subjects. All subjects had identical EOG testing performed during the winter. EOG (Arden) ratios were calculated from the EOG data. RESULTS According to multivariate analysis of variance, the EOG ratios in the patients with seasonal affective disorder were significantly lower than those of the normal comparison subjects, although there was considerable overlap in EOG ratios between patients and comparison subjects. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that seasonal affective disorder is associated with subtle retinal abnormalities at the level of the photoreceptor/retinal pigment epithelium complex, consistent with subsensitivity to light. A limitation of this study is that the retinal origins of the EOG response are nonspecific and still not completely elucidated.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Ultraviolet versus non-ultraviolet light therapy for seasonal affective disorder.

Although light therapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), little research has been done to determine which light wavelengths affect treatment outcome. In this triple crossover study the authors compared 1 week of light therapy in which bright (2500 lux), full-spectrum fluorescent light, with and without blockade of the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, was used with a dim (500 lux) light control in 11 SAD patients. The dim light condition had no significant antidepressant effects as measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and an atypical depressive symptom (ATYP) score. The UV-light condition significantly reduced HAM-D, BDI, and ATYP scores, whereas the UV-blocked condition significantly reduced only the ATYP score. These results suggest that the UV-spectrum in light therapy may have a differential effect on typical and atypical symptoms in SAD.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1990

Dichotic perception and memory following electroconvulsive treatment for depression.

Verbal and visuospatial memory and dichotic listening performance were examined in 15 acutely depressed patients with no history of ECT, 17 depressed patients currently in remission, 15 remitted depressed patients who had received ECT six months or more in the past, and 20 normal controls. The neuropsychological functioning of an additional group of 10 acutely depressed patients was also studied before and two weeks after ECT. The results revealed some evidence of logical and autobiographical memory impairment two weeks following ECT, but no evidence that ECT impaired dichotic listening ability. Rather, a normalisation of hemispheric laterality was apparent on the dichotic listening task following ECT and the concomitant relief from depression. There was also no evidence of cognitive dysfunction on any task in individuals who were tested six months or more following their last ECT treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Evening urine cortisol excretion and DST results in depression and anorexia nervosa.

Cortisol determination in a single one-hour urine sample collected between 2200 h and 2300 h has been shown to identify accurately patients with Cushing's disease. To examine the usefulness of this procedure for identifying psychiatric patients with a pituitary-adrenal disturbance, we studied 17 drug-free depressed patients, 6 euthymic anorectic patients and 10 healthy volunteers. We found that there was good agreement between DST results and evening urine cortisol excretion in this sample (when cortisol levels were expressed as ng of cortisol per mg of creatinine), and that adopting as a criterion a urine cortisol value two standard deviations above the mean cortisol value of the controls predicts 74% of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) results. We would like to suggest that this measure deserves further study as a potentially useful and simple alternative to the DST for identifying psychiatric patients with a pituitary-adrenal disturbance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effect of morphine on cortisol and prolactin secretion in anorexia nervosa and depression.

Endogenous opioid peptides are involved in feeding regulation, and alterations in opioidergic regulation have been implicated in the pathophysiology of eating disorders. To investigate further this hypothesis, we conducted a placebo-controlled study of the effect of the opiate alkaloid morphine on cortisol and prolactin secretion in six patients with anorexia nervosa and six age-matched healthy volunteers, and compared the results with those obtained in nine depressed patients. Basal cortisol but not basal prolactin levels were elevated in patients with anorexia nervosa and patients with depression. Following the administration of morphine plasma concentrations of cortisol levels declined progressively and at a similar rate in all three groups. The prolactin response to morphine was attenuated significantly in patients with depression. Neither the cortisol and prolactin response to morphine in the anorectic patients nor the cortisol response in the depressed patients we observed in this study suggests altered opiate receptor sensitivity. However, the decreased prolactin response to morphine in depressed patients remains compatible with this hypothesis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Treatment resistant depression.

Despite major research efforts in mood disorders, careful scientific studies and evaluations of "treatment resistant depression" (TRD) are limited. Treatment resistant depression often encompasses several conflicting definitions and concepts: (1) the distinction between 'absolute' TRD and 'relative' TRD is seldom made; (2) the combination of a dysthymic disorder and a major depression ("double depression") can lead to diagnostic confusion when one disorder improves while the similar symptoms of the other persist; and (3) the literature becomes confused when ineffective prophylaxis and ineffective acute treatment are not separated. The research at our Center continues to suggest that the primary problem in this area remains 'relative' TRD. In a recent study of 114 patients referred to our Mood Disorders Service with a diagnosis of TRD, 59 of 98 (60.2%) had complete depressive symptom remission with appropriate treatment interventions. Further, the majority of these 59 successful treatment interventions were the 'bread and butter' treatments available to all physicians; 9 (15.3%) patients responded to an adequate trial of a tricyclic, 12 (20.3%) to a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, and 17 (28.8%) to a course of electroconvulsive therapy.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1979

Complex partial and pseudoseizure disorders.

The differentiation of ictal and nonictal seizure disorders is difficult, particularly in patients suffering from partial seizures with complex symptomatology. The authors state that observation of a patient's habitual seizure during EEG recording is the ideal diagnostic tool and describe their method of seizure activation with sphenoidal electrodes and simultaneous audiovisual monitoring. They emphasize the necessity for early, aggressive treatment of both ictal and nonictal seizure disorders, point out risks to the patient if the incorrect diagnosis is made, and urge further cooperation between psychiatrists and neurologists in this borderland area.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Antipsychotic drugs and seizures.

The authors examine the clinical problem of which antipsychotic drug to use when antipsychotics are indicated in patients with a seizuire disorder or who are susceptible to seizures. While definitive answers to this problem are still unknown, guidelines are offered for antipsychotic drug use in this situation, based on the author's understanding of psychotropics and epilepsy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

ECT in pregnancy.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Electroconvulsive Therapy↗