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R Balon

Publications and source records attributed to R Balon.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Lactate sensitivity and cardiac cholinergic function in panic disorder.

Using spectral analysis of the continuous time series signal before and during lactate and placebo infusions, the authors studied heart rate variability in six patients with panic disorder and nine normal comparison subjects. The decrease in high-frequency (0.20-0.50 Hz) power and the increase in sympathovagal ratios (mid-frequency [0.07-0.15 Hz] to high-frequency powers) after the administration of intravenous sodium lactate were significantly greater in the patients than in the normal subjects after correction of the values for the amount of lactate infused. This result suggests an exaggerated cardiac vagal withdrawal in patients with panic disorder during lactate infusions.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Sleep terror disorder and insomnia treated with trazodone: a case report.

A 7-year-old girl who suffered from severe sleep terror disorder was unsuccessfully treated with imipramine, hydroxyzine, and thioridazine. Trazodone at night provided a remarkable relief of the symptoms of her sleep terror disorder. Trazodone might be another alternative in the treatment of this rare disorder.

Child↗
PubMed1993

Beta-receptor responsiveness after desipramine treatment.

To examine whether a tricyclic antidepressant affects the functional response to a beta-receptor agonist in man, the response of heart rate, blood pressure, and plasma cAMP to isoproterenol was measured in 14 normal controls taking 75 mg desipramine daily. Desipramine significantly increased the bolus dose of isoproterenol needed to increase heart rate by 25 bpm at 14-30 days but not at 3-8 days. During infusions of isoproterenol, the increase in systolic blood pressure was blunted at both 3-8 days and 14-30 days, while the decrease in diastolic blood pressure was unaffected. Blood pressure findings were not affected by preadministration of bethanechol. In ten controls, isoproterenol infusions increased plasma cAMP, but this was unaffected by desipramine treatment. These findings suggest a decrease in the functional response of beta 1, but not beta 2, receptors after treatment with desipramine.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Intravenous sodium lactate decreases plasma GABA levels in man.

Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter, may play an important role in anxiety. We studied changes in plasma GABA levels in nine healthy subjects before and after infusions of sodium lactate and dextrose. Plasma GABA significantly decreased during infusions of sodium lactate (109.3 +/- 4.4 versus 91.6 +/- 5.1 pmol/ml; P = 0.0001) but not during infusions of dextrose.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Decreased heart rate variability in panic disorder patients: a study of power-spectral analysis of heart rate.

We have previously found decreased standard deviations and mean consecutive differences of R-R intervals in panic disorder patients in standing posture, compared with control subjects. In the present study, we used spectral analysis of heart rate variability to examine autonomic function in 21 panic disorder patients and 21 normal control subjects. Patients had a significantly lower standard deviation of heart rate in supine as well as standing postures. Absolute low frequency power (0.01-0.05 Hz) was also significantly lower in panic disorder patients in standing postures. Upon standing, the panic disorder patients had significantly higher relative mid-frequency power (0.07-0.15 Hz). During a standing deep-breathing condition at six breaths per minute, the patients had a significantly decreased absolute and relative mid-frequency (0.07-0.15 Hz) power compared with control subjects. These findings suggest a decrease in cholinergic and a relative increase in adrenergic responsiveness in panic disorder patients compared with control subjects.

Adrenergic Fibers↗
PubMed1993

Fractal dimension of heart rate time series: an effective measure of autonomic function.

Previous studies suggested that heart rate (HR) time series may be more appropriately analyzed by nonlinear techniques because of the nonlinear nature of these data. In this study, we quantified the complexity of the HR time series, using fractal dimension, a previously described measure developed to study axonal growth, which quantifies the space-filling propensity and convolutedness of a waveform, and compared these results with another recently used measure, approximate entropy. Fractal dimension and approximate entropy of HR time series (unfiltered) correlate highly with each other and also with the high-frequency power (0.2-0.5 Hz) and, hence, appear to reflect vagal modulation of HR variability. These measures were also statistically more consistent and effective than measures of spectral analysis. Fractal dimension of the midfrequency time series of HR (filtered with a pass band of 0.05-0.15 Hz) also appears to be a statistically effective measure of relative sympathetic activity, especially in the standing posture.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Changes in appetite and weight during the pharmacological treatment of patients with panic disorder.

Antidepressants reportedly increase appetite, carbohydrate craving and weight in some patients with depression and panic disorder. This paper presents the results of changes in appetite and weight in patients with panic disorder treated with imipramine, diazepam or placebo in a double-blind prospective study. Forty-four patients with panic disorder were randomly assigned imipramine, diazepam and placebo. The investigators monitored weight and the patients rated their appetite and cravings during the eight week study. No significant increases in weight or appetite were found in the patients with panic disorder patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Sexual dysfunction during antidepressant treatment.

BACKGROUND: The reported incidence of sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressant medication varies from 1.9% to 92%. The majority of studies reporting incidences were not systematically conducted. METHOD: We interviewed 60 patients (22 men and 38 women, with anxiety and mood disorders) who were being treated with various antidepressants. We used a questionnaire focused on sexual side effects and other side effects. RESULTS: The incidence of sexual dysfunction during antidepressant use in our study is 43.3%. The sexual dysfunction was not limited to any particular diagnostic group nor to any particular antidepressant. There was no significant correlation between sexual dysfunction and anticholinergic side effects. The incidence of painful orgasm with antidepressants was 18% among males in our study. CONCLUSION: The relatively high incidence of sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressant treatment in this systematic study emphasizes the importance of a detailed inquiry about sexual side effects as this interferes with treatment compliance.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Smoking in patients with panic disorder.

We compared smoking prevalence in 217 patients with panic disorder with that in 217 age- and sex-matched control subjects who were obtained by telephone survey from the same neighborhoods. Data were obtained for current smoking habits and smoking status at either the onset of illness (patients) or 10 years previously (control subjects). Patients had been ill for 10.6 (SD = 10.0) years. Female patients with panic disorder had a significantly higher smoking prevalence at the onset of their illness than did control subjects 10 years previously (54% vs. 35%). The current smoking prevalence for female patients was also significantly higher than that of control subjects (40% vs. 25%). Male smoking rates did not differ between patients and control subjects. Caffeine use did not appear to explain these findings. These data suggest a link between smoking behavior and panic disorder in women.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Effects of yohimbine on heart rate variability in panic disorder patients and normal controls: a study of power spectral analysis of heart rate.

We studied the effects of yohimbine on heart rate (HR) variability in 13 normal controls and 13 patients with panic disorder. Yohimbine produced a significant increase in SD of HR in standing posture in both patients (p = 0.01) and normal controls (p = 0.025). Panic disorder patients had a significant increase in standing absolute midfrequency (MF) power (0.07-0.15 Hz) after administration of yohimbine (p = 0.002). The ratio of post- to preyohimbine standing MF power (0.07-0.15 Hz) during standing was significantly higher in patients as compared with controls (2.3 +/- 1.08 vs. 1.33 +/- 0.38; p = 0.01), which suggests an increased responsivity of panic disorder patients to the adrenergic effects of yohimbine.

Adult↗