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Biomedical subjects

T W Uhde

Publications and source records attributed to T W Uhde.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Carbamazepine and thyroid function in affectively ill patients. Clinical and theoretical implications.

Thyroid function was examined in 50 affectively ill patients before and four weeks after carbamazepine treatment. Carbamazepine significantly and substantially decreased peripheral thyroid hormone levels while increases in thyrotropin levels, although significant, were of much smaller magnitude. Furthermore, the decreases in levels of thyroxine (T4) and free T4 were significantly greater in carbamazepine responders than in nonresponders. These findings are discussed in light of current theories of the role of the thyroid axis in affective illness.

Adult↗

The effects of carbamazepine on the thyrotropin response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone.

A thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone; TSH) stimulation test with thyroid-releasing hormone (TRH) was performed on six patients with a DSM-III diagnosis of major depressive disorder, both before and during a trial of carbamazepine. Carbamazepine, an anticonvulsant effective in the treatment of affective illness, caused a reduction in the TSH response to TRH. This finding suggests that carbamazepine may decrease thyroid function primarily at the level of the pituitary in affectively ill patients.

Adult↗

The sleep of patients with panic disorder: a preliminary report.

Electroencephalographic sleep recordings were compared in patients with panic disorder and normal controls. Correlation coefficients of standard sleep parameters versus ratings of anxiety, depression, and panic attack frequency were calculated in the panic-anxious patients. Overall findings are discussed in the context of previous sleep studies in patients with depressive, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Adult↗

Relationship of response to sleep deprivation and carbamazepine in depressed patients.

The responses of 16 patients with major depressive disorder to one night's sleep deprivation and a subsequent double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of carbamazepine were compared. There was a significant association between the presence or absence of an antidepressant response to each of these treatments. Further studies are required to assess the clinical utility of this relationship and whether it is based on antidepressant response to any agent or is more specific to carbamazepine.

Adult↗

Fear and anxiety: relationship to noradrenergic function.

The experiences of human fear and anxiety are discussed within the context of locus ceruleus function in animals. The rationale for studying correlates of noradrenergic function, such as 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenethylene glycol (MHPG), is reviewed, and data demonstrating a positive correlation between plasma free MHPG and state anxiety in normal volunteers is presented. The behavioral effects of oral caffeine (240-720 mg), intravenous clonidine (2 micrograms/kg), and oral yohimbine (20 mg) were studied in various psychiatric patients and normal volunteers. Caffeine and yohimbine had anxiogenic properties; conversely, clonidine reduced self-rated measures of anxiety across a wide spectrum of psychiatric conditions. These findings expand previous research indicating that noradrenergic hyperactivity may be associated with many types of human fear and anxiety.

Animals↗

Glucose tolerance testing in panic disorder.

Seven of nine patients with panic disorder given a standard glucose tolerance test developed symptomatic hypoglycemia but not panic attacks. These findings suggest that hypoglycemia is an unlikely cause of "spontaneous" panic attacks in this population.

Adult↗

Differential inhibitory noradrenergic responses to clonidine in 25 depressed patients and 25 normal control subjects.

The authors measured plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), plasma norepinephrine, blood pressure, and heart rate responses to the alpha 2-adrenergic agonist clonidine in 25 depressed patients and 25 normal control subjects. In the control subjects clonidine reduced plasma norepinephrine, blood pressure, and heart rate significantly more than placebo. In the depressed patients clonidine reduced blood pressure and the percent fall in plasma norepinephrine but not plasma MHPG or heart rate significantly more than placebo. The absolute and percent reductions in plasma MHPG and heart rate following clonidine were significantly less than in control subjects. These results raise the possibility that the sensitivity of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptors inhibitory to noradrenergic output may be reduced in depression.

Adult↗

Approaches to the evaluation and treatment of rapid-cycling affective illness.

The definition and clinical aspects of rapid cycling affective illness are reviewed and various factors associated with the onset and maintenance of rapid cycling enumerated. On the basis of this information and of reports of the response of rapid cycling patients to various treatment interventions, an approach is suggested to the evaluation and treatment of rapid cycling affective illness.

Antipsychotic Agents↗

New studies and perspectives on the noradrenergic receptor system in depression: effects of the alpha 2-adrenergic agonist clonidine.

In an attempt to understand the dynamics of noradrenergic function in depression, we evaluated neuroendocrine, biochemical, cardiovascular, and behavioral responses to the acute intravenous administration of the alpha 2-adrenergic agonist, clonidine, in depressed patients and normal controls. Significantly more variance was observed in the depressed patients than the controls for most indices of basal noradrenergic output including plasma norepinephrine (NE) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG). Growth hormone, plasma MHPG, and heart rate responses to clonidine were reduced in the depressed patients compared to the controls, all suggesting reduced responsiveness of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in depression. Baseline levels of cortisol were elevated in the depressed patients compared to the controls. Clonidine decreased cortisol to normal levels in the depressed patients but had little effect in the controls. Thus the depressed patients manifested a significantly increased cortisol response to clonidine. These data raise the possibility that the hypercortisolemia of depression may be related to noradrenergic dysfunction. Clonidine also significantly reduced anxiety in the depressed patients, particularly those with elevated basal plasma MHPG, but not in controls. These results suggest that diminished alpha 2-adrenergic responsiveness as documented by decreased endocrine, biochemical, and physiological responses to clonidine may be related to the depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as the neuroendocrine disturbances characteristic of many depressed patients.

Adult↗

Selective response to the anticonvulsant carbamazepine in manic-depressive illness: a case study.

Acute and prophylactic effects of carbamazepine are documented in a double-blind clinical trial in a 55-year-old treatment-refractory, lithium-non-responsive, manic-depressive patient. Double-blind crossover to two other anticonvulsants was also achieved; the patient showed no evidence of response to phenytoin or valproic acid. The clinical and theoretical issues raised by the selective response to carbamazepine in this patient are discussed.

Bipolar Disorder↗

Carbamazepine and its -10,11-epoxide metabolite in plasma and CSF. Relationship to antidepressant response.

Levels of carbamazepine and its -10,11-epoxide metabolite were measured in plasma and CSF of affectively ill patients treated only with carbamazepine for an average of 33 days at an average dosage of 1,055 mg/day. The CSF levels of carbamazepine were 2.06 micrograms/mL (ie, 31% of plasma levels, which equaled 6.55 micrograms/mL); CSF -10,11-epoxide concentrations averaged 0.91 micrograms/mL in 18 subjects (63% of those found in plasma). Carbamazepine levels in plasma or CSF were not related to degree of antidepressant or antimanic response. In contrast, concentrations of the -10,11-epoxide metabolite were correlated with the degree of antidepressant response. This preliminary study suggests the possibility that the -10,11-epoxide metabolite of carbamazepine may be related to the degree of clinical efficacy in affectively ill patients and may thus possess active psychotropic properties in man in addition to its reported anticonvulsant effects in animals.

Adult↗