[Overview of mood disorders--recent advances in the field of diagnoses, pathophysiology and treatment].
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Antidepressive Agents↗
Biomedical subjects
Teruhiko Higuchi
Publications and source records attributed to Teruhiko Higuchi.
[Treatment algorithms for mood disorders].
The authors summarized features of and controversies about psychopharmacotherapy algorithms, which constitute evidence-based medicine, and compared historical backgrounds of the treatment algorithms of several countries as well as the outline of those for bipolar depression. They pointed out the potential for every clinician to use the current algorithms, which are rather rough, in a way that reflects his or her individuality and in close interaction with patients.
Bipolar Disorder↗
Correlation of plasma neurosteroid levels to the severity of negative symptoms in male patients with schizophrenia.
The authors examined the correlations among plasma levels of ACTH, cortisol, progesterone, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and their relationship with the scales for assessment of negative symptoms (SANS) in the male schizophrenic patients with negative symptoms. The subjects were 28 male schizophrenic patients categorized as with low negative symptoms (N = 14) and with moderate negative symptoms (N = 14) and 13 healthy subjects. Plasma levels of neurosteroids were measured by radioimmunoassay. Significant correlations of SANS scores with plasma levels of ACTH, cortisol and testosterone, but not progesterone and DHEA-S, were found in the male schizophrenic patients. Furthermore, plasma levels of ACTH, cortisol, and testosterone in the male schizophrenic patients with moderate negative symptoms, but not low negative symptoms, were significantly different from normal controls. The measurements of plasma neurosteroid levels could be a useful biological marker for the severity of negative symptoms in schizophrenic patients.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
Functional genomics and depression research. Beyond the monoamine hypothesis.
Although antidepressants have been used clinically for more than 50 years, no consensus has been reached concerning their precise molecular mechanism of action. Functional genomics is a powerful tool that can be used to identify genes affected by antidepressants or by other effective therapeutic manipulations. Using this tool we have previously identified more than 300 cDNA fragments as antidepressant related genes and from these, original cDNA microarrays were developed. Some of these candidate genes may encode common functional molecules induced by chronic antidepressant treatment. Defining the roles of these genes in drug-induced neural plasticity is likely to transform the course of research on the biological basis of depression. Such detailed knowledge will have profound effects on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of depression. Novel biological approaches beyond the "monoamine hypothesis" are expected to evoke paradigm shifts in the future of depression research.
Animals↗