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Biomedical subjects

Y D Lapierre

Publications and source records attributed to Y D Lapierre.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Benzodiazepine withdrawal.

As with most psychotropic sedative drugs, the potential for withdrawal reactions is present with the benzodiazepines (19). Signs suggesting the potential for withdrawal reactions can be gleaned from the clinical course of events such as the development of tolerance anc psychological and physiological dependence. If high doses are reached, the risk of withdrawal reactions increases with the length of treatment and the abruptness of cessation. The long-acting benzodiazepines have a built-in mechanism against withdrawal reactions through their active metabolites. Abrupt cessation of drug therapy in high-dose patients should be avoided to reduce the risk of withdrawal reactions.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1980

Agitated and retarded depression. A clinical psychophysiological evaluation.

Two groups of 20 agitated and retarded depressed psychiatric patients were compared with a group of volunteer controls. Clinical ratings and changes in electrodermal activity, digital pulse volume (DPV), reaction and movement times were studied during: (1) relaxation; (2) nonsignal sensory, and (3) signal sensory stimulation. All participants received two blocks of six randomized trials of visual and auditory nonsignal sensory stimulation, and three blocks of seven trials of signal sensory stimuli in a reaction time counterbalanced design. The results were: (a) basal skin resistance was significantly higher for both depressed groups; (b) number of spontaneous electrodermal responses failed to differentiate controls from depressed patients; (c) magnitude of skin resistance responsivity during nonsignal sensory stimulation was not significantly different among the three groups; (d) DPV changes did differentiate retarded depressives from controls and agitated depressed patients, and (e) mean visual, auditory and tactile reaction and movement times were significant discriminators between controls and depressed groups. Although the results of the present investigation support earlier studies of agitated and retarded depression, it is proposed that a more substantive issue in studying depression in future should be the elucidation of the mediation and production hypotheses of depressed patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Effect of a new benzodiazepine bromazepam on locomotor performance and brain monoamine metabolism.

Administration of a single dose (10 mg/kg) of a relatively new benzodiazepine, bromazepam to rats markedly suppressed their spontaneous locomotor activity. Hypomobility became apparent 15 min after the injection and remained significantly lower during the period of observation for 6 hours when locomotor activity was 27% of controls. Following 2 hours after bromazepam treatment, no change was noted in tyrosine levels and tyrosine hydroxylase activity in striatum or rate of catecholamine synthesis in synaptosomal preparation (P2 pellet). However, the endogenous levels of norepinephrine, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine were significantly increased not only in several brain areas examined, but also in P2 pellet. Bromazepam failed to change 3H-norepinephrine and 3H-5-hydroxytryptamine uptake in synaptosomes suggesting that the increased levels of monoamines are not related to laterations in uptake mechanisms, but probably to a diminished release. This is supported by the data on striatal homovanillic acid and whole brain 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl glycol whose concentrations were significantly lowered following a single injection of this benzodiazepine. However, bromazepam increased 5-hydroxyindole-acetic acid levels in hypothalamus, mid-brain and pons-medulla. The present study demonstrates that bromazepam elicits its tranquilizing action by lowering the release of catecholamines in brain; however, its anti-anxiety action might be associated with a reduction in 5-hydroxytryptamine turn over. Our data also suggest that bromazepam is almost as potent as diazepam in altering the metabolism of certain putative neurotransmitters in brain.

Amines↗
PubMed1978

Assessment of long-acting neuroleptics. Methods and problems.

Long-acting neuroleptics, without offering a therapeutic breakthrough in the treatment of schizophrenia, are nevertheless a definite step in the management of patients with this disorder. The adequate assessment of these agents necessitates methodological considerations to ensure first, just and adequate patient selection, secondly, adaptations to the drug's characteristics, thridly, sufficient duration of the study and finally, special precautions in the assessment of toxicity. Furthermore, the patient management in these studies must ensure continued and easy accessibility of the simultaneously investigating and treating team.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1978

A controlled study of penfluridol in the treatment of chronic schizophrenia.

Twenty patients were treated with penfluridol and 21 with fluphenazine for a period of up to 1 year. Penfluridol, an oral neuroleptic administered weekly was as efficacious as fluphenazine administered twice daily and appeared to be superior to fluphenazine in improving emotional withdrawal and anergia. The low incidence of side effects and other signs of toxicity, coupled with an effective prophylactic activity, suggests that penfluridol is an important addition to our therapeutic armamentarium for the treatment of chronic schizophrenia.

Adult↗