15 research outputs found
Zolpidem abuse and dependency in an elderly patient with major depressive disorder: a case report
Abnormal auditory N400 in a case of zolpidem dependence, during a working memory test
Zolpidem is a GABA (A) agonist, which is indicated for the short-term
management of insomnia. Recent research provide evidence suggesting that
zolpidem produces spatial working memory (WM) deficits and dependence;
however, the underlying mechanisms of these effects are unknown. Since
the auditory N400 component of event-related potentials (ERPS) is
considered as an index of memory use of context processing, the present
study focused on N400 waveform of ERPs elicited during a WM task in a
case suffering from zolpidern dependence. The patterns of N400 waveform
of this case were compared to the patterns obtained from healthy
controls. This comparison revealed that zolpidem dependence is
accompanied by reduced amplitudes located at posterior brain areas and
diffuse prolongation of N400. These findings may indicate that zolpidem
dependence manifests alterations with regard to the memory use of
context processing, involving or affecting a wide-ranging network of the
brain’s structures. (c) 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved
Horse madness (hippomania) and hippophobia
Anthropophagic horses have been described in classical mythology. From a
current perspective, two such instances are worth mentioning and
describing: Glaucus of Potniae, King of Efyra, and Diomedes, King of
Thrace, who were both devoured by their horses. In both cases, the
horses’ extreme aggression and their subsequent anthropophagic behaviour
were attributed to their madness (hippomania) induced by the custom of
feeding them with flesh. The current problem of ‘mad cow’ disease
(bovine spongiform encephalopathy) is apparently related to a similar
feeding pattern. Aggressive behaviour in horses can be triggered by both
biological and psychological factors. In the cases cited here, it is
rather unlikely that the former were the cause. On the other hand, the
multiple abuses imposed on the horses, coupled with peoples’ fantasies
and largely unconscious fears (hippophobia), may possibly explain these
mythological descriptions of the ‘horse-monsters’
A zolpidem and cocaine abuse case report
A case is presented of a 30-year-old man, prescribed zolpidem for
insomnia arising from cocaine abuse, who sought to use this hypnotic to
reduce his craving for cocaine. However, after taking cocaine and up to
300 mg/day zolpidem, he became euphoric and hyperactive. It is suggested
that at high doses, zolpidem, like cocaine, has a stimulatory effect on
the brain dopaminergic reward pathway
Serum cytokine concentrations in alcohol-dependent individuals without liver disease
In the current study, our aim was to evaluate and investigate the
influence of heavy alcohol intake on serum interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8,
IL-10, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)
concentrations. The selection of cytokines was based on their
presumptive role in the pathophysiology of alcohol dependence. On
admission to the Drug-Free Substance Addiction Detoxification clinic
(”ATHENA”), blood samples were obtained from study participants,
and serum cytokine concentrations were measured by using a commercial
sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Alcohol
dependence, as diagnosed according to DSM-IV [Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.)] criteria for alcohol
dependence and estimated by using the Composite International Diagnostic
Interview (CIDI), was characterized by increased serum IL-6
concentration. Interleukin-8, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-alpha concentrations
were comparable to those found in control subjects (P > .05). These
results indicate that in alcohol-dependent individuals there is a
significant increase in the serum IL-6 concentration (P < .05). (C) 2004
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Long-term abstinence syndrome in heroin addicts: Indices of P300 alterations associated with a short memory task
Design and implementation of a multi-PNN structure for discriminating one-month abstinent heroin addicts from healthy controls using the P600 component of ERP signals
A multi-probabilistic neural network (multi-PNN) classification
structure has been designed for distinguishing one-month abstinent
heroin addicts from normal controls by means of the Event-Related
Potentials’ P600 component, selected at 15 scalp leads, elicited under a
Working Memory (WM) test. The multi-PNN structure consisted of 15
optimally designed PNN lead-classifiers feeding an end-stage PNN
classifier. The multi-PNN structure classified correctly all subjects.
When leads were grouped into compartments, highest accuracies were
achieved at the frontal (91.7%) and left temporo-central region
(86.1%). Highest single-lead precision (86.1%) was found at the P3, C5
and F3 leads. These findings indicate that cognitive function, as
represented by P600 during a WM task and explored by the PNN signal
processing techniques, may be involved in short-term abstinent heroin
addicts. Additionally, these findings indicate that these techniques may
significantly facilitate computer-aided analysis of ERPs. (c) 2005
Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Paricalcitol reduces peritoneal fibrosis in mice through the activation of regulatory T cells and reduction in IL-17 production
Fibrosis is a significant health problem associated with a chronic inflammatory reaction. The precise mechanisms involved in the fibrotic process are still poorly understood. However, given that inflammation is a major causative factor, immunomodulation is a possible therapeutic approach to reduce fibrosis. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) that is present in all hematopoietic cells has been associated with immunomodulation. We investigated whether the intraperitoneal administration of paricalcitol, a specific activator of the VDR, modulates peritoneal dialysis fluid (PDF)-induced peritoneal fibrosis. We characterized the inflammatory process in the peritoneal cavity of mice treated or not treated with paricalcitol and analyzed the ensuing fibrosis. The treatment reduced peritoneal IL-17 levels, which strongly correlated with a significantly lower peritoneal fibrotic response. In vitro studies demonstrate that both CD4+ and CD8+ regulatory T cells appear to impact the regulation of IL-17. Paricalcitol treatment resulted in a significantly increased frequency of CD8+ T cells showing a regulatory phenotype. The frequency of CD4+ Tregs tends to be increased, but it did not achieve statistical significance. However, paricalcitol treatment increased the number of CD4+ and CD8+ Treg cells in vivo. In conclusion, the activation of immunological regulatory mechanisms by VDR signaling could prevent or reduce fibrosis, as shown in peritoneal fibrosis induced by PDF exposure in mice.This study was supported by RETICS 06/0016 (VFM, RS) and FIS PI 09/0064 (RS) from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (Health Research Fund). MLC was funded by SAF 2013-47611-R, SAF 2010-21249, and SAF 2007-61201 from the Ministerio de Economía y competitividad. MRO was supported by RETICS 12/0021,S2012DMD2321 from the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid, PI 11/01854 from Fondo Investigaciones Sanitarias. GTGM was supported by Renal Foundation Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo, FIBHULP, and by Severo Ochoa FoundationPeer Reviewe