Practice of electroconvulsive therapy at University Hospital, The University of Tokushima School of Medicine from 1975 to 1997

Background:In Western nations the effect of ECT has been re-evaluated since the 1970s, while reports on ECT are few in Japan. Methods:The sample included 3,067 patients admitted to Tokushima University Hospital between 1975 and 1997. Hospital charts were reviewed retrospectively for ECT . Results:ECT was carried out on 6.03%of all subjects;11.97% of patients with schizophrenia, 4.88% with manic depressive psychosis, 7.44% with atypical psychosis and 3.27% with psychogenic reactions. The remission rate from ECT was 68.11% of all subjects ; 59.85% with schizophrenia, 100% with manic depressive psychosis, 100% with atypical psychosis and 92.0%with psychogenic reactions. Patients averaged 10.26 treatments. ECT had been administered mainly to patients who had responded poorly to pharmacotherapy and to patients who required rapid improvement of life-threatening symptoms. ECT was highly effective for symptoms as excitement, suicidal tendencies and stupor. Side effects were claimed by 36.77% of patients. Conclusions:ECT is suggested to be a useful therapeutic modality in current psychiatric practice

Traits of irrational beliefs related to eating problems in Japanese college women

This study focused on the relation of irrational beliefs and Body Mass Index(BMI) to inappropriate eating attitudes in Japanese college women. A total of 110 nonclinical subjects completed the Japanese Irrational Belief Test (JIBT) and the Japanese version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). The JIBT subscale of ‘self expectation’ had significant positive correlations with the EAT total score and the subscales of ‘obsession with eating’,‘dieting’ and ‘obese-phobia’. The JIBT subscale of ‘dependence’ had a significant positive correlation with the EAT subscale of ‘obsession with eating’. BMI score showed significant positive correlations with the EAT total score and the subscales of ‘dieting’ and ‘obesephobia’.The present results suggest that characteristic irrational beliefs are associated with inappropriate eating attitudes, suggesting that clarifying and then modifying their rationality may be a useful method of preventive intervention in nonclinical young women with eating problems

The effects of qi-gong and acupuncture on human cerebral evoked potentials and electroencephalogram

Although a number of studies on traditional Chinese medicine, such as qi-gong (QG), acupuncture (AC), moxibustion and Chinese herbal drugs, have been reported in recent years, there are few reports on human cerebral evoked potentials (EPs), especially relating only to QG and AC. In the present study, we examined the changes in EPs and electroencephalogram (EEG) by QG, and by AC stimulation to the point called “Zusanli” on the left lower leg, with one healthy male adult. 1.Withregard to the effects of QG, significant changes in EP-components originated from the cortex suggest both facilitating and inhibitory effects of QG on the cortex. However, no significant changes in EP-components originated from the subcortex and no significant changes in EEG power% suggest that QG does not affect the subcortex. 2.With regard to the effects of AC, significant changes in EP-components originated from the cortex suggest facilitating and inhibitory effects of AC stimulation on the cortex. Furthermore, it is suggested that AC stimulation has few effects on the somatosensory and the visual pathways up to the cortex, while it has complicated effects on the auditory pathway up to the cortex

The effects of Cigarette Smoking on the human VEP (Visual Evoked Potential) and EEG

The effects of cigarette smoking on the human CNS (Central Nervous System) were studied by VEP (Visual Evoked Potential) with 38 healthy male subjects (20～42 y. o., mean : 18. 6 cig./ day×8. 5 years). All subjects were deprived of smoking from the last night prior to the expriment. In the experimental session the subjects were asked to smoke two cigarettes (nicotine content 2. 7 mg/ cig.) in ten minutes after control recording. EEGs containing VEPs evoked by flash stimuli once every 5 second were recorded into the magnetic tape through the two derivations (2CH : O1→A1+2 and 5CH : O1→Cz) together with EEGs also through four other derivations, simultaneously. Reproducing the tape, VEPs from the two derivations were recorded, with 1000 msec of analysis time, for each recording session ; before, during and 10, 20, 30 min. after cigarette smoking. The EEGs were subjected to the quantitative frequency analysis. VEPs were converted into a series of numbers and subjected to the computer processing and statistical assessment with special reference to the EEG changes. The subjects were divied into the two groups, heavy smoker group and light smoker group (more than/within 15 cig./ day), for further study. The following results were obtained. 1. In the waveforms of group mean VEP recorded from the two drivations, N4 appeared only during cigarette smoking. Latencies of P2～P4 were tended to increase during and after smoking, other latencies tended to decrease during smoking and then increased thereafter. Peak-to-peak amplitudes tended to increase, and then decrease thereafter. In the group mean VEP from 5CH, peak-to-peak amplitudes decreased during and after smoking. Conponent analysis with individual VEPs verified these changes in the group mean VEP significant. These changes in the VEPs were attributed to the early exciting (arousal) effect due to the nicotin attaining to the brain, followed by the inhibiting (sedative) effect due to the short half-life period and tachyphylaxis of nicotin. 2. The correlation coefficients between the number of cigarette smoked in one day and ratio of change of latencies and peak-to-peak amplitudes indicated that the effects of smoking above mentioned appeared more markedly with heavy smokers than with light smokers, indicating more increased susceptibility to nicotin due to cigarette abstinence with the former. 3. Quantitative frequency analysis of EEG indicated arousal effect by the decrease of θ and increase of peak α frequency, and sedative effect by the derease of β1, namely desynchronization. These" arousal sedative effect" corresponded with the VEP changes by cigarette smoking in the present study

Differences in waveforms of cerebral evoked potentials among healthy subjects, schizophrenics, manic-depressives and epileptics

The differences in the waveform of Cerebral EP (Evoked Potential)s ; SEP, VEP and AEP, among healthy subjects, schizophrenics, manic-depressives and epileptics were investigated. In 585 subjects of both sexes comprising these diagnostic groups, 6 channels of EPs, each 2 channels for each sensory modality, were recorded simultaneously/ parallelly from each subject, without assigning a mental task. Then, waveforms of the g-m (group mean) EPs of each diagnostic group were superimposed for inspection. Peak latencies and inter-peak amplitudes of individual EPs were statistically tested among (ANCOVA) and between (Scheffe’s multiple comparison test) these diagnostic groups for each channel (modality), and for each sex. The waveforms of g-m EPs of each diagnostic group differed from each other. The differences of latencies and inter-peak amplitudes among these diagnostic groups attained to the significant level (P<0.05), with more significant differences between healthy subjects and each of these pathological diagnostic groups than between each of these pathological diagnostic groups, for each sex. Thus the differences in the waveform of EPs among these diagnostic groups were confirmed even taking the effect of medication on EPs into consideration. These results might suggest the existence of a waveform for individual EPs specific to each of these diagnostic groups, for each sex