Increased Activity of 2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

The aim of this study was to measure the activity of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2',5'AS) which is mainly induced by interferon (IFN)-α and -β in patients with major depression and evaluate its relationship to the disease. 2',5'AS activity of 23 patients (male = 11, female = 12) with major depression and of 29 normal control subjects (male = 15, female = 14) was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by radioassay. The mean 2',5'AS activity in the PBMCs of the patients and that of the control subjects were 1.10 ± 0.69% and 0.72 ± 0.51%, respectively. The activity in the patients was statistically higher than that of the control subjects (P = 0.03). These results imply some abnormality in the IFN-2',5'AS system of patients with major depression

Positive Transfer Effect of Amygdaloid Kindling in Developing Rats

To study the hypothesis that seizure susceptibility in the young rat brain is higher than that in the adult brain, positive transfer effect (PTE) in amygdaloid kindling in rats was investigated at varing ages: 15 days, 18 days, 28 days, 40 days and 70 days. Although PTE was observed regardless of age, it was more pronounced in weaning rats than in adult rats

Persistence of Acquired Epileptogenesis in Amygdaloid-Kindled Rats: Relationship between the Initial Kindling Stages and Seizure Development in Rekindling

In order to gain insight into mechanisms underlying the persistence of the partial kindling effect, we suspended amygdaloid kindling at different seizure stages in rats, and investigated the effects on subsequent rekindling after a rest period of 2 months. Ten-week-old rats, implanted with bipolar electrodes, were separated by various initial kindling stages into 5 groups of rats, partially kindled to stages 1 (n = 7) and 2 (n = 10), fully kindled to stages 4 (n = 11) and 5 (n = 11), and control rats (n = 12) which were implanted but not stimulated initially. The number of stimulations required to elicit the first stage 5 seizure during rekindling was significantly lower in the fully kindled groups (P < 0.01 in the stage 4 group and P < 0.001 in the stage 5 group) than the control group. The cumulative afterdischarge duration during rekindling was significantly shorter in the fully kindled groups (P < 0.01 in both groups) than the control group. The latency of the first stage 5 seizure during rekindling was significantly shorter in the partially and fully kindled groups than the control group. These results suggest that epileptogenesis acquired at the partially kindled stage is different than that acquired at the fully kindled stage. However, the effects of the initial kindling on the latency to produce the stage 5 seizure during rekindling persisted both in the partially and fully kindled rats