RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To assess aggression and psychiatric comorbidity in a sample of children with hypothalamic hamartomas and gelastic seizures and to assess psychiatric diagnoses in siblings of study subjects. METHOD: Children with a clinical history of gelastic seizures and hypothalamic hamartomas (n = 12; age range 3-14 years) had diagnoses confirmed by video-EEG and head magnetic resonance imaging. Structured interviews were administered, including the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-Revised Parent Form (DICA-R-P), the Test of Broad Cognitive Abilities, and the Vitiello Aggression Scale. Parents were interviewed with the DICA-R-P about each subject and a sibling closest in age without seizures and hypothalamic hamartomas. Patients were seen from 1998 to 2000. RESULTS: Children with gelastic seizures and hypothalamic hamartomas displayed a statistically significant increase in comorbid psychiatric conditions, including oppositional defiant disorder (83.3%) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (75%). They also exhibited high rates of conduct disorder (33.3%), speech retardation/learning impairment (33.3%), and anxiety and mood disorders (16.7%). Significant rates of aggression were noted, with 58% of the seizure patients meeting criteria for the affective subtype of aggression and 30.5% having the predatory aggression subtype. Affective aggression was significantly more common (p < .05). Unaffected siblings demonstrated low rates of psychiatric pathology on semistructured parental interview and no aggression as measured by the Vitiello Aggression Scale. CONCLUSIONS: Children with hypothalamic hamartomas and gelastic seizures had high rates of psychiatric comorbidity and aggression. Parents reported that healthy siblings had very low rates of psychiatric pathology and aggression.
Asunto(s)
Agresión/psicología , Encefalopatías/psicología , Salud de la Familia , Hamartoma/psicología , Hipotálamo , Trastornos Mentales/epidemiología , Trastornos Mentales/etiología , Adolescente , Afecto , Encefalopatías/complicaciones , Encefalopatías/patología , Niño , Preescolar , Electroencefalografía , Epilepsias Parciales/diagnóstico , Epilepsias Parciales/etiología , Epilepsias Parciales/psicología , Femenino , Hamartoma/complicaciones , Hamartoma/patología , Humanos , Hipotálamo/patología , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Masculino , Trastornos Mentales/diagnóstico , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica , Psicología InfantilRESUMEN
Familial male precocious puberty is a form of precocious puberty resulting from an activating mutation of the luteinizing hormone receptor. Behavior problems are associated with the early onset of puberty. In this case, sexual hyperactivity was treated with psychostimulants. Implications for the effectiveness of methylphenidate in reducing sexual hyperactivity with and without familial male precocious puberty are discussed, and testable hypotheses are proposed for the effects of stimulants on sexual behavior in adolescents.
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Estimulantes del Sistema Nervioso Central/farmacología , Metilfenidato/farmacología , Pubertad Precoz/genética , Pubertad Precoz/psicología , Conducta Sexual/psicología , Disfunciones Sexuales Psicológicas/tratamiento farmacológico , Estimulantes del Sistema Nervioso Central/uso terapéutico , Preescolar , Humanos , Masculino , Metilfenidato/uso terapéutico , Conducta Sexual/efectos de los fármacos , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Adolescents who kill themselves invariably have an underlying psychiatric disorder. Biological markers are not yet clinically useful for identifying adolescents at risk, and there is a paucity of research data on the effectiveness of behavioral intervention for suicidal teenagers. A case of a 16-year-old scholar and athlete is presented to illustrate how multiple risk factors and a family diathesis often go undetected, resulting in tragic consequences. Psychiatric, familial, genetic, and social risk factors of adolescent suicide are reviewed, and the efficacy of lithium and antidepressant pharmacotherapy in reducing suicide rates is discussed. The importance of screening adolescent patients for depression is emphasized. Although teenage suicide is rare and hard to predict, identifying and treating adolescents at risk is essential to further reduce teenage suicide.
Asunto(s)
Prevención del Suicidio , Suicidio , Adolescente , Conducta del Adolescente , Antidepresivos/uso terapéutico , Trastorno Bipolar/diagnóstico , Trastorno Bipolar/genética , Trastorno Bipolar/terapia , Trastorno Depresivo/diagnóstico , Trastorno Depresivo/genética , Trastorno Depresivo/terapia , Femenino , Hospitalización , Humanos , Ácido Hidroxiindolacético/metabolismo , Psicología del Adolescente , Psicoterapia , Factores de Riesgo , Serotonina/metabolismo , Suicidio/psicología , Triptófano Hidroxilasa/genéticaRESUMEN
Noradrenergic dysfunction and abnormality in monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzyme activity have been reported previously in Lesch-Nyhan (LN) disease. This study examines peripheral indices of adrenergic, noradrenergic, and MAO function in children and young adults with LN disease (n = 11), and healthy subjects (n = 9). Blood samples, collected in identical conditions prior to a positron emission tomography (PET) study, were assayed for concentrations of epinephrine (EPI), norepinephrine (NE), and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG) (which results from the degradation of NE by monoamine oxidase type A [MAO-A]). The LN subjects had significantly higher EPI levels by 245% (p < .00) and lower DHPG levels by 42% (p < .00) compared to the control group. No group differences were noted in NE plasma levels. Cognitive function (IQ tested by Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale) was associated with EPI in the LN group (r = 0.77, p = .009), but not in the control group. The abnormally high EPI plasma concentrations may indicate another biochemical dysfunction secondary to the absence of the HPRT enzyme in LN patients. Such a biochemical deficit is likely to originate from the adrenal medulla, which is the primary site of EPI synthesis. The adrenal medulla may be directly affected by the absence of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) enzyme, or may receive inappropriately high descending activation input from the brain. The abnormally low DHPG levels, in the context of normal NE levels, indicates low MAO activity, either as a primary deficit, or as secondary adaptive changes to spare NE levels that would otherwise be too low for adequate noradrenergic function.
Asunto(s)
Epinefrina/sangre , Síndrome de Lesch-Nyhan/sangre , Metoxihidroxifenilglicol/análogos & derivados , Norepinefrina/sangre , Adolescente , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Presión Sanguínea , Niño , Humanos , Síndrome de Lesch-Nyhan/fisiopatología , Metoxihidroxifenilglicol/sangre , Análisis Multivariante , Pulso Arterial , Valores de ReferenciaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent childhood psychiatric disorder characterized by impaired attention, excessive motor activity, and impulsivity. Despite extensive investigation of the neuropathophysiology of ADHD by a wide array of methodologies, the neurobiochemical substrate of this disorder is still unknown. Converging evidence, however, suggests a primary role of the dopaminergic system. METHOD: This study examined the integrity of presynaptic dopaminergic function in children with ADHD through use of positron emission tomography and the tracer [18F]fluorodopa ([18F]DOPA). Accumulation of [18F]DOPA in synaptic terminals, a measure of dopa decarboxylase activity, was quantified in regions rich in dopaminergic innervation, including caudate nucleus, putamen, frontal cortex, and midbrain (i.e., substantia nigra and ventral tegmentum). RESULTS: Accumulation of [18F]DOPA in the right midbrain was higher by 48% in 10 children with ADHD than in 10 normal children. Despite its magnitude, this difference would not have reached statistical significance if corrected by the Bonferroni test for multiple comparisons. However, [18F]DOPA in the right midbrain was correlated with symptom severity. No other dopamine-rich regions significantly differed between groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are suggestive of dopaminergic dysfunction at the level of the dopaminergic nuclei in children with ADHD. Abnormality in dopa decarboxylase activity may be primary or secondary to deficits in other functional units of the dopamine pathway (e.g., receptor, uptake transporter, vesicular transporter, degradation enzymes). Efforts toward defining the origin of this abnormality should help delineate mechanisms of midbrain control of attention and motor behavior important for the understanding of the causes and treatment of ADHD.
Asunto(s)
Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/metabolismo , Dihidroxifenilalanina/análogos & derivados , Dopamina/metabolismo , Radioisótopos de Flúor , Mesencéfalo/metabolismo , Tomografía Computarizada de Emisión , Adolescente , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/diagnóstico por imagen , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/fisiopatología , Núcleo Caudado/diagnóstico por imagen , Núcleo Caudado/metabolismo , Niño , Dihidroxifenilalanina/metabolismo , Dopa-Decarboxilasa/análisis , Dopa-Decarboxilasa/metabolismo , Dopamina/fisiología , Femenino , Radioisótopos de Flúor/metabolismo , Lóbulo Frontal/diagnóstico por imagen , Lóbulo Frontal/metabolismo , Lateralidad Funcional/fisiología , Humanos , Masculino , Mesencéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Mesencéfalo/fisiopatología , Terminales Presinápticos/química , Terminales Presinápticos/metabolismo , Putamen/diagnóstico por imagen , Putamen/metabolismo , Índice de Severidad de la EnfermedadRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Tourette's disorder is characterized by chronic fluctuating motor and vocal tics. Despite extensive investigation of the neuropathophysiology of the disorder by a wide array of methodologies, its neurobiochemical substrate is still unclear. Converging evidence, however, suggests a primary role of the dopaminergic system, particularly within the basal ganglia. METHOD: This study examined the integrity of presynaptic dopaminergic function in children with Tourette's disorder, using positron emission tomography and the tracer [18F]fluorodopa (FDOPA). Accumulation of FDOPA in synaptic terminals, a measure of DOPA decarboxylase activity, was quantified in caudate nucleus, putamen, frontal cortex, and midbrain (i.e., substantia nigra and ventral tegmentum). RESULTS: Subjects with Tourette's disorder showed higher FDOPA accumulation than controls in the left caudate nucleus (by 25%; p = .03) and right midbrain (by 53%; p = .08). CONCLUSION: These findings provide evidence of dopaminergic dysfunction in children with Tourette's disorder which affects both cell nuclei and nerve terminals. Based on the known regulation of DOPA decarboxylase activity by post- and presynaptic receptors, and by extracellular dopamine concentration, abnormal activity in this enzyme may reflect deficits in a variety of functional elements of the dopamine system. The precise mechanism underlying an up-regulation of DOPA decarboxylase activity needs to be identified in future studies.
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Dopamina/metabolismo , Receptores Presinapticos/metabolismo , Síndrome de Tourette/metabolismo , Adolescente , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Niño , Femenino , Radioisótopos de Flúor , Humanos , Masculino , Análisis de Regresión , Tomografía Computarizada de Emisión , Síndrome de Tourette/diagnóstico por imagenAsunto(s)
Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/diagnóstico , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/terapia , Adulto , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/tratamiento farmacológico , Terapia Conductista , Estimulantes del Sistema Nervioso Central/uso terapéutico , Niño , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Femenino , Humanos , MasculinoRESUMEN
We provide a comprehensive review of the neurobiological basis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This summary was accomplished by a review of research in three areas: neuroimaging, genetics, and neurochemistry. Additionally, we also discuss a newer conceptualization of the disorder. Although none of the current findings present a unified picture of the pathophysiology of the disorder, the vast array of studies reviewed do highlight CNS abnormalities that, when taken together, present a convincing argument that the cause clearly resides within the realm of developing brain.
Asunto(s)
Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/fisiopatología , Encéfalo/fisiopatología , Adolescente , Adulto , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/diagnóstico por imagen , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/genética , Ganglios Basales/diagnóstico por imagen , Ganglios Basales/fisiopatología , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Encéfalo/crecimiento & desarrollo , Femenino , Glucosa/metabolismo , Humanos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Masculino , Tomografía Computarizada de Emisión , Tomografía Computarizada de Emisión de Fotón ÚnicoRESUMEN
Converging evidence implicates the dopaminergic system and the prefrontal and nigrostriatal regions in the pathophysiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using positron emission tomography (PET) with [fluorine-18]fluorodopa (F18-DOPA), we compared the integrity of the presynaptic dopaminergic function between 17 ADHD adults and 23 healthy controls. The ratio of the isotope concentration of specific regions to that of nonspecific regions reflects DOPA decarboxylase activity and dopamine storage processes. Of three composite regions (prefrontal cortex, striatum, and midbrain), only the prefrontal cortex showed significantly different F18-DOPA ratios in ADHD as compared with control adults (p < 0.01). The medial and left prefrontal areas were the most altered (lower F18-DOPA ratios by 52 and 51% in ADHD as compared with controls). Similarly, the interaction [sex x diagnosis] was significant only in the prefrontal cortex (p < 0.02): lower ratios in men than in women in ADHD and vice versa in controls. These findings suggest that a prefrontal dopaminergic dysfunction mediates ADHD symptoms in adults and that gender influences this abnormality. On the basis of previous neuroimaging findings in ADHD showing discrepant findings in adults and adolescents and on evidence for midbrain dopaminergic defect in adolescents, we hypothesize that the prefrontal dopaminergic abnormality in ADHD adults is secondary and results from an interaction of the primary subcortical dopaminergic deficit with processes of neural maturation and neural adaptation.
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Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/metabolismo , Dihidroxifenilalanina/análogos & derivados , Dopa-Decarboxilasa/metabolismo , Terminales Presinápticos/fisiología , Tomografía Computarizada de Emisión/métodos , Adulto , Análisis de Varianza , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/diagnóstico por imagen , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Femenino , Radioisótopos de Flúor , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
Using positron emission tomography and [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose, the authors determined cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (CMRglc) in 39 adults (18-51 years old) with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 56 healthy control adults (19-56 years old) during the performance of a continuous attention task. Increased age was associated with reduced global CMRglc in ADHD women, but not in ADHD men, control men, or control women. Better performance on the attention task was significantly associated with increased age only in the ADHD female group. Determining the role of behavioral, hormonal, and genetic factors is a challenge for future research.
Asunto(s)
Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/metabolismo , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Adolescente , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Análisis de Varianza , Ansiedad/fisiopatología , Atención/fisiología , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/diagnóstico por imagen , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/fisiopatología , Glucemia/metabolismo , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Distribución de Chi-Cuadrado , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Radioisótopos de Flúor , Lóbulo Frontal/diagnóstico por imagen , Lóbulo Frontal/metabolismo , Humanos , Modelos Lineales , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , Factores Sexuales , Tomografía Computarizada de EmisiónRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To review in a critical fashion the literature of the past decade covering diagnostic and laboratory testing in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry. METHOD: A computerized search of articles published during the past decade was made, and selected articles are presented. Because of the paucity of articles specifically relating to minors, selected articles from adult psychiatry are cited. RESULTS: With a few notable exceptions, few controlled studies on the specificity and sensitivity of any laboratory test for any specific disorder of behavior presenting in children have been conducted in children and adolescents. A high index of suspicion will remain the clinician's best ally in utilizing laboratory measures in the assessment of psychopathology. Nonetheless, studies have appeared that will guide the clinician as to what tests are not clinically useful. CONCLUSION: Indications and the lack of indications for specific laboratory studies are an integral part of the knowledge base that child psychiatrists must have. Much more empirical data will need to be collected prospectively to inform the field and to move the judicious use of the laboratory from an art to a science.
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Psiquiatría del Adolescente , Psiquiatría Infantil , Pruebas Diagnósticas de Rutina , Adolescente , Psiquiatría del Adolescente/educación , Adulto , Niño , Psiquiatría Infantil/educación , Humanos , Trastornos Mentales/diagnóstico , Trastornos Mentales/tratamiento farmacológico , Trastornos Mentales/etiología , Psicotrópicos/administración & dosificación , Psicotrópicos/efectos adversos , Psicotrópicos/farmacocinéticaRESUMEN
UNLABELLED: This review provides information on health and biological effects of low-dose radiation to help institutional review boards and investigators make educated assessments of the risks of low-level radiation exposure involved in research, particularly in children. METHODS: Studies of low-level radiation exposure with large sample sizes and long follow-up were reviewed. To help interpret the studies, we clarified the measures and measurement strategies of radiation exposure and of health risks. The few large studies of risks of low-level radiation in children have failed to detect an increased incidence of cancer. Most studies of low-level radiation involve adults. RESULTS: The risk of increased rates of cancer after low-level radiation exposure is not supported by population studies of health hazards from exposure to background radiation, radon in homes, radiation in the workplace or radiotherapy. Compared to the frequency of daily spontaneous genetic mutations, the biological effect of low-level radiation at the cellular level seems extremely low. Furthermore, the potentiation of cellular repair mechanisms by low-level radiation may result in a protective effect from subsequent high-level radiation. Studies approved by institutional review boards in the U.S. that involve the exposure of healthy normal children to ionizing radiation were reviewed. CONCLUSION: Health risks from low-level radiation could not be detected above the "noise" of adverse events of everyday life. In addition, no data were found that demonstrated higher risks with younger age at low-level radiation exposure.
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Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Encéfalo/efectos de la radiación , Niño , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales , Humanos , Dosis de Radiación , Cintigrafía , Radioterapia , Radón/efectos adversos , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
This study reports the effects of intravenous dextroamphetamine on cerebral glucose metabolism assayed by positron emission tomography (PET) and [fluorine-18]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in 13 healthy adults during the performance of a continuous visual attention task. Two FDG PET scans were performed within a single experimental session. The first scan was preceded by the injection of placebo and the second scan by the injection of 0.15 mg/kg dextroamphetamine. Global and normalized regional glucose metabolic rates (rCMRglc) were examined as a function of pharmacological challenge and subjective experience. Subcortical, limbic, frontal, and cerebellar rCMRglc significantly increased after dextroamphetamine, whereas rCMRglc of the temporal cortex significantly decreased. Physiological and self-report measures of subjective states showed the expected alterations. These rCMRglc changes reflect both the direct pharmacological effect of dextroamphetamine on monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems as well as enhancement of the activation of the neural network mediating the performance of the continuous attention task.
Asunto(s)
Química Encefálica/efectos de los fármacos , Estimulantes del Sistema Nervioso Central/farmacología , Dextroanfetamina/farmacología , Glucosa/metabolismo , Adulto , Afecto/efectos de los fármacos , Nivel de Alerta/efectos de los fármacos , Atención/fisiología , Presión Sanguínea/efectos de los fármacos , Estimulantes del Sistema Nervioso Central/administración & dosificación , Dextroanfetamina/administración & dosificación , Femenino , Fluorodesoxiglucosa F18 , Frecuencia Cardíaca/efectos de los fármacos , Humanos , Inyecciones Intravenosas , Masculino , Desempeño Psicomotor/efectos de los fármacos , Tomografía Computarizada de EmisiónRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Low cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (CMRglc) have been reported in a small sample of girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study was an effort to replicate this finding in a larger independent sample. METHOD: Using positron emission tomography and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose, CMRglc were compared between 10 girls with ADHD (14.10 +/- 1.91 years) and 11 normal girls (14.3 +/- 1.70 years). RESULTS: Global CMRglc was similar between ADHD and control girls. Lateralization of normalized CMRglc differed significantly between ADHD and control girls in parietal and subcortical regions, with rCMRglc lower on the left than on the right side in girls with ADHD, and conversely in control girls. The sylvian area of the parietal region and the anterior putamen of the subcortical region were the main contributors to this effect. Normalized rCMRglc of the hippocampus was higher in ADHD than in control girls. Sexual maturation was the only clinical characteristic that differed between present and previous samples, and it correlated with global CMRglc. CONCLUSIONS: Although failing to confirm abnormally low CMRglc in girls with ADHD, this study suggested that (1) functional interactions between sex and brain development may contribute to ADHD pathophysiology, and (2) sexual maturation should be controlled in future CMRglc studies of adolescent girls.
Asunto(s)
Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/metabolismo , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Glucosa/metabolismo , Adolescente , Femenino , HumanosRESUMEN
Plasma monoamines and monoamine metabolites were assessed before and during selegiline treatment in adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Selegiline, at low dose, is a selective monoamine oxidase inhibitor type B (MAOI-B). After 2-week placebo baseline, 36 ADHD adults were randomized to 6-week placebo or 20 mg/day or 60 mg/day selegiline, followed by 2-week posttreatment placebo. Twenty-seven subjects continued into a 6-week 20-mg/day or 60-mg/day selegiline period. Behavioral variables included self-rated scores on the Conners' Abbreviated Teacher Rating Scale (Conners-ATRS) and performance on a Continuous Performance Task (CPT). Plasma samples were assayed for amines (dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine), precursor (DOPA), and metabolites (HVA, DOPAC, DHPG, normetanephrine, metanephrine, 5-HIAA). Selegiline produced dose-dependent changes in monoamine metabolites and DOPA plasma levels. Dopaminergic indices were associated with ADHD symptom severity (Conners-ATRS) and noradrenergic indices with CPT performance. Serotonergic metabolism, challenged by selegiline, correlated with clinical changes. These findings support a multisystem dysfunction underlying ADHD pathophysiology.
Asunto(s)
Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/metabolismo , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/psicología , Monoaminas Biogénicas/metabolismo , Inhibidores de la Monoaminooxidasa/uso terapéutico , Selegilina/uso terapéutico , Adulto , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/tratamiento farmacológico , Dopamina/sangre , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Método Doble Ciego , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Inhibidores de la Monoaminooxidasa/efectos adversos , Norepinefrina/sangre , Desempeño Psicomotor/efectos de los fármacos , Selegilina/efectos adversos , Serotonina/sangreRESUMEN
alpha 2-Adrenergic receptors modulate the release of several neurotransmitters implicated in the treatment and pathophysiology of mood and anxiety disorders. Significant sex differences occur in the prevalence of both disorders. To test whether gender affects alpha 2 function, the plasma catecholamine and brain metabolic responses to alpha 2 blockade were measured in male and female volunteers. Ten female and thirteen male volunteers underwent [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scans before and after infusion of idazoxan (200 micrograms/kg). Measures of plasma catecholamines, blood pressure, and anxiety were obtained. Norepinephrine responses were larger in males. Women showed global increases in metabolism, whereas males had no global changes and some regional decreases in FDG uptake following idazoxan administration. The differences in norepinephrine increases are consistent with previously reported effects of gender on sympathetic activation. The PET data suggest gender differences in responses to alpha 2-receptor blockade in brain as well.
Asunto(s)
Antagonistas de Receptores Adrenérgicos alfa 2 , Antagonistas Adrenérgicos alfa/farmacología , Química Encefálica/efectos de los fármacos , Catecolaminas/sangre , Antagonistas Adrenérgicos alfa/farmacocinética , Adulto , Presión Sanguínea/efectos de los fármacos , Desoxiglucosa/análogos & derivados , Femenino , Radioisótopos de Flúor , Fluorodesoxiglucosa F18 , Glucosa/metabolismo , Frecuencia Cardíaca/efectos de los fármacos , Humanos , Idazoxan/farmacocinética , Idazoxan/farmacología , Masculino , Caracteres Sexuales , Tomografía Computarizada de EmisiónRESUMEN
Radial arterial catheterization is needed for repeated arterial blood samples to construct tracer input curves of positron emission tomography (PET) scans (Herscovitch [1993]: Rheum Dis Clin North Am 19:765-794). Complications resulting from such short-term catheterizations are rare. Sixteen investigators followed 106 subjects who had arterial lines placed in the context of a PET study. Abnormalities were reported in 8 of 106 (7.5%) cases. Of these eight cases, three (37.5%) were inpatients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, a condition that may represent a risk factor. All abnormalities were benign, did not affect motor function, and did not require medical intervention.
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Cateterismo Periférico , Arteria Radial/fisiología , Tomografía Computarizada de Emisión , Adulto , Análisis de Varianza , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Masculino , Valores de ReferenciaRESUMEN
Decreased frontal cortical glucose metabolism has been demonstrated in adult schizophrenics both at rest and while engaging in tasks that normally increase frontal metabolism, such as the Continuous Performance Test (CPT). The authors tested the hypothesis that adolescents with childhood onset schizophrenia would also demonstrate hypofrontality while performing the CPT. Cerebral glucose metabolism was examined in 16 adolescents (mean age 14.1 +/- 1.7) with onset of schizophrenia by age 12 (mean age at onset 9.9 +/- 1.8) and 26 healthy adolescents selected to be similar in age, sex and handedness using positron emission tomography and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose. Patients with childhood onset schizophrenia made fewer correct and more incorrect identifications on the CPT. Region of interest analysis revealed no significant group differences in global cerebral glucose metabolism, but increased metabolic rate in supramarginal gyrus (F = 6.74, P < 0.05) and inferior frontal gyrus/insula (F = 7.09, P < 0.05) and decreased metabolic rate in middle frontal gyrus (F = 6.72, P < 0.05) and superior frontal gyrus (t = 2.04, P < 0.05) in schizophrenics. Comparison of effect sizes with an identically designed study of adult schizophrenics did not indicate more severe hypofrontality in childhood onset schizophrenia. Pixel-based analyses indicated a more complex pattern of group differences in cerebral metabolism with bilaterally increased cerebellar metabolic rate in childhood onset schizophrenics. These findings suggest that childhood onset schizophrenia may be associated with a similar, but not more severe, degree of hypofrontality relative to that seen in adult onset schizophrenia.
Asunto(s)
Encéfalo/metabolismo , Glucosa/metabolismo , Esquizofrenia/metabolismo , Adolescente , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Niño , Femenino , Lateralidad Funcional , Humanos , Masculino , Radiofármacos , Esquizofrenia/diagnóstico por imagen , Tomografía Computarizada de Emisión/métodosRESUMEN
UNLABELLED: The reliability of serial [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET scans for psychopharmacologic studies was tested by using placebo infusions. METHODS: FDG scans were obtained before and after a 30 min placebo infusion (n = 10; Group 1) or after each of two bolus infusions with placebo (n = 8; Group 2). Subjects performed a continuous performance task (CPT) during each scan. Cardiovascular measures and ratings of anxiety were obtained in all subjects. Samples for determination of plasma norepinephrine (NE) were taken at multiple time points in Group 1. RESULTS: A slight increase in apparent global metabolism occurred between scans in both Groups 1 and 2. A few regions significantly increased in both groups. While an apparent increase in sympathetic activity occurred during the placebo infusion, neither NE levels, anxiety ratings nor cardiovascular measures correlated with global or regional FD6 uptake. CONCLUSION: Test-retest differences of global and regional glucose metabolism were highly consistent across two experimental designs. While increases in cerebral glucose metabolism appeared to occur during the second scan, differences between scans were small. This method may offer advantages for selected psychopharmacologic studies.