Relationship between prefrontal cognitive functions and dopaminergic transmission: A [18F]-fluoro-l-DOPA PET study

Neurocognitive impairments in non-deprived smokers-results from a population-based multi-center study on smoking-related behavior

The aim of the present study was to examine neurocognitive function associated with chronic nicotine use. A total of 2163 healthy participants (1002 smokers, 1161 never-smoking controls) participated in a population-based case- control design.The main outcome measures were six cognitive domain factors derived from a neuropsychological test battery. In smokers, the battery was administered after controlled smoking of one cigarette. Analyses included age, sex and education as covariates. Results demonstrated small, but significant deficits in smokers for visual attention (P < 0.001) and cognitive impulsivity (P < 0.006), while verbal episodic memory, verbal fluency, verbal working memory, and…

The P300 event-related potential and smoking--a population-based case-control study.

A better understanding of the factors underlying habitual tobacco smoking may further new strategies to go about this major health problem. The P300 event-related potential (ERP) has emerged as a valuable (endo)phenotype in neuropsychiatric research. Previous studies suggested the P300 ERP to be reduced in smokers. The main purpose of the present study was to provide an in-depth description of smoking-related behavioral, biological and electrophysiological phenotypes with an emphasis on the P300 ERP and its mutual relationship with other smoking-related parameters. In this case-control study N=1318 participants (smokers and never-smoking controls) were investigated at 6 German academic inst…

Low concentration of ziprasidone in human milk: a case report

Although second-generation antipsychotics are established as the first-line treatment for schizophrenia, female patients are often excluded from this efficient treatment for safety reasons in pregnancy or whilst breastfeeding. For this reason, research on this subject mostly relies on case reports, although there is a great need to establish modern guidelines for treatment. Milk-to-plasma (M:P) ratios have been reported for clozapine (2.79–4.32; Winans, 2001), olanzapine (0.10–0.84; Gardiner et al. 2003), risperidone/9-OH risperidone (0.10–0.42/0.24–0.50; Gentile, 2004) and aripiprazole (0.18–0.20; Schlotterbeck et al. 2007). According to one case report, the infant ingests 0.09–0.43% of th…

Psychological and hormonal features of smokers at risk to gain weight after smoking cessation--results of a multicenter study.

Preclinical and clinical data suggest modulating effects of appetite-regulating hormones and stress perception on food intake. Nicotine intake also interferes with regulation of body weight. Especially following smoking cessation gaining weight is a common but only partially understood consequence. The aim of this study was to examine the interaction between smoking habits, the appetite regulating hormone leptin, negative affectivity, and stress vulnerability on eating behavior in a clinical case-control study under standardized conditions. In a large population-based study sample, we compared leptin and cortisol plasma concentrations (radioimmunoassay) between current tobacco smokers with …

Roxindole, a dopamine autoreceptor agonist, in the treatment of positive and negative schizophrenic symptoms

Twenty schizophrenic inpatients with either predominantly positive or predominantly negative symptoms were treated with the dopamine autoreceptor agonist roxindole in prospective open clinical trials. There was no antipsychotic effect in the subgroup with positive symptoms, whereas the subgroup with negative symptoms, especially those with the residual type of schizophrenia, showed a moderate but significant 20% reduction in total scores on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms.

Aripiprazole in human milk

Second-generation antipsychotics are now the established first-line treatment for schizophrenia. However, there are limited data on the use of these compounds in pregnant and breastfeeding women with mental disorders. For ethical reasons, research on these subjects mostly relies on collection of single datasets of cases in order to establish treatment guidelines.

Association of Common Polymorphisms in the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Alpha4 Subunit Gene with an Electrophysiological Endophenotype in a Large Population-Based Sample

PLoS one 11(4), e0152984 (2016). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0152984