Savoxepine: invalidation of an "atypical" neuroleptic response pattern predicted by animal models in an open clinical trial with schizophrenic patients.

The new tetracyclic compound savoxepine exhibits potent antidopaminergic effects with preferential activity in the hippocampus as compared to striatum in rat brain. As a result of behavioural animal models and regional differences in dopamine receptor binding characteristics, it has been suggested to possess an "atypical" neuroleptic response pattern. In an open clinical trial, savoxepine was administered to 12 in-patients suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder (DSM-III). Eight patients were treated with a stable dose of 0.5 mg per day throughout the study, while in the remaining patients higher doses up to 20 mg/day were administered. Mean total BPRS scores and…

Formation and metabolism of catecholestrogens in depressed patients.

Abstract The evidence that catecholestrogens are formed in the brain and exert behavioral effects in animal models suggests that these steroids might have psychotropic activities. In the present investigation, the formation and metabolism of catecholestrogens were studied in depressed patients. Twenty-four-hr urine samples were collected from 6 male patients (59 ± 8 years) with endogenous retarded depression (subtype primary, endogenous, and recurrent according to Research Diagnostic Criteria) and from 12 male control subjects (51 ± 4 years). The patients were treated with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor tranylcypromine (10–40 mg/day for 3–4 weeks). The concentrations of primary estrogens, …

Serial assessment of corticotropin-releasing hormone response after dexamethasone in depression. Implications for pathophysiology of DST nonsuppression.