Tag Archives: Depression
Risk factors for progression of brain atrophy in aging: six-year follow-up of normal subjects.
Neurology. 2005 May 24;64(10):1704-11. Risk factors for progression of brain atrophy in aging: six-year follow-up of normal subjects. Enzinger C1, Fazekas F, Matthews PM, Ropele S, Schmidt H, Smith S, Schmidt R. Author information Abstract OBJECTIVES: To determine the rate of brain atrophy in neurologically asymptomatic elderly … Continue reading
“Noncognitive” symptoms of early Alzheimer disease
Conclusions: We found a significantly earlier presence of positive symptoms on the NPI-Q in cognitively normal patients who subsequently developed CDR >0. Among participants with no depression symptoms at baseline, results suggest that depressive symptoms may increase with aging regardless of incipient dementia. Such findings begin to delineate the noncognitive course of Alzheimer disease dementia in the preclinical stages. Future research must further elucidate the correlation between noncognitive changes and distinct dementia subtypes. Continue reading
Autoimmune disease, inflammation and the brain
Went to a fabulous lecture by Dr. Souhel Najjar on autoimmune encephalitis this morning. As a reminder, bad relationships (including with one’s self-image etc.) can also cause/contribute to inflammatory burden. Below is a well-informed and written piece on Anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis … Continue reading
Association of Childhood Adversities and Early-Onset Mental Disorders With Adult-Onset Chronic Physical Conditions
Important paper on childhood adversities an adult-age chronic medical conditions, published just before our study on endogenous opioid dysregulation after early childhood adversity in psychiatrically and physically “healthy” adults. Archives of General Psychiatry August 2011, Vol 68, No. 8 > < Previous ArticleNext … Continue reading
Maurice Preter MD and Donald F. Klein, MD, DSc: Lifelong opioidergic vulnerability through early life separation: A recent extension of the false suffocation alarm theory of panic disorder.
“[…W]e objectively, experimentally showed a physiological link between endogenous opioid system deficiency and panic-like suffocation sensitivity in healthy adults. This is consonant with the expanded Suffocation-False Alarm Theory of panic suggesting an episodic functional endogenous opioid deficit (Preter and Klein, 1998). The specificity of the naloxone + lactate model of clinical panic should be tested using specific anti-panic components, possibly including opioidergic mixed agonist-antagonists such as buprenorphine. If specific, the naloxone + lactate effect in normal humans affords a screening method for testing putative anti-panic drugs which is currently not available. This could obviate the experimental treatment of panic disorder patients in drug development.
Our data also show for the first time that actual separations and losses during childhood, such parental death, parental separation or divorce (CPL), effect lifelong alterations in the physiological reactivity of the endogenous opioid system of healthy adults.
This result encourages epigenetic inquiry into the effects of CPL on endogenous opioid systems, and their role in resilience under extreme stress. In addition, a redefinition of what constitutes a (truly) healthy control in clinical research protocols may be called for.” Continue reading