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Enrica Bonanni,
Elisa Di Coscio,
Michelangelo Maestri,
Luca Carnicelli,
Hara Tsekou,
Nicholas Tiberio Economou,
Thomas Paparrigopoulos,
Anastasios Bonakis,
Sokratis G Papageorgiou,
Dimitris Vassilopoulos, Constantin R Soldatos,
Luigi Murri,
Periklis Y Ktonas
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ABSTRACT: To evaluate the modifications of EEG activity during slow-wave sleep in patients with dementia compared with healthy elderly subjects, using spectral analysis and period-amplitude analysis.
Five patients with dementia and 5 elderly control subjects underwent night polysomnographic recordings. For each of the first three nonrapid eye movement-rapid eye movement sleep cycles, a well-defined slow-wave sleep portion was chosen. The delta frequency band (0.4-3.6 Hz) in these portions was analyzed with both spectral analysis and period-amplitude analysis.
Spectral analysis showed an increase in the delta band power in the dementia group, with a decrease across the night observed only in the control group. For the dementia group, period-amplitude analysis showed a decrease in well-defined delta waves of frequency lower than 1.6 Hz and an increase in such waves of frequency higher than 2 Hz, in incidence and amplitude.
Our study showed (1) a loss of the dynamics of delta band power across the night sleep, in dementia, and (2) a different distribution of delta waves during slow-wave sleep in dementia compared with control subjects. This kind of computer-based analysis can highlight the presence of a pathologic delta activity during slow-wave sleep in dementia and may support the hypothesis of a dynamic interaction between sleep alteration and cognitive decline.
Journal of clinical neurophysiology: official publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society 02/2012; 29(1):50-4. · 1.47 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To clarify the prevalence of depressive symptomatology in high school students in Athens and to evaluate risk factors for depressive symptomatology the CES-D scale was administered to 713 students (age 15-18). Demographic, school performance and extracurricular activities data were collected. A high prevalence (26.2%) of depressive symptomatology (CES-D cut-off score >28) was found. Regression analysis showed depressive symptomatology to be associated to gender (girls had higher scores than boys), school record (students with a better record had lower scores) and the interaction of gender and grade (males were found to have higher depressive symptomatology scores as they grew older).
Community Mental Health Journal 02/2010; 46(3):289-95. · 1.03 Impact Factor
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Comp. Int. and Neurosc. 01/2010; 2010.
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ABSTRACT: Sleep spindles are bursts of sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) quasirhythmic activity within the frequency band of 11-16 Hz, characterized by progressively increasing, then gradually decreasing amplitude. The purpose of the present study was to process sleep spindles with Independent Component Analysis (ICA) in order to investigate the possibility of extracting, through visual analysis of the spindle EEG and visual selection of Independent Components (ICs), spindle "components" (SCs) corresponding to separate EEG activity patterns during a spindle, and to investigate the intracranial current sources underlying these SCs. Current source analysis using Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) was applied to the original and the ICA-reconstructed EEGs. Results indicated that SCs can be extracted by reconstructing the EEG through back-projection of separate groups of ICs, based on a temporal and spectral analysis of ICs. The intracranial current sources related to the SCs were found to be spatially stable during the time evolution of the sleep spindles.
Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience 01/2010;
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ABSTRACT: The antiepileptic agent topiramate has proved its efficacy in a variety of other conditions as well, including several kinds of tremor and migraine prophylaxis. We report on the case of a 42-year-old depressive female patient with comorbid migraine attacks, whereby the adjunction of topiramate as an antimigraine agent at the dosage of 50 mg/d to her antidepressive treatment with fluvoxamine at 300 mg/d triggered--the prima facie paradoxical for topiramate--side effects of tremor and myoclonus. Topiramate was immediately discontinued, and patient's abnormal movements subsided completely within 24 to 72 hours. Topiramate was possibly the cause of patient's abnormal movements enhanced by fluvoxamine's potential to induce also tremor and myoclonus. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of the potentially severe adverse reactions that might occur during concomitant treatment with fluvoxamine and topiramate.
Clinical neuropharmacology 10/2008; 31(6):366-7. · 2.35 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The aims of this study were first, to examine the general relation between stressful life events (SLEs) and clinical relapses in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and second, to investigate the relations of the specific stressor attributes of duration, type, and severity on MS exacerbations.
Twenty six ambulating women with relapsing-remitting MS were followed-up for a mean of 56.3 weeks. Patients documented SLEs weekly in self report diaries which were then collected at regular pre-scheduled clinic visits every 4 weeks. SLEs were classified as short-term if they had subjectively no lasting effect and long-term if they had a subjectively felt psychological impact that lasted at least 10-14 days after the event. The severity of SLEs was determined using the Recent Life Change Questionnaire.
Experiencing three or more SLEs, during a 4-week period, was associated with a 5-fold increase of MS relapse rate (95% CI 1.7-16.4, p=0.003). The presence of at least one long-term SLE was associated with three times (95% CI 1.01-9.13, p<0.05) the rate of MS exacerbation during the following 4 weeks. There was no significant association between the severity (95% CI 0.99-1.01, p>0.05) or the type (chi2=7.29, df=5, p>0.05) of stressor and the risk for relapse.
Ambulatory women with relapsing-remitting MS who experience cumulative SLEs may be at a greater risk for relapse. Duration is the only stress attribute that seems to increase the risk for relapsing in contrast to stress type and stress severity that were not found to interact with MS exacerbation.
European Psychiatry 09/2008; 23(7):497-504. · 2.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Psychotic depression is classified as a clinical subtype of major depressive disorder. The combination of an antidepressant with an antipsychotic agent has been demonstrated to be efficacious for the treatment of psychotic depression. However, in elderly patients with psychotic depression, little information is available on the efficacy of such combinations. Therefore, we have evaluated combination treatment for 5 weeks with amisulpride and antidepressants in non-demented elderly patients with psychotic depression. Eleven patients were treated with either citalopram 20-40 mg/day (n=5) or mirtazapine 30-60 mg/day (n=6), and amisulpride 75-100 mg/day for 5 weeks. Clinical status was evaluated at baseline and after 3 and 5 weeks using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale--17 items (HDRS) and the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S). In 5 of the 11 patients there was remission of depression, while in another 5 patients there was partial remission of depression and in one patient there was no remission. Finally, there was resolution of psychotic symptoms in all the patients involved. One patient developed tremor and rigidity but insisted on continuing with the drug since her psychopathology has improved considerably after the addition of amisulpride to antidepressant treatment. In conclusion, some of the elderly patients with psychotic depression may benefit from the combination of amisulpride and antidepressant pharmacotherapy.
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 08/2008; 32(5):1227-30. · 3.25 Impact Factor
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Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 05/2008; 28(2):251-2. · 4.10 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Tolerance, dependence, and adverse effects on cognitive functions are well known consequences of long-term use of benzodiazepines (BDZ), especially at high doses; this raises thorny therapeutic problems in their discontinuation. One promising pharmacological agent in BDZ discontinuation might be the newer antiepileptic, pregabalin (PGB), which has already successfully been tested in the treatment of anxiety disorders. We report on a series of four women with long-term, high-dose dependence on BDZ, who were treated with PGB at doses of 225-600 mg. All four patients discontinued BDZ successfully in 3-7 weeks. Moreover, they had an impressive reduction of their previous anxiety levels under BDZ. In addition, the patients showed a clinically significant amelioration in their cognitive functioning. The side effects of PGB were mild and transient, persisting only during the first 2 weeks of treatment. Although our findings are preliminary, they suggest that PGB might be one of the most promising of the newer agents in the treatment of BDZ dependence.
International Clinical Psychopharmacology 04/2008; 23(2):110-2. · 2.92 Impact Factor
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Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 03/2008; 28(1):104-5. · 4.10 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This is a report of a jacksonian seizure in a non-psychotic manic patient who was treated with right prefrontal high frequency rTMS concomitant to pharmacotherapy.
The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 02/2008; 9(2):159-60. · 2.38 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Levetiracetam, an anti-epileptic agent that enhances GABAergic neurotransmission, is one of the newest alternative treatments of Tourette syndrome (TS). We present the case of a 23-year-old female patient suffering from TS since the age of 7, who exhibited poor response to a variety of agents (haloperidol, pimozide, clonidine and various adjunctive agents) and had four hospitalizations during the previous 2 years due to the deterioration of her clinical state. On her last admission, in addition to clonidine 600 microg/day (already part of her regimen for the previous 4 years), levetiracetam was prescribed, up to 2000 mg/day, progressively titrated over a 3-week period. The patient presented a significant improvement on her TS symptomatology (the score on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale dropped from 70 at admission, to 25 five weeks later, at discharge), which was preserved during the subsequent 4 months, without any serious side-effect.
The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 02/2008; 9(1):76-7. · 2.38 Impact Factor
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The Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 02/2008; 10(3):249.
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Proceedings of the 8th IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Bioengineering, BIBE 2008, October 8-10, 2008, Athens, Greece; 01/2008
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Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 11/2007; 31(7):1539-40. · 3.25 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Alcohol abuse is a major cause of liver cirrhosis as well as chronic liver disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible correlation, between liver dysfunction biological markers and vitamin B12, with interleukin-6, in the serum of alcohol-dependent individuals without liver disease (AWLD). In a sample of 43 alcohol abusing/dependent subjects (33 males and 10 females) treated on an inpatient basis according to a standard detoxification protocol, the serum activities of the hepatic enzymes (ASAT, ALAT, gamma-GT), as well as the concentration of B12 and IL-6, were determined on admission. A strong positive correlation has been observed between IL-6 and B12, ASAT, ALAT, and gamma-GT at the beginning of the detoxification period. The results confirmed that in alcohol-dependent individuals, the median serum concentration of IL-6, before the beginning of the treatment, had a significant positive correlation with the liver dysfunction biological markers and B12. In conclusion, IL-6 might be used as an additional diagnostic marker for the degree of liver dysfunction in alcohol dependent individuals.
Clinical Biochemistry 08/2007; 40(11):781-6. · 2.08 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Escitalopram (ESC) is the S-isomer of the racemic compound citalopram, and has been shown to be an efficacious treatment for major depressive disorder. Several studies or case reports are available describing its side effects, none of which however refer to its potential to induce ankle oedema. We report the case of a 69-year-old female depressed patient who, after approximately 1 month of therapy with ESC, progressively titrated up to 30 mg/day, developed a bilateral ankle oedema, which resolved completely within the first week following its discontinuation.
The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 08/2007; 10(4 Pt 3):939-41. · 2.38 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A convenience sample of 14 adults (seven couples) who intentionally nap regularly was recruited to describe circadian rhythms and sleep patterns in a culture in which afternoon naps are routine. Participants wore a wrist actigraph for 48 hr during May to obtain two peaks and troughs of activity data. Peak activity, estimated by cosinor analysis (acrophase), occurred at 1542 hours for men and at 1600 hours for women. Compared to their male partners, women had a later acrophase and a significantly stronger 24-hr rhythm, despite similar nap and nighttime sleep schedules. Men had more awakenings during the night and slightly shorter naps than did women. For the 24-hr period, men averaged 6.8 +/- 1.0 hr of sleep and women averaged 7.4 +/- 1.1 hr. Results indicate that Greek adults delay sleep onset at night and awaken early in the morning. Among this small group, naps are an accepted cultural behavior.
Biological Research for Nursing 08/2007; 9(1):42-8. · 1.28 Impact Factor
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The Lancet 05/2007; 369(9569):1257. · 38.28 Impact Factor
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Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 04/2007; 31(2):586-7. · 3.25 Impact Factor
