Affective behavior depression

In either case, the anxiety-like phenotype of SERT KO mice fits well with data associating human SERT polymorphisms to affective disorders. The human SERT promoter contains a 44-basepair variable repeat sequence that commonly exists in either a short (s) or long (1) form, and the s allele is generally associated with lower SERT expression and activity. Furthermore, the s allele has been tied to increased amygdala reactivity to fearful faces (199), anxiety symptoms (200), and an increased probability of depressive episodes after significant life stressors (201). These findings are similar to those seen in the SERT KO mice in both cases, lower SERT activity is associated with negative affective behavior. 

H. Sabelli, Amino Acid Precursors for Depression. Psychiatric Times (October 2000) 42-49 H. C. Sabelli and A. D. Mosnaim, Phenylethylamine Hypothesis of Affective Behavior. American Journal of Psychiatry 131, no. 6 (1974) 695-699 H. C. Sabelli, et al., Sustained Antidepressant Effect of PEA Replacement. Journal of Neuropsychiatry Clinical Neurosciences 8, no. 2 (1996) 168-171 W. Birkmayer, et al., L-Deprenyl Plus L-Phenylalanine in the Treatment of Depression. Journal of Neural Transmission 59, no. 1 (1984) 81-87. H. C. Sabelli, Phenylethylamine Replacement as a Rapid and Physiological Treatment for Depression. Psycheline 2, no. 3 (1998) 32-39. 

Serotonin is derived from dietary tryptophan, an essential amino acid. A high carbohydrate (simple sugar) diet incretises the serotonin level in the brain of rats and humans. However, there is no direct evidence that an increased concentration of serotonin in the brain affects behavior. Neurologists claim that cells in the brain that reletise serotonin influence sleep. Tryptophan supplements have been used to treat various sleep disorders, and to improve the mood in depressed patients. 

The molten carbonate fuel ceU uses eutectic blends of Hthium and potassium carbonates as the electrolyte. A special grade of Hthium carbonate is used in treatment of affective mental (mood) disorders, including clinical depression and bipolar disorders. Lithium has also been evaluated in treatment of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, alcoholism, and periodic aggressive behavior (56). 

Anxiety disorders and insomnia represent relatively common medical problems within the general population. These problems typically recur over a person s lifetime (3,4). Epidemiological studies in the United States indicate that the lifetime prevalence for significant anxiety disorders is about 15%. Anxiety disorders are serious medical problems affecting not only quaUty of life, but additionally may indirecdy result in considerable morbidity owing to association with depression, cardiovascular disease, suicidal behavior, and substance-related disorders. 

Ethanol is classified for medical purposes as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant. Its effects—that is, being drunk—resemble the human response to anesthetics. There is an initial excitability and increase in sociable behavior, but this results from depression of inhibition rather than from stimulation. At a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1% to 0.3%, motor coordination is affected, accompanied by loss of balance, slurred speech, and amnesia. When blood alcohol concentration rises to 0.3% to 0.4%, nausea and loss of consciousness occur. Above 0.6%, spontaneous respiration and cardiovascular regulation are affected, ultimately leading to death. The LD50 of ethanol is 10.6 g/kg (Chapter 1 Focus On). 

The typical antipsychotic drugs, which for 50 years have been the mainstay of treatment of schizophrenia, as well as of psychosis that occurs secondary to bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, affect primarily the positive symptoms[10]. The behavioral symptoms, such as agitation or profound withdrawal, that accompany psychosis, respond to the antipsychotic drugs within a period of hours to days after the initiation of treatment. The cognitive aspects of psychosis, such as the delusions and hallucinations, however, tend to resolve more slowly. In fact, for many patients the hallucinations and delusions may persist but lose their emotional salience and intrusiveness. The positive symptoms tend to wax and wane over time, are exacerbated by stress, and generally become less prominent as the patient becomes older. 

Pain is always subjective thus pain is best diagnosed based on patient description, history, and physical exam. A baseline description of pain can be obtained by assessing PQRST characteristics (palliative and provocative factors, quality, radiation, severity, and temporal factors). Attention should be given to mental factors that may lower the pain threshold (anxiety, depression, fatigue, anger, fear). Behavioral, cognitive, social, and cultural factors may also affect the pain experience. 

Vincamine (91) is the major alkaloid of V. minor, a plant used against headache and vertigo. It exerts a sedative CNS action and produces a fall in blood pressure. The principal activity is a moderate cerebral vasodilation. Clinical studies have demonstrated that i.v. administration of 91 to humans reduces the arterial blood pressure and increases cerebral blood flow and oxygen consumption. The improved cerebral hemodynamic conditions significantly and positively affect the state of patients with advanced arteriosclerosis with beneficial effects on memory, concentration, and behavior. It has thereafter been introduced under several trade names as a pharmaceutical in many European countries (232). Vobasine (32) has been widely studied it exhibits a weak CNS depressive, analgesic, and antipyretic action (21). 

Traditionally, most affective disorders have been treated with compounds that resemble the neurotransmitters that are deficient or in excess in specific brain regions. The aberrant levels of neurotransmitters (or their receptors), such as norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin, have correlated with behavioral symptoms of schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, motor dysfunctions, attention difficulties, and cognitive disorders. Most drugs discovered for these disorders resulted from screening compounds directly in rodent behavioral models that mimic the behavior of the disease. In these cases, the molecular target" or mechanism of action was assumed to be the deficiency or excess of a neurotransmitter. 

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