Brain Dopamine–Serotonin Vesicular Transport Disease and Its Treatment

Known disorders of biogenic amine neuromediators (dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and serotonin) involve defects in nine enzymes1-9 and one transporter.10 Affected persons present in early childhood with symptoms referable to the affected neurotransmitter, and the disorders are diagnosed by measurement of neurotransmitter breakdown products in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). A deficiency in dopamine results in movement disorder; deficient norepinephrine or epinephrine causes autonomic dysfunction; and serotonin deficiency leads to sleep and psychiatric disturbances.2,3,6
We describe members of a family with symptoms of deficiencies in dopamine (dystonia, parkinsonism, and oculogyric crises), serotonin (sleep and mood disturbance), and epinephrine and norepinephrine (diaphoresis, temperature instability, ptosis, and postural hypotension), with no demonstrable deficiency of neurotransmitters in the CSF. Genome investigation revealed a mutation in the gene encoding VMAT2 that compromises transport of biogenic amines into synaptic vesicles, resulting in impairment of their synaptic transmission without detectable reductions in their amounts.

 Brain Dopamine–Serotonin Vesicular Transport Disease and Its Treatment

Случай злоупотребления кока-колой в рамках депрессии

BACKGROUND: Cola is an extremely popular caffeinated soft drink. The media have recently cited a poll in which 16% of the respondents considered themselves to be addicted to cola soft drinks. We find the contrast between the apparent prevalence of cola addiction and the lack of scientific literature on the subject remarkable. To our knowledge, this is the first case of cola dependency described in the scientific literature.
CASE PRESENTATION:
The patient is a 40-year-old woman, who when feeling down used cola to give her an energy boost and feel better about herself. During the past seven years her symptoms increased, and she was prescribed antidepressant medication by her family doctor. Due to worsening of symptoms she was hospitalised and later referred to a specialised outpatient clinic for affective disorders. At entry to the clinic she suffered from constant tiredness, lack of energy, failing concentration, problems falling asleep as well as interrupted sleep. She drank about three litres of cola daily, and she had developed a metabolic syndrome.The patient fulfilled the ICD-10 criteria for dependency, and on the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) she scored 40 points. Her clinical mental status was at baseline assessed by the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) = 41, Hamilton Depression - 17 item Scale (HAMD-17) = 14, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) = 2 and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale = 45.During cognitive therapy sessions she was guided to stop drinking cola and was able to moderate her use to an average daily consumption of 200 ml of cola Her concentration improved and she felt mentally and physically better. At discharge one year after entry her YFAS was zero. She was mentally stable (MDI =1, HAMD-17 = 0, YMRS = 0 and GAF = 85) and without antidepressant medication. She had lost 7.2 kg, her waistline was reduced by 13 cm and the metabolic syndrome disappeared.
CONCLUSION:
This case serves as an example of how the overconsumption of a caffeinated soft drink likely was causing or accentuating the patient's symptoms of mental disorder. When diagnosing and treating depression, health professionals should pay attention to potential overuse of cola or other caffeinated beverages.

 A case of cola dependency in a woman with recurrent depression.

Клозапин, нейтропения и гранулоцитарный фактор, стимулирующий рост клеток

Clozapine is the treatment of choice for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, but it is associated with a risk of neutropaenia and agranulocytosis. Clozapine use is regulated by mandatory blood monitoring in the UK, requiring cessation of treatment should the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) drop below specified values. Benign reductions in the ANC in non-white populations are common, and this can preclude a patient from receiving treatment with clozapine. A diagnosis of benign ethnic neutropaenia can reduce these treatment restrictions (UK specific), but the degree of neutropaenia can be significant enough to still prevent treatment. In this report, we show that response to granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) may be quite variable and difficult to predict, but with careful monitoring it can be used to increase the ANC count and allow continued treatment with clozapine.

 Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) can allow treatment with clozapine in a patient with severe Benign Ethnic Neutropaenia (BEN): a case report

Пример неэффективности лечения шизофрении витаминно-минеральными комплексами и анализ доказательной базы БАДов Truehope

A B.C. Supreme Court judge will decide if a schizophrenic man who killed his father and injured his mother while taking multivitamins instead of his anti-psychotic medication is criminally responsible for the attack.

 Mentally ill killer tried vitamin therapy, court told

However, there is no doubt that vitamin deficiencies can produce neurological and psychiatric disturbances. For instance, a lack of B12 can damage the central nervous system via changes in cytokine and growth factor production (Scalabrino, 2009). Thiamine deficiency is well-known for causing Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's syndrome, disorders characterized by severe memory impairments. Previous studies have suggested that vitamins and minerals do have an effect on mood and perhaps even antisocial behavior Kaplan et al., 2007; Bohannon, 2009). The question here is whether broad-spectrum micronutrient treatments (i.e., nutritional supplements) can improve or "cure" bipolar disorder.

Truehope lists 17 published studies on the effectiveness of EMPowerplus™ in treating bipolar, ADHD, autism, and OCD. However, none of these studies is a randomized controlled trial that compares placebo to EMPowerplus™ in a double-blind fashion. Thus, it cannot be established that any improvements are due to the supplement, rather than to expectation or placebo effects.

EMPowered to Kill

Did "Alternative Medicine" Lead to Murder?

Режим сна в предупреждении обострений БАР с быстрой сменой фаз

BACKGROUND:
The modern practice of using artificial light to extend waking activities into the nighttime hours might be expected to precipitate or exacerbate bipolar illness, because it has been shown that modifying the timing and duration of sleep can induce mania in susceptible individuals. With this possibility in mind, we treated a patient with rapidly cycling bipolar illness by creating an environment that was likely to increase and to stabilize the number of hours that he slept each night.
METHODS:
We asked the patient to remain at bed rest in the dark for 14 hours each night (later this was gradually reduced to 10 hours). Over a period of several years, his clinical state was assessed with twice-daily self-ratings, once-weekly observer ratings, and continuous wrist motor activity recordings. Times of sleeping and waking were recorded with sleep logs, polygraphic recordings, and computer-based event recordings.
RESULTS:
The patient cycled rapidly between depression and mania and experienced marked fluctuations in the timing and duration of sleep when he slept according to his usual routine, but his sleep and mood stabilized when he adhered to a regimen of long nightly periods of enforced bed rest in the dark.
CONCLUSIONS:
Fostering sleep and stabilizing its timing by scheduling regular nightly periods of enforced bed rest in the dark may help to prevent mania and rapid cycling in bipolar patients.

 Treatment of rapidly cycling bipolar patient by using extended bed rest and darkness to stabilize the timing and duration of sleep.

Индуцированная сибутрамином мания как дебют биполярного аффективного расстройства

Background
Sibutramine, used in obesity treatment, has been associated with many neuropsychiatric side effects including hypomanic and manic episodes. Hypomanic or manic episodes related to sibutramine treatment were earlier reported in patients who had previous history of bipolar disorder, after sibutramine overdose, after over-the-counter product illegally containing very high dose of sibutramine, together with psychotic symptoms, in organic patient, or after interaction of sibutramine with other drugs.
Case presentation
We report the first case of a patient with clear manic episode, after treatment with recommended dose of sibutramine, without previous history of mood disorders, organic changes or drug interactions, that was followed by episode of depression.
Conclusion
Minimal recommended dose of sibutramine induced manic episode that was the first manifestation of bipolar disorder. The manic episode, associated with sibutramine treatment, was induced in a person without previous history of mood disorders. Potential risks associated with the treatment of obesity using sibutramine warn physicians to be alert not only to common and cardiovascular but also to psychiatric adverse effects. A careful assessment of patient's mental state and detailed psychiatric family history should be done before sibutramine treatment. In patients with a family history for bipolar disorder the use of even minimal dose of sibutramine should be contraindicated.

 Sibutramine-induced mania as the first manifestation of bipolar disorder.

Случай нейропсихиатрической манифестации анти-NMDA-рецепторного энцефалита

A 52-year-old Chinese man was admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit of an academic teaching hospital with an admitting diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) with psychotic features. His chief complaint was "I do not feel happy." The patient endorsed insomnia, hopelessness, passive suicidal ideation, and increased anxiety, especially at bedtime. He was disheveled, guarded, demonstrated poor eye contact, slurred and decreased speech output, psychomotor retardation, poor cognition, flat affect, and vague auditory and visual hallucinations of seeing and hearing people. The patient had a past psychiatric history of MDD with psychotic features diagnosed when he was in his early 30s, and suicidal gestures. He had two previous inpatient admissions while in China in 2008, for psychotic features described then as robotic speech, flat affect, and minimal verbal responsiveness. At the time of his current admission, he was being followed in the psychiatry outpatient clinic. He denied past or current substance abuse. The patient's past medical history was significant for one observed tonic–clonic seizure in December 2009, which was managed with phenytoin 300 mg daily. At that time, neurologic evaluation was unrevealing, and no etiology of the seizure was identified.
After initial evaluation in the hospital, the patient was started on escitalopram 15 mg daily and paliperidone 3 mg daily, and his phenytoin 300 mg daily was continued. ECT had been considered while he was being followed as an outpatient. Upon admission, he was started on a course of ECT. Despite numerous medication trials including paliperidone, olanzapine, and clozapine, as well as a series of 12 ECT treatments, the patient's condition did not improve, and he began to show signs of cognitive decline. A neurology consult was requested for continued agitated and bizarre behavior. An EEG showed diffuse slowing, and a magnetic resonance (MRI) scan showed only small-vessel ischemic microvascular disease.
After 2 months, while still on the psychiatry inpatient unit, he developed symptoms of extreme agitation, aggressiveness, and unusual behavior, and was verbally unresponsive. His agitation was treated with lorazepam. Vital signs at that time revealed tachycardia to a heart rate of 120 bpm, a blood pressure of 90/50 mmHg, and O2 saturation of 90% at room air. His temperature was 102.3°F. The patient was transferred to the medical intensive care unit (MICU) and intubated for airway protection. Laboratory data at transfer revealed a white cell count of 11.2 K/µl, BUN 32 mg/dl, Cr 1.2 mg/dl, and creatine kinase 2,361 u. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome was suspected but ruled out, as the patient's temperature and creatine kinase trended down in the subsequent days without any active intervention. After 11 days, he was extubated. He displayed echopraxia, but no focal findings were documented.
Because of his unusual course, failure to respond to standard treatments for depression and psychosis, and the presence of a documented seizure 1 month before admission, a work-up for possible anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis was started. Lumbar puncture yielded clear, colorless fluid which was acellular, with a glucose of 76 mg/dl and protein of 21 mg/dl. VDRL and oligoclonal bands were negative. CSF and serum sample was also sent for anti-NMDA receptor antibody testing. The patient had an EEG performed, which revealed bilateral independent temporal lobe discharges more prominent in the left hemisphere than the right, but no active seizures were seen. CSF and serum results confirmed the patient's diagnosis of anti-NMDA antibody encephalitis by the presence of antibodies against NRI-NR2 heteromers of the NMDA receptor. The patient was transferred to another hospital and lost to follow-up.

An Unusual Case of Anti-NMDA-Receptor Encephalitis in the Psychiatry Inpatient Unit

Запах шизофрении

They collected the sweat from 14 white male patients with schizophrenia and 14 comparable patients with ‘organic brain syndromes’ and found they could train rats to reliably distinguish the odours while a human panel of sweat sniffers seemed to be able to do the same.
Seemingly backed up by the nasal ninja skills of two different species, science attempted to determine the source of the ‘schizophrenic odour’.
Two years later researchers from Washington suggested the smell might be triggered by the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa but an investigation found it was no more common in people with schizophrenia than those without the diagnosis.
But just before the end of the 60s, the original research team dropped a scientific bombshell. They claimed to have identified the schizophrenia specific scent and got their results published in glittery headline journalScience.
Using gas chromotography they identified the ‘odorous substance’ as trans-3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid, now known as TMHA.

Looking back, we now know that TMHA is genuinely an important component in sweat odour. Curiously, it turns out it is largely restricted to Caucasian populations but no link to mental illness or psychiatric disorder has ever been confirmed.
The theory seems like an curious anomaly in the history of psychiatry but it occasionally makes a reappearance. In 2005 study claimed that the odour exists but is “complex and cannot be limited to a single compound, but rather to a global variation of the body odor” but no replications or further investigations followed.

A whiff of madness

Транскраниальная стимуляция постоянным током в терапии вербального галлюциноза при шизофрении

In February 2011, a 44-year-old man with schizophrenia was referred to our hospital for the treatment of auditory verbal hallucinations. He had undergone outpatient treatment with adequate dosages of antipsychotic medications for several months, but he still heard a real-sounding voice that ordered him to commit suicide. We introduced transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a novel therapeutic approach. Cathodal stimulation diminishes cortical excitability at a circumscribed region (1), and Wernicke's area has been described as an appropriate target region for cathodal stimulation in previous transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies (2–4). The anodal electrode was placed over the right supraorbital area.

Transcranial direct current stimulation was applied for 15 minutes on 10 consecutive days by using a 1 mA current and 7 cm x 5 cm electrodes, resulting in a current density of 0.029 mA/cm2. The medication doses (5 mg of haloperidol and 20 mg of olanzapine) remained the same 4 weeks before and during the patient's intervention. Before and after tDCS, we measured arterial spin labeling, a noninvasive MR technique that provides a direct quantitative measure of cerebral blood flow (CBF). Arterial spin labeling has been successfully used to measure the difference and changes in regional CBF between healthy individuals and schizophrenia patients experiencing formal thought disorders (5). Clinical assessments showed improvements in our patient's scores on the Hallucination Change Scale (pre-tDCS score=10; post-tDCS score=4), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (pre-tDCS score=61; post-tDCS score=50), and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale (pre-tDCS score=51; post-tDCS score=43). The decrease in regional CBF indicated that the intervention had a specific neurobiological effect (Figure 1). At follow-up investigation 6 weeks after the tDCS intervention, our patient's clinical improvement was maintained.

Muting the Voice: A Case of Arterial Spin Labeling-Monitored Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Treatment of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations

Blepharospasm as an Obsessive-Compulsive Phenomenon

Маниакальная симптоматика ассоциированная с приступами мигрени

This is a case report of a previously diagnosed "treatment-refractory bipolar" patient whose successful treatment of atypical migraine resulted in the questioning of any psychiatric diagnosis.

A 47-year-old man was referred to the Mood Disorders Clinic for severe migraine associated with mood, "psychic," and neurologic symptoms. He had first presented to Psychiatry 8 years earlier, for acute "mania" with agitation, extreme lability, intense anger, and religiosity necessitating hospitalization. Subsequently, he had recurrences of similar manic "crises" followed by a "depressive" states consisting of cognitive dysfunction, avolition, and anhedonia. He also experienced severe headache and nonspecific neurological symptoms. A diagnosis of migraine was suspected, and a thorough neurological work-up did not yield other diagnoses. Medical history revealed multiple recurrent migraine-equivalents since childhood (particularly, abdominal pain).

Each psychiatric "crisis" was preceded by weeks of increasingly frequent, severe, early morning migraine attacks, with subsequent sleep deprivation, and intensification of migraine symptoms, including aura, with disorganized speech and thinking and bizarre behavior. A prolonged period of complete rest would break the cycle of migraine, accompanied by complete resolution of psychiatric symptoms.

Previous treatments included lithium, buproprion, as well as nortriptyline, stemetil, valproic acid, and quetiapine, none of which were helpful. Family history was positive for migraine and negative for psychiatric disorders. On referral, his medications were propranolol 40 mg twice daily, valproic acid 500 mg twice daily, and lamotrigine 100 mg twice daily. Valproic acid level was therapeutic. A diagnosis of mood disorder, bipolar type secondary to severe migraine was made.

Discussion

This case illustrates the importance of inquiry of neurological symptoms, in particular headache, in patients with bipolar disorder. Patients with bipolar disorder have a greater-than-twofold risk of having migraine, as compared with the general population.1 Treatment for migraine, irrespective of mood disorder, includes amitriptyline, valproate, topiramate, and beta-blockers.2 In patients with bipolar disorder and migraine, judicious use of treatments for both disorders should be considered. Lamotrigine was used for this patient because valproate, although approved for both disorders,3 did not ameliorate the migraine symptoms. For bipolar disorder, lamotrigine is efficacious in the prevention of depressive episodes and, possibly, rapid-cycling type.4 Less evidence supports its use in acute depression or mania.4 For migraine, lamotrigine was not beneficial in a placebo-controlled trial, but had some effectiveness in two open pilot studies for the treatment and prevention of migraine aura.2

Lamotrigine is generally well tolerated, with an acceptable side-effects profile (mainly dizziness, nausea, and insomnia), and may be considered for a patient with aura nonresponsive to other medication. Slow and low dose increase is recommended for side-effects monitoring, especially for severe rashes and Steven's Johnson syndrome. In our patient, lamotrigine was increased to 200 mg twice daily. Use of lamotrigine with valproate may increase lamotrigine concentrations by up to 200% because of increased lamotrigine clearance inhibition,3,5 and valproate levels may also decrease.3 The patient's headache duration eventually decreased to 1 hour nightly, and he returned to work full-time with a 45-minute nap.

Atypical Migraine Manifesting as Mania

Случаи психиатрической манифестации рассеянного склероза

Psychiatric disturbances, such as psychosis, have been often described during the course of multiple sclerosis (MS),1 but rarely at onset of the disease.2 In our work, we present two patients with psychotic disorders at onset of relapsing-remitting MS.

The first patient, a 26-year-old woman, was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder after the acute appearance of auditory hallucinations and confusion; she was treated with antipsychotic drugs, without significant results. One year later, the patient developed weakness in the left leg and widespread paraesthesia. MR images showed demyelinating lesions in the white matter of the left temporal horn and in the dorsal spine. We made a diagnosis of MS,3 and she started glatiramer acetate treatment to prevent further relapses. To date, after 12 months from the beginning of treatment, the patient shows no relevant neurological and psychiatric alterations.

The second patient, a 30-year-old man, presented (2 years before our observation) with an episode characterized by psychomotor agitation with identity disturbances diagnosed as borderline personality disorder, and he started treatment with olanzapine without results. After a few months, he was referred to our department because of the development of lower-limb weakness and urge-incontinence. An MRI showed several lesions in the subcortical white matter and in the periventricular regions. All findings supported the diagnosis of MS, and the patient started beta-interferon treatment, with progressive clinical improvement, both in neurological and then in psychiatric alterations.

The exact percentage of psychiatric onset of MS is still unknown, but the number of MS patients with psychiatric onset may exceed 1%: in our experience, 2 among a cohort of 148 MS subjects had a psychiatric onset, about 1.3%. In our two cases, only the presence of abnormalities at the neurological examination induced clinicians to consider MS as cause of psychiatric disturbance.

Several reports highlight the association of psychotic symptoms with the presence of demyelinating lesions in the left temporal lobe. In our patients, one had temporal lesions, and the other had periventricular plaques, without significant relationship with the temporal lobe. In our opinion, it is not possible to establish a direct relationship between the sites of cerebral lesions and the psychiatric manifestations observed in MS.

After the psychiatric episode, both patients started long-term treatment with glatiramer acetate or beta-interferon. As reported in literature, glatiramer acetate also results in relief of affective disorders,4 whereas beta-interferon increases anxiety and depression.5 Nevertheless, in our patient, the administration of beta-interferon probably contributed to stabilizing the clinical picture.

Although studies on the prevalence of psychiatric onset of MS are few, we conclude that it may occur in more than 1% (in our experience, about 1.3%) and that, in previously healthy people with acute psychotic disorders, even the presence of the slightest neurological abnormality justifies a cranial MRI examination. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the factors that influence the development of psychiatric disorders in MS and the relationship between disease-modifying drugs and psychiatric disorders.

Psychiatric Onset Of Multiple Sclerosis: Description Of Two Cases

Интраназальный окситоцин в дополнение к эсциталопраму в терапии депрессии

Oxytocin (OT) is, first, a hormone synthesized in the hypothalamus and released by the neurohypophysis, but OT is also involved in the regulation of emotions, and OT receptors are distributed in various brain regions, including the limbic system and amygdala. There is much data suggesting a role for OT as an endogenous antidepressant/anxiolytic hormone and there is support for the idea that stimulation of OT receptors inhibits the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The pathophysiology of stress-related diseases, such as depression or anxiety disorders, includes both endogenous/genetic predisposing factors and a dysregulated response to stress, and efficiency of antidepressants involves normalization of HPA-axis abnormalities.

Case Report

RX is a 38-year-old man with a 15-year history of major depressive disorder without psychotic features. His depression severely worsened over a 5-year period despite various antidepressant treatments (tricyclics, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors). He also received benzodiazepines and amisulpride without clinical success. His current treatment involves escitalopram 20 mg. After he gave full informed consent, intranasal synthetic OT (Syntocinon®, 1 puff per nostril each with 4 U.I., twice daily; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Switzerland) was added. Initial severity of depression was scored at 17 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D), and anxiety reached 57 on the Spielberger State-Anxiety Inventory (STAI–A). One week after OT initiation, his Ham-D score decreased to 11, and the STAI–A score to 49. At this time, the patient bought a car after several months of hesitancy. He contracted a loan and explained that he was offered good buying conditions. One week later, the patient was very much improved; his HAM-D score dropped to 2, and his STAI–A to 37. Unfortunately, Syntocinon® was stopped after 1 week because the patient missed the visit. After this period, the patient was much worse. Intranasal OT was then delivered at the dose of 36 UI per day in addition to escitalopram, 20 mg. His symptoms improved after 7 days (Ham-D: 5; STAI–A: 48). At the same time, he was very affected by the [bankruptcy] of his [step-]father, who raised him. One week later, he offered to install hardware [electronic equipment] in his parent's house. On The Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q), he scored at higher levels, going from 1 to 4 by the end of the study.

Discussion

This is the first trial of OT as an adjunct to antidepressant in major depression. Our case report suggests that OT instillation significantly improves mood and anxiety. OT was already shown to reduce responses to social stress,1 to increase trust,2 and improve "mind-reading" in humans.3 It is possible that the efficacy of SSRIs in restoring interest in social interactions is due, in part, to their action on the reward circuit via the OT system.4 Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of OT or OT-receptor selective agonists in additional clinical models to promote the development of psychopharmacology targeting central OT receptors.

Intranasal Oxytocin as an Adjunct to Escitalopram in Major Depression

Акатизия при отмене габапентина

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of akathisia in a patient with type 2 diabetes after abrupt discontinuation of gabapentin.

CASE SUMMARY: A 76-year-old female with type 2 diabetes was admitted for change in mental status, agitation, and restless limb movements. She had been taking gabapentin 3600 mg daily for approximately 1 month for diabetic neuropathy. Her other home medications were glyburide 10 mg twice daily, oxycodone/acetaminophen 5 mg/325 mg every 6 hours as needed for leg pain, and zolpidem 5 mg at bedtime. She had taken none of these drugs for 4 days prior to admission because she was unable to have the prescriptions refilled. Subsequently, the patient exhibited repeated arm and leg motions in response to an inner restlessness. Upon admission to the emergency department, she was agitated and restless; all vital signs and results of laboratory studies were within normal limits. Gabapentin was restarted at the original dosage and the symptoms resolved within 8 hours. Because the patient developed lethargy, the gabapentin dosage was reduced and titrated to the original level over 2 days. After 3 days, the patient was well oriented and experienced no further symptoms. She was discharged on the original dosage of gabapentin.

DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported cases of akathisia induced by gabapentin withdrawal. Available case reports suggest that gabapentin withdrawal can occur at doses ranging from 400-8000 mg/day. Patients experienced symptoms similar to those that develop with benzodiazepine withdrawal and were taking gabapentin for as little as 3 weeks to as long as 5 years. This is the first case report to describe akathisia induced by gabapentin withdrawal. The Naranjo probability scale revealed a probable relationship between akathisia and gabapentin withdrawal.

CONCLUSIONS: If gabapentin discontinuation is desired, it is prudent to gradually taper the dose to avoid withdrawal symptoms, which may occur after as little as 1 month of treatment. Should the patient experience withdrawal symptoms, the optimal treatment is to restart gabapentin.

Akathisia Induced by Gabapentin Withdrawal

Случай улучшения в обсессивно-компульсивной симптоматике после инсульта

Within weeks of her stroke, she realized that her obsessive and intrusive thoughts, fears, rituals, and impulsive behavior had completely resolved. In addition, there was some improvement in her temperament. There was no improvement in attention or concentration. Owing to her improvement in neuropsychiatric symptoms, she strongly felt that her stroke was beneficial. These benefits have persisted for 24 months.

A Stroke Of Good Fortune Cures OCD?

Болезнь Фабри и шизофреноформный психоз

A 21-year-old female with Fabry’s disease (FD) presented acute psychotic symptoms such as delusions, auditory hallucinations and formal thought disorders. Since the age of 14, she had suffered from various psychiatric symptoms increasing in frequency and intensity. We considered the differential diagnoses of prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia and organic schizophrenia-like disorder. Routine examinations including cognitive testing, electroencephalography and structural magnetic resonance imaging revealed no pathological findings. Additional structural and functional imaging demonstrated a minor CNS involvement of FD, yet without functional limitations. In summary our examination results support the thesis that in the case of our patient a mere coincidence of FD and psychotic symptoms is more likely than a causal connection.

Fabry’s Disease and Psychosis: Causality or Coincidence?

Случай ухудшения маниакальной симптоматики при приёме низких доз кветиапина

The mechanism of antidepressant action of quetiapine is unclear. However, it has been suggested that its antidepressant activity is mediated by its metabolite N-Desalkylquetiapine, which leads to norepinephrine reuptake transporter inhibition and partial serotonin 1A agonism.4 A speculation may be that slow clearance of the metabolites as an age effect or genetic trait in this case led to very high levels of N-Desalkylquetiapine potentiating quetiapine's antidepressant effect and leading to worsening of mania. Moreover, a positron emission tomography (PET) study using quetiapine 750 mg or 450 mg/day found that there was no D2 receptor occupancy at the low dose of quetiapine, while 5HT2A receptor occupancy was consistently high.5 Despite the normal head CT scan, brain-aging related neurotransmitter changes and therefore different medication effects could be considered. Calabrese et al.1 reported an incidence of treatment-emergent mania 2.2% with 600 mg/day of quetiapine and 3.9% with 300 mg/day of quetiapine. The absence of dopaminergic receptors blockade and the high affinity for serotonergic receptors at lower doses, may explain quetiapine's antidepressant activity and worsening mania in case of slow titration in manic patients. In this case, geriatrician treatment practice of "start low and go slow" raised questions.

Worsening Mania Associated With Slow Increase of Quetiapine Dose

Клинические разборы случая аутоперсонамнезии (аутобиографической амнезии)

Все же в его случае адекватнее говорить не об аутоперсонамнезии, а об аутоперсонагнозии, как синониме семантической агнозии на лица (просоп-агнозии), даже более адекватном, так как речь идет не только о лицах, а о сфере «приватного». Стоит напомнить, что термин «агнозия» был введен Зигмундом Фрейдом (1891), в тот период крупным невропатологом, вместо термина «асимболия», в силу нарушения связи не предмета с его знаком (символом), а знака и смысла. Таким образом, зрительное восприятие сохранено, но смысл предмета непонятен. Отсюда старый термин «душевная слепота». Что касается семантической просопагнозии, то это расстройство не восприятия, и не столько памяти, сколько самосознания.

Случай аутоперсонамнезии. Диагностический разброд – подарок антипсихиатрам

Восприимчивость к глютену в норме, при шизофрении и при целиакии

Individuals with recent-onset psychosis and with multi-episode schizophrenia who have increased antibodies to gliadin may share some immunologic features of celiac disease, but their immune response to gliadin differs from that of celiac disease.

Markers of Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease in Recent-Onset Psychosis and Multi-Episode Schizophrenia.

In contrast to previous reports, we found no evidence for celiac disease in patients with chronic schizophrenia as manifested by the presence of serum IgA anti-endomysial antibodies. It is unlikely that there is an association between gluten sensitivity and schizophrenia.

"Bread madness" revisited: screening for specific celiac antibodies among schizophrenia patients.

These findings indicate that the anti-gliadin immune response in schizophrenia has a different antigenic specificity from that in celiac disease and is independent of the action of transglutaminase enzyme and HLA-DQ2/DQ8.

Novel immune response to gluten in individuals with schizophrenia

We report the unexpected resolution of longstanding schizophrenic symptoms after starting a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. After a review of the literature, possible reasons for this include the metabolic consequences from the elimination of gluten from the diet, and the modulation of the disease of schizophrenia at the cellular level.

Schizophrenia, gluten, and low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diets: a case report and
review of the literature

There are several case reports of coexistence of coeliac sprue and depression, schizophrenia and anxiety. Coeliac disease should be taken into consideration in patients with psychiatric disorders, particularly if they are not responsive to psychopharmacological therapy, because withdrawal of gluten from the diet usually results in disappearance of symptoms.

Psychiatric symptoms and coeliac disease.

A double-blind control trial of gluten-free versus a gluten-containing diet was carried out in a ward of maximum security hospital: 24 patients were studied for 14 weeks. Most suffered from psychotic disorders, particularly schizophrenia. Various dimensions of behaviour were rated on the Psychotic In-Patient profile (PIP) at different stages. There were beneficial changes in the whole group of patients between pre-trial and gluten-free period in five dimensions of the PIP, maintained during the gluten challenge period; these changes could be attributed to the attention the patients received. Two patients improved during the gluten-free period and relapsed when the gluten diet was reintroduced.

A double-blind gluten-free/gluten-load controlled trial in a secure ward population.

Двигательные расстройства после прививки от гриппа

After a routine flu shot last fall, Jennings said she began experiencing fever and painful body aches. The symptoms quickly progressed until she could only walk with a twisted, halting gait, and had trouble reading, doing simple math -- even remembering things. Her condition put a halt on her once-frenetic lifestyle.

Jennings developed another odd symptom -- a strange foreign accent; the Midwestern woman suddenly sounded British. "It sounds like an accent, but it's not. I just can't pronounce words anymore," she said.

Miraculously, Jennings could run. She also found out she could walk backwards, and even sideways, and that while doing so, her speech returned to normal.

Traditional medicine having failed her, Jennings said she decided to do something "outside the box," and ended up at a North Carolina clinic run by Dr. Rashid Buttar.

Buttar uses an unproven, alternative treatment for almost every medical condition, from autism to cancer. It's called "chelation," the chemical removal of metals from the body.

Within less than two weeks, Jennings' condition seemed to improve: she walked again, and her stutter disappeared.

But just as she was leaving Dr. Buttar's clinic on her last visit in December 2009 -- with "20/20's" cameras rolling -- it all seemed to fall apart. Jennings was in distress again. She could no longer walk forward, and had to be taken out in a wheelchair.

Novella is confident whatever she has was not caused by mercury in a flu shot.

Other experts consulted by "20/20" agree. Dr. Charles McKay, a board member of the American College of Medical Toxicology, said Jennings would have been exposed to far less mercury in a flu shot than in a tuna steak.

When asked by "20/20" about the effectiveness of his chelation treatments, Buttar claimed he gets results and pointed to patient testimonials on his website. But when pressed by Jim Avila that "anecdotal stories on the Internet are not science," Buttar responded: "Nobody said it was science."

"It's a psychogenic disorder rather than a neurological disorder," Novella said.

Novella feels the temporary improvements Jennings experienced while undergoing Buttar's treatment were also in her mind: she got better because she thought she would. He called it "the placebo effect on steroids."

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