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Johan Källstrand,1 Tommy Lewander,2 Eva Baghdassarian,2,3 Sören Nielzén4 1SensoDetect AB, Lund, 2Department of Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Uppsala University, 3Department of Psychiatry, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, 4Department of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden Abstract: The auditory brain-stem response (ABR) waveform comprises a set of waves (labeled I–VII) recorded with scalp electrodes over 10 ms after an auditory stimulation with a brief click sound. Quite often, the waves are fused (confluent) and baseline-irregular and sloped, making wave latencies and wave amplitudes difficult to establish. In the present paper, we describe a method, labeled moving-minimum subtraction, based on digitization of the analog ABR waveform (154 data points/ms) in order to achieve alignment of the ABR response to a straight baseline, often with clear baseline separation of waves and resolution of fused waves. Application of the new method to groups of patients showed marked differences in ABR waveforms between patients with schizophrenia versus patients with adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder versus healthy controls. The findings show promise regarding the possibility to identify ABR markers to be used as biomarkers as support for clinical diagnoses of these and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Keywords: auditory brain-stem response, digitization, moving-minimum subtraction method, baseline alignment, schizophrenia, ADHD

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the illness management and recovery (IMR) program on symptoms and psychosocial functioning of individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in an outpatient setting in Sweden.Methods: A total of 41 persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were receiving treatment at six psychiatric outpatient rehabilitation centers were randomly assigned to either an IMR group for nine months or to treatment as usual (control condition). Assessments were conducted at baseline, posttreatment (nine months), and follow-up (21 months) and included self-reports and ratings by clinicians (both blind and nonblind to treatment assignment) of illness management, psychiatric symptoms, recovery, coping, quality of life, hospitalization, insight, and suicidal ideation.Results: As measured by self-report and ratings of nonblinded clinicians, IMR program participants demonstrated significantly greater improvement in illness management than participants in the control condition. Ratings of psychiatric symptoms by blinded clinicians using the Psychosis Evaluation Tool for Common Use by Caregivers and self-reported ratings of psychosocial functioning on the Ways of Coping Questionnaire also showed better outcomes than for participants in treatment as usual. A statistically significant decrease in suicidal ideation between baseline and follow-up was found for IMR program participants.Conclusions: The study supports previous findings and suggests that the IMR program is effective in improving the ability of individuals with schizophrenia to better manage their illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of acute ethanol administration on the concentrations of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and their metabolites (3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid [DOPAC], homovanillic acid [HVA], 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol [DHPG] and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol [HMPG]) in brains of female mice, rats, and guinea pigs were investigated. A subhypnotic dose (2 g/kg) or a hypnotic dose (4 g/kg) of ethanol was administered intraperitoneally and the animals were killed 45 min later. In the rat the DA levels were unchanged, while the NE concentrations were decreased after both doses of ethanol. The DA levels did not change in the mouse and guinea pig, while the concentrations of NE showed a minor decrease in the mouse but were unaffected in the guinea pig. After 4 g/kg of ethanol the DOPAC and HVA concentrations were elevated significantly in all three species, and after 2 g/kg the DOPAC levels were increased in the rat and guinea pig brains and the HVA levels in the mouse and guinea pig brains. In the mouse and rat brain the DOPAC + HVA concentrations indicated a dose response relationship: 4 g/kg was significantly more effective than 2 g/kg. The DHPG concentration increased in the rat brain after both 2 and 4 g/kg, while the HMPG concentrations increased significantly only after 2 g/kg. In the mouse and guinea pig the brain DHPG concentrations remained unchanged, while the HMPG concentrations increased after both 2 and 4 g/kg ethanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]