Evaluation of oxidative stress with thiol disulfide balance parameters in unipolar depression patients with and without mixed symptoms

The authors investigated the theoretical and clinical role of depression among cocaine abusers in treatment. Eighty-nine cocaine-abusing patients underwent 2 weeks of substance abuse treatment. Posttreatment major depressive disorder, depressive symptoms before and after substance abuse treatment, and alcohol diagnoses were assessed and their relation to pretreatment substance use, cravings in high-risk situations, and 3-month follow-up status was examined. High rates of major depressive disorder were found but were unrelated to pretreatment substance use. The decrease in depressive symptoms during treatment was independent of major depressive disorder or alcohol diagnoses and predicted treatment attrition. Higher levels of depressive symptoms during treatment were associated with greater urge to use cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs in high-risk situations. Concurrent major depressive disorder and depressive symptoms did not predict cocaine use at follow-up. However, patients who had an alcohol relapse episode experienced more depressive symptoms during treatment than did those who abstained. The results highlight the relationship of depression to alcohol use among cocaine abusers and suggest a need for further studies of the association between depression and substance use disorders.

Moderators of the association between depressive, manic, and mixed mood symptoms and suicidal ideation and behavior: An analysis of the National Network of Depression Centers Mood Outcomes Program

Correlations between brain-derived neurotrophic factor and clinical symptoms in medicated patients with major depression

Pain perception and modulation profiles in patients suffering from unipolar and bipolar depression

O-62 - Neuropsychological performance in bipolar I, bipolar II and unipolar depression patients: a longitudinally naturalistic study

Cortical structural signatures for early identification of bipolar disorder from depressive episode.

Purpose: Internalized stigmatization (IS) generally has a negative effect on diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prognosis of diseases. The purpose of this study is to compare patients with bipolar disorder and unipolar depression both are in remission in terms of IS and social functioning (SF), cognitive function and secondly to consider relationship between IS, cognitive functions and SF. Methods: This cross-sectional study is carried out with bipolar (BD) and unipolar depression (UD) patients in remission, admitted to the psychiatry outpatient clinics of Akdeniz University Hospital. The sample size is estimated as 35 patients. Basic independent variable is the type of disease and dependent variables are; IS, cognitive functions and SF. Performed scales are: The internalized stigma of mental ilness scale, the social functioning scale and for the assesment of cognitive functions: Wisconsin card sorting, stroop test, test of verbal memory process. Results.Concerning the results there was negative corelation between IS and SF scores in all groups. There was only significant relationship between verbal memory and IS in UD patients. There was not any significant relationship between IS and cognitive function in BD patients. Conclusion: This study indicates that in terms of cognitive functions, patients with unipolar depression are effected as much as the patients with bipolar disorder also manifesting the inverse relation between IS and SF, however cognitive functions were relevant to IS only in UD patients.

To review the findings of the four-hospital collaborative studies of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in unipolar depressed patients known as CORE between 1997 and 2011. Unipolar depressed patients were treated with bilateral ECT, and on remission were randomly assigned to a fixed schedule continuation ECT or to combined lithium and nortriptyline for 6 months. A second study compared three electrode placements in unipolar and bipolar depressed patients. Nineteen published reports were reviewed. The findings are compared with those of a parallel multi-hospital study of ECT led by a Columbia University Collaboration (CUC) team that studied right unilateral ECT in a similar population with similar inclusion/exclusion and remission criteria. Successful ECT was followed by placebo, nortriptyline alone, or combined lithium, and nortriptyline. Relapse rates after remission were similar with fixed schedule ECT as with medications. Predictors of outcome (psychosis, suicide risk, polarity, melancholia, atypical depression, age) and technical aspects (electrode placement, seizure threshold, speed of response) are discussed, The findings offer criteria to optimize the selection of patients, the technique, and outcome of ECT for unipolar and bipolar depressed patients. Continuation ECT is an effective alternative to continuation treatment with lithium and nortriptyline. Bilateral electrode placement is more efficient than alternative placements. ECT relieves both bipolar and unipolar depression.

BackgroundTo identify changes in brain activation patterns in bipolar disorder (BD) and unipolar depression (UD) patients.Methodology/Principal FindingsResting-state fMRI scans of 16 healthy controls, 17 BD and 16 UD patients were obtained. T-test of normalized regional homogeneity (ReHo) was performed in a voxel-by-voxel manner. A combined threshold of á = 0.05, minimum cluster volume of V = 10503 mm3 (389 voxels) were used to determine ReHo differences between groups. In UD group, fMRI revealed ReHo increases in the left middle occipital lobe, right inferior parietal lobule, right precuneus and left convolution; and ReHo decreases in the left parahippocampalgyrus, right precentralgyrus, left postcentralgyrus, left precentralgyrus and left cingulated. In BD group, ReHo increases in the right insular cortex, left middle frontal gyrus, left precuneus, left occipital lobe, left parietal, left superior frontal gyrus and left thalamus; and ReHo decreases in the right anterior lobe of cerebellum, pons, right precentralgyrus, left postcentralgyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, and right cingulate. There were some overlaps in ReHo profiles between UD and BD groups, but a marked difference was seen in the thalamus of BD.Conclusions/SignificanceThe resting-state fMRI and ReHo mapping are a promising tool to assist the detection of functional deficits and distinguish clinical and pathophysiological signs of BD and UD.

Prefrontal activation during a working memory task differs between patients with unipolar and bipolar depression: A preliminary exploratory study

Cardiovascular variations in patients with major depressive disorder versus bipolar disorder

Depression Depresses Vasodilation.

Relationship between serum oxidative stress and blood brain barrier parameters in patients with major depression.

Background. The purpose of the present open-label study was to investigate the antidepressant efficacy of lithium and carbamazepine as augmentation strategies in unipolar depressed inpatients. Method. Forty-six patients suffering from unipolar depression (major depressive episode according to DSM-IV criteria) were pre-treated with mirtazapine for 2 weeks initially (week −2 to week 0). Thereafter, the patients received either continuation of mirtazapine monotherapy (n = 23), combination treatment with mirtazapine and lithium (n = 13), or combination therapy with mirtazapine and carbamazepine (n = 10) for further 3 weeks (week 0 to week 3). Severity of depression was estimated weekly using the 21-item version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (21-HAMD). Response was defined by a reduction of at least 50% in the 21-HAMD sum score after 3 weeks of pharmacotherapy (week 0–3). Results. Additional administration of lithium, but not adjunctive carbamazepine significantly augmented the antidepressant efficacy of mirtazapine in the unipolar depressed patients. Moreover, carbamazepine but not lithium significantly lowered the serum concentrations of mirtazapine. Conclusion. Whereas the clinical importance of anticonvulsants in the treatment of bipolar disorder is not in doubt, the therapeutic efficacy of antiepileptic drugs such as carbamazepine is obviously limited in the pharmacotherapy of unipolar depression.

Oxidative stress, inflammation and treatment response in major depression