scholarly journals T14. HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-GONADAL AXIS HORMONES IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC NAïVE FIRST-EPISODE OF PSYCHOSIS AND HEALTHY CONTROLS

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S236-S236
Author(s):  
Maria Teresa Pons-Cabrera ◽  
Maria Sagué-Vilavella ◽  
Alexandre González-Rodríguez ◽  
Santiago Madero ◽  
Mireia Vázquez ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Kraepelin (1909) wrote about the association between female sex hormones and psychotic symptoms. He observed that women diagnosed with schizophrenia showed signs of gonadal dysfunction and hypoestrogenism. Antipsychotic drugs had not yet been introduced, so it cannot be interpreted as side effects. At the beginning of the 20th-century rhythmicity of psychotic symptoms through menstrual cycle was observed. The symptoms ameliorated when higher levels of estrogens were found. It was also noted during pregnancy. Reported cases and some studies confirmed these observations. Epidemiology shows a later peak of onset of psychosis in women. This protective role, also observed in clinical and animal studies, remains for the reproductive years and decreases by the time of menopause, when there’s a second important peak of onset in women. In spite of all these observations, few systematic investigations have been published about the effects of estrogens in women with schizophrenia. This study aims to investigate differences in the levels of sexual hormones between antipsychotic-naïve women with and without psychosis. Methods We performed a retrospective case-control study to compare the levels of sex hormones in blood of first-episode psychosis (FEP) and healthy control women (HC) of reproductive age, as a part of a NIH-NIDDK project on the study of hormonal factors and metabolism in psychosis. All participants were antipsychotic-naïve, in order to avoid bias from antipsychotic medication use. Four cases and four controls were recruited: cases were women newly diagnosed with primary non-affective psychosis at the emergency department of our hospital, and controls were mental health workers of similar age with no history of psychosis. Blood samples were obtained at the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. We registered the following variables: age, psychosis status, last menstrual day and hormone blood levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol and progesterone. We used descriptive statistics for age and hormone blood levels (mean and standard deviation -SD-) and we performed the Kruskal-Wallis test to determine any statistical differences of these variables regarding psychosis status. All participants provided informed consent. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional ethics review board. Results The mean age of FEP was 31.4 years (SD 1.9) and 26.1 years (SD 3.5) for HC, with no statistically significant differences. Both FSH and LH were higher in FEP (FSH: mean 7 U/L, SD 1.7; LH: mean 8.4 U/L, SD 2.6) compared to HC (FSH: mean 3.5 U/L, SD 1.2; LH: mean 5.7 U/L, SD 3.3), reaching statistical significance in the case of FSH (p=0.015). 17-b-estradiol was lower in FEP (mean 75.3 pg/mL, SD 54.6) than in HC (mean 151 ng/mL, SD 102.1), although differences were not statistically significant Discussion We observed higher levels of FSH in women with psychosis compared to controls in the luteal phase. These women were antipsychotic-naïve; thus, these results are not a consequence of medication use. Our observations add evidence to the known relationship between altered hormonal levels and schizophrenia in women. The increase in FSH stimulates the production of estrogens, which are known to be low in psychosis compared to healthy controls. This finding supports the hypoestrogenism hypothesis of schizophrenia. Future studies with larger samples evaluating hormonal levels, psychotic symptoms and differences with hormonal treatments could lead to research of new adjunctive therapies or approaches.

1993 ◽  
Vol 136 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Nadler ◽  
J. F. Dahl ◽  
D. C. Collins

ABSTRACT The relationship between sex hormone concentrations and female genital swelling during the menstrual cycle in the monogamous gibbon was comparable with that of polygamous female primates, such as the chimpanzee, which live in multimale groups and have larger swellings. The data, therefore, support the hypothesis proposed by C. R. Carpenter more than 50 years ago, that the gibbon's genital swelling, like that of other female primates, reflects basic physiological processes associated with progress of the menstrual cycle. Genital swelling increased during the follicular phase with increasing concentrations of oestradiol and oestrone glucuronide, reached maximal swelling in association with the mid-cycle peaks in the oestrogens and LH and began detumescence with the initial increases in progesterone during the luteal phase. The data also suggest that the menstrual cycle of the gibbon is shorter than previously reported, since cycles of 19–22 days exhibited hormone patterns that are consistent with ovulation. The genital swelling of the female gibbon is a useful marker for monitoring progress of the menstrual cycle and the presumptive time of ovulation. Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 136, 447–455


1982 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irving E. Salit

Neisseria gonorrhoeae exist in transparent (Tr) and opaque (Op) colony forms. Op forms are recovered from patients early in the menstrual cycle; Tr colonies predominate late in the cycle. The mechanism for this colonial variation was examined by determining the influence of gonodal hormones on growth inhibition of Op and Tr isogenic variants of gonococci. The estrogens, estrone and estradiol, enhanced growth whereas 19-nortestosterone, testosterone, and progesterone significantly inhibited gonococcal growth. Testosterone and progesterone inhibited growth of the Op variants to a greater degree than the Tr variants. Mixtures of Tr and Op colonies grown in the presence of progesterone became predominantly Tr, as occurs in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. This study supports the hypothesis of hormonal influence on colonial variation but employed artificial in vitro conditions and high hormone levels.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haidong Yang ◽  
Wen Pan ◽  
Wenhuan Xiao ◽  
Man Yang ◽  
Jianchun Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Neuregulin1 (NRG1) plays a role in neuronal migration, regulation of synaptic plasticity, and neural survival, and has been considered to be among the candidate genes for schizophrenia. This study focused on the variations in serum NRG1b1 levels following antipsychotic treatment and the relationship between NRG1b1 level and improvements in psychotic symptoms in first-episode drug-naïve (FEDN) patients and chronic schizophrenia.Methods: A total of 100 patients with schizophrenia were recruited and compared with 79 matched healthy controls. All patients had been drug-naïve for at least four weeks. Serum NRG1b1 levels and positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) scores were measured at the baseline and after four weeks. Serum NRG1b1 levels were measured using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).Results: Baseline NRG1b1 levels were significantly lower in the patients with schizophrenia compared with the healthy controls. NRG1b1 levels increased significantly following antipsychotic treatment. NRG1b1 levels gradually increased with declining PANSS scores and its three subscales during antipsychotic therapy. The levels of NRG1b1 increased significantly in responders after four weeks of treatment, although non-responders showed no such effect. Correlation analyses showed that the levels of NRG1b1 were negatively correlated with the duration of illness and positively correlated with improvement in symptoms.Conclusion: The levels of serum NRG1b1 and the therapeutic effects gradually increased following treatment, indicating that NRG1b1 may be an indicator of therapy, and that it may also be associated with the pathophysiological mechanism causing schizophrenia, although this possible pathway requires further investigation. Antipsychotic drugs increase Neuregulin1b1 serum levels in first-episode drug-naïve patients and chronic schizophrenia with suggestions for improving the treatment of psychotic symptoms


2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S209-S209
Author(s):  
Francina Badia ◽  
Daniel Linares ◽  
Albert Compte ◽  
Mireia Rosa ◽  
Josep Dalmau ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Perceptual spatial suppression is a phenomenon in which the perceived strength of a stimulus in space is reduced when the stimulus is surrounded by other stimuli. For motion perception, two studies so far have suggested that spatial suppression and sensitivity to motion perception is also reduced in patients with schizophrenia. Studies to date have been conducted in patients with chronic schizophrenia, however, whether these abnormalities are present at the onset of the disorder or whether they emerge during the course of the illness has not been examined, and no study has assessed whether these abnormalities are specific to schizophrenia or whether they are present in other psychotic disorders. Furthermore, if reduced spatial suppression and sensitivity for motion in schizophrenia are related to a glutamatergic hypofunction, as suggested by a recent study (Schallmo et al., 2019), these reductions may be more accentuated in patients who fail to respond to first-line antipsychotic treatment. Methods Sample: 33 patients with a first psychotic episode (16 females, age=16.4±0.6) and 17 healthy controls (9 females, age=17.2±0.61). Exclusion criteria for both groups were: intellectual disability according to DSM-V criteria. For healthy controls, exclusion criteria also included having a first degree relative with a history of psychotic disorder, current or past diagnosis of psychiatrics disorders. Instruments: The perceptual test was performed on a tablet, and consisted of a briefly presented grating (small or large) drifted sideways (the direction was chosen at random with equal probability), in which the participant was instructed to report the perceived direction. Clinical assessment at illness onset and 12 week follow-up: Positive and Negative Symptom Scales (PANSS), Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Present and Lifetime version and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Non-response to treatment was defined as lack of 50% reduction in PANSS positive or negative scores at 12 weeks, any change in antipsychotics or need for combinations due to lack of clinical response. Psychophysical analysis: Motion sensitivity was estimated independently of lapses of attention, which were assessed by including trials in which the motion stimulus was easily discriminated. Results Patients and healthy controls were homogeneous in age (t=-.720, p=,537) and sex (X2=0.38, p=0.542). In patients, mean treatment response rates was 56.5%. Patients had similar scores of positive and negative symptomatology (positive symptoms= 21±7,13; negative symptoms= 18,4±8,18; general symptoms= 40,7±13,07). At 12 weeks 43,8% had a diagnosis of affective psychosis (bipolar disorder, depressive disorder with psychotic symptoms). Patients with a first psychotic episode, regardless of diagnosis or response to treatment, had less motion sensitivity than healthy controls (f=6.397, p=0.0148). No significant differences were found between groups in surround suppression and no significant correlations were observed between spatial suppression and clinical symptoms. Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first study to find abnormal motion sensitivity in patients with a first episode of psychosis. Our measure of sensitivity, given that it was not contaminated by lapses, indicates that patients had a genuine motion perception deficit rather than an inability to focus on the task. Our results also suggest that motion sensitivity may not be specific to patients with schizophrenia but may also characterize affective psychoses. Larger studies may be needed to clarify whether there is a relationship between motion sensitivity and severity of symptoms and response to treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-331
Author(s):  
L. D. Popova ◽  
I. M. Vasylyeva ◽  
O. A. Nakonechna

The excessive aggression is an actual problem of modern society but the mechanisms of aggressiveness development have not been sufficiently investigated. Women aggression is considered to differ from men one and results obtained on males cannot be extrapolated on females. Sex hormones have a crucial role in the generation of sexually dimorphic aggression circuits during development and their maintenance during adulthood. Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and sympathoadrenal system are major neuroendocrine systems that respond to stress. Stress hormones are involved into behavioral reactions of organism. Gonadal, hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axes, and sympathoadrenal system are tightly interrelated and every of them can influence another one. The purpose of the study was to estimate correlation differences between sex and stress hormones in men and women. Material and methods. Forty healthy young people aged 18 to 22 years with a body mass index of 19-24 (21 women and 19 men) were enrolled in the study. Hormone levels in blood serum were determined by Testosterone, Estradiol, Cortisol ELISA kits (Italy), Epinephrine/Norepinephrine (EPI) ELISA kit (China). Results and discussion. In all phases of the menstrual cycle, the level of cortisol in women was lower than in men, but in the luteal phase these differences were not statistically significant. In all phases of the menstrual cycle, the blood serum norepinephrine content in women was lower than in men, but in the follicular phase these differences were not statistically significant. The level of epinephrine in women during ovulation and luteal phase did not differ from the level of epinephrine in men, but in follicular phase it was significantly lower. Calculations of correlations between individual hormones revealed a significant difference between them in men and women. Positive correlations between testosterone and estradiol and between cortisol and epinephrine; a strong negative correlation between epinephrine and testosterone/norepinephrine ratio were found in men. Positive correlation between testosterone and cortisol and negative correlation between estradiol and cortisol/testosterone ratio were revealed in women. Conclusion. In women, strong correlations were found between cortisol and sex hormones; in men, strong interrelationship was revealed between cortisol and epinephrine. Both in men and in women (in all phases of the menstrual cycle), high positive correlations between testosterone/norepinephrine and cortisol/norepinephrine ratios were observed


2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.C. Altamura ◽  
G. Delvecchio ◽  
G. Marotta ◽  
L. Oldani ◽  
A. Pigoni ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundBipolar disorder (BD) may be characterized by the presence of psychotic symptoms and comorbid substance abuse. In this context, structural and metabolic dysfunctions have been reported in both BD with psychosis and addiction, separately. In this study, we aimed at identifying neural substrates differentiating psychotic BD, with or without substance abuse, versus substance-induced psychosis (SIP) by coupling, for the first time, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).MethodsTwenty-seven BD type I psychotic patients with (n = 10) or without (n = 17) substance abuse, 16 SIP patients and 54 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. 3T MRI and 18-FDG-PET scanning were acquired.ResultsGray matter (GM) volume and cerebral metabolism reductions in temporal cortices were observed in all patients compared to healthy controls. Moreover, a distinct pattern of fronto-limbic alterations were found in patients with substance abuse. Specifically, BD patients with substance abuse showed volume reductions in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, insula and thalamus, whereas SIP patients in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate. Common alterations in cerebellum, parahippocampus and posterior cingulate were found in both BD with substance abuse and SIP. Finally, a unique pattern of GM volumes reduction, with concomitant increased of striatal metabolism, were observed in SIP patients.ConclusionsThese findings contribute to shed light on the identification of common and distinct neural markers associated with bipolar psychosis and substance abuse. Future longitudinal studies should explore the effect of single substances of abuse in patients at the first-episode of BD and substance-induced psychosis.


1963 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian F. Sommerville ◽  
Mary T. Pickett ◽  
William P. Collins ◽  
Diane C. Denyer

ABSTRACT A more sensitive and less complicated chemical method has been evolved for the quantitative determination of progesterone in 5–10 ml samples of human plasma. The method is suitable for application to peripheral blood levels at all stages of pregnancy and may be applied to the study of the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The sensitivity, accuracy, precision and specificity of the method are discussed.


SLEEP ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leilah K Grant ◽  
Joshua J Gooley ◽  
Melissa A St Hilaire ◽  
Shantha M W Rajaratnam ◽  
George C Brainard ◽  
...  

Abstract Study objectives Women in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle exhibit better cognitive performance overnight than women in the follicular phase, although the mechanism is unknown. Given the link between core body temperature (CBT) and performance, one potential mechanism is the thermoregulatory role of progesterone (P4), estradiol (E2), and their ratio (P4/E2), which change across the menstrual cycle. We examined the role of P4/E2 in modulating performance during extended wake in premenopausal women. Additionally, we compared the acute effects of nighttime light exposure on performance, CBT, and hormones between the menstrual phases. Methods Participants were studied during a 50 h constant routine and a 6.5 h monochromatic nighttime light exposure. Participants were 16 healthy, naturally cycling women (eight follicular; eight luteal). Outcome measures included reaction time, attentional failures, self-reported sleepiness, CBT, melatonin, P4, and E2. Results As compared to women in the luteal phase, women in the follicular phase exhibited worse performance overnight. CBT was significantly associated with performance, P4, and P4/E2 but not with other sex hormones. Sex hormones were not directly related to performance. Light exposure that suppressed melatonin improved performance in the follicular phase (n = 4 per group) to levels observed during the luteal phase and increased CBT but without concomitant changes in P4/E2. Conclusions Our results underscore the importance of considering menstrual phase when assessing cognitive performance during sleep loss in women and indicate that these changes are driven predominantly by CBT. Furthermore, this study shows that vulnerability to sleep loss during the follicular phase may be resolved by exposure to light.


2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S33-S34
Author(s):  
Levente Herman ◽  
János Réthelyi ◽  
Réka Zsigmond

Abstract Background Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune limbic encephalitis, where psychiatric symptoms are often dominant in the initial phase. These patients are usually treated in psychiatric wards, due to first episode psychosis (FEP). The antibodies responsible for the symptoms, can be identified from the patients’ sera. During the past decade multiple studies had been launched to investigate whether anti-NMDAR antibodies were present in the sera of patients, treated with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, although results have not confirmed this hypothesis. It is possible, however, that autoimmune antibodies, which are not yet known, play a role in FEP, similarly to anti-NMDAR antibodies, therefore there is a rationale behind screening for other antibodies among these patients. The aim of our study is to screen patients with FEP for anti-NMDAR antibodies. We also would like to check whether there are any other potentially pathogenic antibodies, which are not yet known, but could be responsible for psychotic symptoms. Methods So far 26 patients have been recruited with FEP (with symptoms of schizophrenia), the total number of healthy controls involved in the study is currently 21. All of the patients were treated at Semmelweis University, Department of Psychiatry. Patients with affective psychosis, drug-related psychotic disorder and patients with clear signs of encephalitis had been excluded from the study. The patients’ blood samples were centrifuged, after which serum was separated from whole blood. Serum samples were then tested with EUROIMMUN immune fluorescent assays for anti-NMDAR antibodies. A different, non-specific method was also used to test anti-brain antibody activity on monkey-cerebellum and rat-hippocampus to show possibly relevant (but not yet known) antibodies. All of the immunological laboratory investigations were done at Semmelweis University, Central Laboratory and immunfluorescent slides were evaluated by an expert in this field. Further differentiation of this non-specific activity was not part of our current study. All of the samples had been freezed on -80 degrees Celsius and are stored for possible further investigations in the future. IL-6 levels will be checked in the next phase of our study. Results None of the samples from the 26 patients, nor any of the samples collected from healthy controls contained anti-NMDAR antibodies. However it should be noted that during the period of the study 3 patients were diagnosed with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, but as it was described earlier these cases had not been included in our study, because we focused on patients with pure psychotic symptoms. 11 of the patients’ serum showed positive reaction of the neuroendothelium (6 strong, 5 moderate), whereas only 4 of the samples collected from healthy controls showed similar pattern (all of them showed moderate or mild activity). These results suggest that there is a significant difference between the groups, however we will need to increase our sample size to verify these findings. There were other non-specific reactions in both groups in low numbers. Discussion None of the serum samples of the 26 patients proved positive for anti-NMDAR antibodies, which is in agreement with previous studies in the literature. However, a higher proportion of samples form patients showed activity on the neuroendothelium of non-specific immune fluorescent assays compared to healthy controls. We plan to increase our samples sizes in the near future and check the serum samples for interleukins and cytokines.


Author(s):  
Kshama V Kedar ◽  
Radha P Munje ◽  
Amar K Karia

ABSTRACT Introduction Sex hormones play an important role in women's health. There is a close relationship between female sex hormones and lung function in postmenopausal women. Deterioration of lung function is observed more after menopause. Estrogen deficiency after menopause accelerates the adverse effects of biological aging on lung mechanics in postmenopausal women. Our study uses a spirometer to analyze and evaluate these effects of menopausal aging. Objective To study the effects of menopause on pulmonary function tests in women of perimenopausal age group. Materials and methods This study was carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Indira Gandhi Government Medical College & Hospital (IGGMC) Nagpur, India. Totally 50 women each in premenopausal and menopausal age groups were included in our study. Venous blood was collected under aseptic precautions on 10 to 14 and 18 to 23 days corresponding to follicular and luteal phase of menstrual cycle in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Serum estrogen and progesterone levels were estimated by microparticle enzyme immunoassay. The pulmonary function of all subjects was measured with digital microspirometer and data collected. The peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), forced expiratory flow (FEF)25-75, forced expiratory volume (FEV1), and forced vital capacity (FVC) were studied and correlated with symptoms. Data analysis was done using Student's unpaired t-test and chi-squared test. Results The mean percentages of predicted values of FEF25-75 and PEFR were lower in postmenopausal women compared with premenopausal women. Mean serum estrogen levels were significantly lower in postmenopausal women as compared with premenopausal women. Progesterone levels were lower in postmenopausal women and in proliferative phase of premenopausal women as compared with luteal phase of menstrual cycle. Conclusion As menopause sets in, decrease in hormonal levels leads to decreased lung capacity as evident by pulmonary function tests. Decreased pulmonary function test can be attributed to lower levels of sex hormones estrogen and progesterone in postmenopausal women. How to cite this article Karia AK, Kedar KV, Munje RP. Effect of Menopause on Pulmonary Functions: An Analysis! J South Asian Feder Menopause Soc 2017;5(2):99-101.


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