The effects of drug abuse are caused by the stimulation or inhibition of different neurotransmitters, chiefly gamma-aminobutyric acid, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and beta-endorphin. The biopsychiatric model focuses on…
The central biochemical pathology of anorexia and the natural aging of the brain is similar. Biochemical models for drug withdrawal and depression may also assist in understanding geriatric anorexia. Norepinephrine, corticotropin releasing factor and…
The authors studied the effects of clonidine on a subgroup of women who had symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome; the subgroup comprised 24 women aged 19 to 41 years who had "moderate" to "severe" cyclic decreases in beta-endorphin levels.…
Twenty-four cocaine addicts who experienced withdrawal symptoms were studied for six weeks in a double-blind design. Half of the group received daily treatment with bromocriptine and the other half with placebo. Significant relief with bromocriptine…
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are eating disorders with distinct clinical presentations. Reduced caloric intake, a hallmark of both disorders, is manifested by self-induced starvation in anorexia and by binge eating and gastrointestinal…
The ability to perceive nonverbal facial cues was tested in 30 White, middle-class females. Pre- and post-menses responses of 15 subjects diagnosed as having Premenstrual Tension Syndrome (PMS) were compared to the responses of age-matched controls.…
Cocaine abuse may lead to serious cardiac complications, including myocardial ischemia and infarction, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias. With concomitant use of alcohol and cocaine, cocaethylene is produced by hepatic transformation.…
