title: Treatment outcome, seizure duration, and the neurophysin response to ECT.
abstract: Serum concentrations of immunoreactive neurophysin (IRN) and vasopressin-associated neurophysin (hNpI) were measured before and after the first treatment in a course of electroencephalographically monitored electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) given to 19 depressed patients. The difference (DIFF) between the serum concentrations of IRN and hNpI is equivalent to the concentration of oxytocin-associated neurophysin. Before ECT the six patients who had a good outcome at 2 months after the course of ECT had a mean serum IRN concentration one-half (p less than 0.05) and a mean serum DIFF concentration one-third (p less than 0.05) that of the 13 patients who had a poor outcome. The increase in serum DIFF concentration (but not IRN or hNpI) after the first ECT correlated with the improvement on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (r = -0.73, p less than 0.005) and the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (r = -0.49, p less than 0.05). The peak percentage increase in serum DIFF concentrations after ECT was 4 times greater (p less than 0.001) in the good outcome group than in the poor outcome group. None of the neurophysin responses to ECT correlated with electroencephalogram-measured seizure duration.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Scotland.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Whalley
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Legros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009481:Neurophysins / Q000097:blood*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D009481:Neurophysins; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs