Creation, evolution, and biological psychiatry

Pisa syndrome without neuroleptic exposure in a patient with Parkinson's disease: Case report

We report on a patient affected by Parkinson's disease who developed over a period of a few weeks a tonic deviation of her head, neck, and trunk fitting the typical description of Pisa syndrome (PS). This patient was under stable levodopa and pramipexole treatment and had never been exposed to any psychotropic or antiemetic drugs before or at the time she developed the postural abnormality. Because dopamine transporter imaging revealed bilateral and symmetrical reduction of striatal uptake, we suggest that PS is not primarily related to side differences in dopaminergic denervation or drug exposure.

ALX 5407: a potent, selective inhibitor of the hGlyT1 glycine transporter

High-affinity glycine transport in neurons and glial cells is a primary means of inactivating synaptic glycine. We have synthesized a potent selective inhibitor of glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1), and characterized its activity using a quail fibroblast cell line (QT6). The glycine transporters GlyT1A, GlyT1B, GlyT1C, and GlyT2 were stably expressed in QT6 cells. The transporters expressed in these cells exhibited appropriate characteristics as described previously for these genes: Na(+)/Cl(-) dependence, appropriate K(m) values for glycine uptake, and appropriate pharmacology, as defined in part by the ability of N-methyl glycine (sarcosine) to competitively inhibit glycine transport. Furthermore, the characteristics of the transporters in the cell lines recapitulate the characteristics of glycine transporters observed in tissue preparations. We developed a sarcosine derivative, (R)-(N-[3-(4'-fluorophenyl)-3-(4'-phenylphenoxy)propyl])sarcosine (ALX 5407), and examined its activity against the cloned glycine transporters. ALX 5407 completely inhibited glycine transport in the GlyT1 cells, with an IC(50) value of 3 nM, but had little or no activity at the human GlyT2 transporter, at other binding sites for glycine, or at other neurotransmitter transporters. The inhibition of glycine transport was essentially irreversible. ALX 5407 represents a novel tool in the investigation of N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor function. This class of drug may lead to novel therapies in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Human psychoneuroimmunology today

Studies in human psychoneuroimmunology began around 1919, but a systematic approach wasn't used until the work of Solomon in the 1960s. Recently, the new specialty has achieved relative independence due to considerable data acquisition. Stress research has revealed relationships between neuroendocrine and immune changes. In parallel, increasing evidence of immunological alterations in psychiatric diseases has expanded the field; presently, immunological correlates of psychosomatic diseases and personality are sought. On the other hand, while immunological disease has been psychologically assessed for many years, a clear-cut link between psyche and immunological changes has yet to be shown. This fact, along with the therapeutic implications of advancing knowledge, will influence strongly the future trends of psychoneuroimmunology. Concepts emerging from the study of this field will be of heuristic value to both psychiatry and immunology and will help define new and expanded limits for both disciplines.