The results regarding an association between the polymorphism sites in the dopamine D1 receptor gene and schizophrenia compelled us to study the distribution of the polymorphism in Korean schizophrenia and controls. Eighty-eight schizophrenic patients and normal controls were examined by case-control study for distribution of the polymorphism of the dopamine D1 receptor gene in Korean popualtion to minimize the effect of racial differencies in gene frequencies. The frequencies of the B1 and B2 in schizophrenic patients were 0.11 and 9.89, respectively. And 0.10 and 0.90 in normal control. There was no significant differences in the frequencies in the allele B1 and 2 between schizophrenic patients and normal controls. The author present here the evidence of a lack of alleic association between the polymorphism of the dopamine D1 receptor gene and Korean schizophrenic. The assumption that the dopamine D1 receptor gene has genetic role in the development of schizophrenia was not supported by this case-control study.
Alleles* ; Case-Control Studies ; Dopamine* ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Receptors, Dopamine D1 ; Receptors, Dopamine D2 ; Schizophrenia*

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Lithium*

The 5-HT2A receptor is of great interest for research into schizophrenia and psychopharmacology in light of the observation that schizophrenic patients has 5-HT cortical-subcortical imbalance and atypical antipsychotic clozpine has 5-HT2A antagonists properties. An significant association between schizophrenia and the T102C polymorphism of the gene for 5-HT2A receptor has been reported. In this study, we investigated an association between schizophrenia and the T102C polymorphism of the gene for 5-HT2A receptor in Korean schizophrenic patients. The subjects consisted of 139 schizophrenic patients and 88 normal controls. Genomic DNA was amplified by PCR and digested with MsPI. The uncutt product identified allele 1(nucleotide sequence TCT) ; digested products of 216bp and 156bp identified allele 2(nucleotide sequence TCC). The allele frequencies and the genotypic distribution of 5-HT2A receptor gene were not significantly different between schizophrenic patients and normal controls. Since allele frequencies of the T102C polymorphism may differ between individuals of different ethnic backgrounds, it needs to be conducted in an advanced research.
Alleles ; DNA ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Psychopharmacology ; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A ; Schizophrenia* ; Serotonin ; Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Antagonists

No abstract available.
Anxiety Disorders* ; Anxiety*

OBJECTIVES: Several studies suggest that psychotropic drugs may affect on lipid metabolism and body weight. And the differences of levels of seam lipids were observed in patients with several psychiatric disorders. Hence, in order to elucidate the effects of psychotropic drugs on serum lipid, lipoprotein and apolipoprotein, the authors estimated the serum lipid profile in the psych op harmacological treatment. METHODS: Thirty six patients with schizophrenia and 42 patients with depressive disorder or anxiety disorder were recruited from the inpatient psychiatric units and withdrawn from all psychotropic drugs at least far 3 months. The levels of seam total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), trighlyceride, apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein(a) were measured before the treatment and after 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks of the treatment. RESULTS: No statistically significant change was found on all serum lipid profiles in the antipsychotics group. However, the changes on serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A, and apolipoprotein B from the baseline to the following weeks have been observed in tricyclic antidepressants group. And the serum total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B have been observed to be changed from the baseline to the following weeks in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors poop. The changes on seam lipoprotein(a) were proved not to be statistically significant during all the psychotropic drugs treatment. CONCLUSION: These results implicate that all psychotropic drugs might affect on the lipid metabolism, especially for tricyclic antidepressants. Therefore, this implication could be important in clinical situation because the changes on serum lipid profiles may be related to the cardiovascular disease especially in psychiatric patients with the cardiovascular risk factor.
Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Anxiety Disorders ; Apolipoproteins* ; Body Weight ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Depressive Disorder ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoprotein(a) ; Lipoproteins* ; Psychotropic Drugs ; Risk Factors ; Schizophrenia ; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors

As a founding president of the Korean Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, I would like to look back on not only the quickening period of the association that was thirteen years ago but also on its early works and activities. This association was founded in 1994 in order to improve mental health of the aged in Korea and to help them live with dreams and ambitions. Starting with forty two members, the association has developed as one of the biggest associations, where approximately four hundred out of 2,221 psychiatrists in Korea are enrolled as regular members. In addition, it has made an eye-opening progress in terms of education, research and treatment. I hope that with the advent of an aged society, our association will play an influential role in helping the aged live creatively with hope and dignity by carrying out a psychogeriatric subspecialist system and by paying endless attention to their mental health.
Education ; Geriatric Psychiatry* ; Hope ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Psychiatry

As a founding president of the Korean Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, I would like to look back on not only the quickening period of the association that was thirteen years ago but also on its early works and activities. This association was founded in 1994 in order to improve mental health of the aged in Korea and to help them live with dreams and ambitions. Starting with forty two members, the association has developed as one of the biggest associations, where approximately four hundred out of 2,221 psychiatrists in Korea are enrolled as regular members. In addition, it has made an eye-opening progress in terms of education, research and treatment. I hope that with the advent of an aged society, our association will play an influential role in helping the aged live creatively with hope and dignity by carrying out a psychogeriatric subspecialist system and by paying endless attention to their mental health.
Education ; Geriatric Psychiatry* ; Hope ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Psychiatry

OBJECTIVES: To elucidate an association of the fragile X syndrome with autism, Southern blot analysis was performed in 66 autistic children aged from 2 years to 11 years. METHODS: Subjects were 66 autistic children with of autistic disorder diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria and Childhood Autism Rating Scale-Korean version. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and DNA was used to detect a FMR (Fragile Mental Retardation)-1 gene. Xho/PstI probes and two restriction enzymes (EcoRI, EagI)were used for Southern blot analysis. RESULTS: There were one boy with a methylated mosaic pattern and 3 boys and 2 girls with an unmethylated premutation band. But there was no full mutation pattern. CONCLUSION: Although the possibility of the relationship between autistic disorder and FMR-1 gene has been suggested, the results from this study do not provide any definite association of FMR-1 gene with autism in autistic children.
Autistic Disorder ; Blotting, Southern ; Child* ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; DNA ; Female ; Fragile X Syndrome ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Biology*

Neurocognitive research focusing on cognitive deficits in schizophrenia resulted in several important yet potentially contradictory findings. Studies have shown that chronic patients have a diffuse pattern of cognitive impairment which is frequently indistinguishable from that of focal brain-damaged patients. Some reports have suggested that there is a focal pattern of deficit, such as left hemisphere dysfunction, frontal lobe impairment, or the dysfunction of the temporal-limbic cortex. The aim of this study is to evaluate neurocognitive functions in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients. The subjects are 33 treatment-resistant schizophrenics. And their neurocognitive functions are compared with those of 37 treatment-reactive schizophrenic patients and 35 normal control subjects. Patients with a history of neurological disease, alcohol dependence, substance abuse and mental retardation are excluded. The diagnosis of specific subtypes are made after a review of all available information including medical records, historical data from informants, and by the confirmation of 2 board-certified psychiatrists. To control potential neurocognitive effects of medications, all patients had drug-free period of 1 week. The following tests are administered to each subjects; Mini Mental State Examination-Korean(MMSE- K), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale(BPRS), Clinical Global Impression(CGI), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS), and Neurological Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Symptoms(EPS scale). And they are assessed with a part of Vienna Test System which is computerized neurocognitive function tests which evaluate attention, eductive ability, reproductive ability, visuoperceptual analysis, vigilance, visual immediate memory, the speed of information-processing, judgement, and fine motor coordinations. The results indicated that treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients have deficits in eductive ability, visuoperceptual analysis, sustained attention, information-processing, reaction time and motor coordination. The study provides useful information about neurocognitive functions of carefully diagnosed subgroups of chronic schizophrenic pateints, especially treatment-resistant patients.
Alcoholism ; Diagnosis ; Frontal Lobe ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Medical Records ; Memory, Short-Term ; Psychiatry ; Reaction Time ; Schizophrenia ; Substance-Related Disorders