BACKGROUND: Models of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) that have proposed a hypodopaminergic state resulting in hypofunction of the prefrontal circuitry have assumed a unitary dopamine system, which largely ignores the distinct functional differences between mesocortical dopamine system and nigrostriatal dopamine system. PURPOSE: The author's goal was to develop a pathophysiological model for ADHD with greater explanotory power than dopaminergic hypofunction hypothesis in prefronal circuitry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Published clinical findings on ADHD were integrated with data from genetic, pharmacological, neuroimaging studies in human and animals. RESULTS: Molecular genetic studies suggest that three genes may increase the susceptibility to ADHD. The three candidate genes associated with ADHD are each involved in dopaminergic function, and this consistent with the neurobiologic studies implicating catecholamines in the etiology of ADHD. Pharmacological data also provide compelling support for dopamine and noradrenergic hypothesis of ADHD. Neuroimaging studies lend substantial support for the hypothesis that right-sided abnormalities of prefrontal-basal ganglia circuit would be found in ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: The present hypothesis takes advantage of the major differences between the two pertinent dopamine systems. Mesocortical dopamine system, which largely lacks inhibitory autoreceptors, is ideally positioned to regulate cortical inputs, thus improving the signal-to-noise ratio for biologically valued signals. In this circuit, therapeutic doses of stimulants are hypothesized to increase postsynaptic dopamine effects and enhance executive functions. By contrast, symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity in ADHD are hypothesized to be associated with relative overactivity of nigrostriatal circuit. This nigrostriatal circuit is tightly regulated by inhibitory autoreceptoors as well as by long distance feedback from the cortex, and slow diffusion of therapeutic doses of stimulant via oral administration is hypothesized to produce a net inhibition of dopaminergic neurotransmission and improves hyperactivity.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Autoreceptors ; Catecholamines ; Diffusion ; Dopamine ; Dopamine Agents ; Executive Function ; Ganglia ; Humans ; Molecular Biology ; Neuroimaging ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio ; Synaptic Transmission

Seperation anxiety disorder(SAD) is characterized by excessive anxiety about being apart from the individuals to whom a child is most attached. We noticed a case of a 13 year old boy's SAD with symptoms of nausea/vomiting, stomachache, school refusal, and severe weight loss. His mother was overanxious and overdependent but her'dependency was frustrated due to family problem. We investigated this case from a point of developmental aspect and family dynamics and tried to attempt therapeutic approach.
Anxiety Disorders* ; Anxiety* ; Child* ; Disulfiram* ; Humans ; Mothers ; Weight Loss*

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of methylphenidate on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the comorbidity of the disorder, using child attention problem checklist to .56 (male : 38, female : 18) patients from. March 992 to February 1993. The results were as follows: Among 56 subjects, ADHD alone were 20 (335.71%) subjects, and with one additional diagnosis were 31 (55.35%) subjects and with two additional diagnosis were 5 (8.93%) subjects. There was significant improvement on symptoms in the scores rated by teachers in 7th and 28th day after mentylphenidate administration compared to baseline score (P<0.05) and 28th day score showed significant improvement compared to. 7th day score (P<0.05) and 28th day score showed significant improvement compared to 7th day score (P<0.05). There was significant improvment on symptoms in the scores rated by parents in 28th day after methylphenidate administration improvement compared with 7th day score. In single administration of methylphenidate in Sunday morning score compared to afternoon score (P<0.05). In the administration of significant improvement on symptoms compared with the Sunday morning rating score of parents (P<0.05) and the 28th day comparison was also showed significant improvement on symptoms in the scores rated by teachers compared with the scores rated by parents on symptoms (P<0.05). Among group comparison, all groups showed significant improvements (P<0.05) except conduct disorder & oppositional defiant group.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Checklist ; Child ; Comorbidity* ; Conduct Disorder ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Methylphenidate* ; Parents

No abstract available.
Autistic Disorder*

To evaluate the simplicity and efficacy of the 7-symptom screen test for somatization disorder, the authors tried 7-symptom screen test to find out the easiness in diagnosing the somatization disorder and to evaluate the simplicity and efficacy of it from Mar 1991 to Feb 1992. The objects were 135 female outpatients who visited Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University. The results were as follows; The discriminant index was over 3.0 for all 7 symptoms and two item accuracy was 89% (sensitivity 99%, specificity 77%), three item accuracy was 87% (sensitivity 83%, specificity 90%). In discriminant analysis, the cut off score for the criteria of somatization disorder was 87% when three or more symptoms were checked for 7-symptoms. This result means that 7-symptom screen test is the simple and accurate method for screening and diagnosing the somatization disorder.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Methods ; Outpatients ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Somatoform Disorders

No abstract available.
Animals ; Iproniazid* ; Monoamine Oxidase* ; Rats* ; Tyramine*

To evaluate the relationship between eating behavior and neurotic trait in middle school students, the authors applied eating scale, Middlesex Hospital Puestionaire and Zung's self-reting depression scale to 419 middle school students(male : 187, female : 232) in Taegu city in 1993. There was no significant relationship between weight devided groups. Female middle school students showed significant high scores(p<0.05) in all scales compared to male middle school students. The correlation between eating scale and the other two scales showed significant correlationship(p<0.05) Among psychosocial factors, the items related to dissatisfaction to present and future self image(each p<0.05, p<0.05), dissatisfaction to present environmental status(p<0.05) and dissatisfaction to future attitude showed significant high score in both sex. The item related to dissatisfaction to present interpersonal relationship (p<0.05) showed significant high score in male middle school students. The items related to eat consumption rate of 61-90% (p<0.05), unsatisfied to relationship with family(p<0.05), unsatisfied to childhood family atmosphere(p<0.05), unsatisfied to past self image(p<0.05) and unsatisfied to present relationship between parent(p<0.05) showed significant high score.
Adolescent* ; Daegu ; Depression ; Eating* ; Feeding Behavior* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Psychology ; Weights and Measures

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Influenza virus are the most common pathogen for causing severe upper respiratory infection in all age groups. A multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been developed to detect and subtype influenza A (H3N2 and H1N1), B virus and RSV simultaneously in one tube reaction. Amplification with primers derived from conserved sequences within the nucleocapsid for RSV and hemagglutinin subunit for Influenza A (H3N2 and H1N1) and B viruses yielded a 384 bp, a 300 bp, a 236 bp and a 151 bp, respectively. Assay specificity was confirmed by pulse field gel electrophoresis and autosequencing method. Assay sensitivity was 3 PFU/ml of RSV, 22 PFU/ml, 45 PFU/ml of Influenza type A (H3N2 and H1N1) and 6.6 PFU/ml of Influenza B virus by plaque assay. A rapid and sensitive detection method of a one-tube with multiplex RT-PCR capable of identifying more than one viral template as well as synchronizing reverse transcription and PCR had the potential to produce considerable savings of time and cost effectiveness in the diagnostic laboratory.
Conserved Sequence ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Electrophoresis ; Hemagglutinins ; Herpesvirus 1, Cercopithecine ; Humans* ; Income ; Influenza B virus ; Influenza, Human* ; Nucleocapsid ; Orthomyxoviridae* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human* ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; Reverse Transcription* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to verify and compare deterioration of executive functions in the children with Tourette's disorder (TS) with those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and to understand the differentes. METHOD: We administered Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), Continuous Performance Test (CPT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) on three groups of 18 children each: tow groups of outpatients, one pure TS and one pure ADHD, diagnosed using DSM-IV criteria, and the third, a control group of normal, healthy children who were selected considering age, sex and academic achievement. The children performed all testings without the use of medications RESULTS: In comparisons of CPT perfotmance, the ADHD group showed poor performance with significant difference in commission error, attentiveness and risk taking (p< .05), and the TS group showed significant difference in attentiveness (p< .05) when compared with the control group. There was significant difference between the ADHD group and the TS group in commission error (p< .05). In comparisons of WCST, the ADHD group and the TS group showed significantly poorer performance than the controls in number of trials administered, total number of errors, conceptual level response, number of categories complete, perseverative response and perseverative error (p< .05), but only the ADHD group showed poor performance in perseverative response and perseverative erro r (p< .05). When the results of CPT were analyzed after adjustment for IQ, the ADHD group showed significantly more errors than the TS disorder group in commission error, and only the ADHD group showed significant difference in attentiveness compared with the normal controls (p< .05). In WCST, while these two groups showed significant difference in number of trials administrated, only the ADHD group showed significantly poor performance compared with the normal children group in the 5 sub-categories such as total number of errors, perseverative response, perseverative error, conceptual level response and number of categories complete (p< .05). CONCLUSION: The abnormalities of executive functions appear in both ADHD and Tourette's disorder, but more apparent abnormalities in executive functions were shown in ADHD than in Tourette's disorder. Also the differences of executive functions suggest that these two diseases may have different psychopathophysiology in these dimensions.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Child* ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Executive Function* ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Risk-Taking ; Tourette Syndrome* ; Wisconsin

No abstract available.
Humans ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Tissue Donors*