Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0011551 (depersonalization)
 1,117 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine can induce a model psychosis in drug addicts and exacerbate the symptoms of chronic schizophrenics. The model psychoses these drugs induce mimic a variety of schizophrenic symptoms, including flattened affect, dissociative thought disorder, depersonalization and catatonic states. These symptoms can persist for prolonged periods and chronic PCP and ketamine addicts have persisting memory deficits. Dizocilpine (MK-801) is a simpler drug than PCP or ketamine in its actions, but it shares with both the property of blocking in a non-competitive manner the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) ion-channel. Behavioral observations and drug-discrimination studies in animals indicate that PCP and dizocilpine are similar in their effects and they both have a neurotoxic effect on neurons in posterior cingulate cortex. Recent studies have indicated that both of these drugs, when given continuously for several days, further induce neuronal degeneration in other limbic structures. These include brain regions of rats related to olfaction, associated limbic structures such as piriform cortex and posterior regions of entorhinal cortex and in it's projections, through the perforant pathway, to dentate gyrus and other cells in ventral hippocampus. These degenerative consequences may be excitatory neurotoxic effects, for these compounds also induce an elevation in glucose metabolism maximal in just those structures where degeneration is observed and the degeneration involves entire cells, with all of their processes. It has been suggested these non-competitive NMDA antagonists induce an increase in firing rate in a limbic circuit which includes the perforant pathway. At least some competitive NMDA antagonists induce the same pattern of degeneration and altered glucose utilization. There is anatomical and functional evidence that alterations in these same limbic structures are present in the dementia syndrome manifested by some schizophrenics and most Alzheimer's patients. This suggests that these non-competitive NMDA antagonists may provide a more complete model of psychoses and memory disturbances than previously recognized, in that they can mimic both persisting symptomatology and neuroanatomical abnormalities. While the neurochemical underpinnings of this effect remain elusive, it appears to be both age and sex dependent. Further studies of the mechanisms by which NMDA antagonists induce increased glucose utilization and neurotoxicity in these limbic structures may clarify these alterations in this simplified Papez-like circuit.
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PMID:The N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists phencyclidine, ketamine and dizocilpine as both behavioral and anatomical models of the dementias. 779 58

In a review of the Alzheimer's and burnout literature, it seems apparent that Alzheimer's caregivers, especially male caregivers, are particularly subject to burnout. Male caregivers are seemingly more likely to experience the typical symptoms of burnout, namely: depersonalization, diminished personal accomplishment, and emotional exhaustion. Unfortunately, male caregivers also seem less inclined to seek out community services. In addition to reviewing the literature, this article also proposes some research questions for further study.
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PMID:The burnout risk for male caregivers in providing care to spouses afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. 1513 71

Population aging has increased age-related diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) being the most common in older adults (50%-60%). It is one of the most feared conditions for its irreversible and incurable, by its chronicity and it consists of a long process of depersonalization. The clinical diagnosis is mainly based on DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA. Definitive diagnosis is post-mortem, as it requires histopathological confirmation. However, there have been new diagnostic criteria based EA biomarkers, which can be done in life, anticipating the course of several years before dementia. Thus, physicians are increasingly exposed to AD patients in early stages, having to face the dilemma of communicating the diagnosis to a patient with cognitive failures and disease awareness, with the implications that generates about him and his family. The objectives of this paper will analyze the ethical problem of communication of clinical diagnosis of AD in prodromal stages (pre-dementia) in our country, based on the analysis of ethical principles (autonomy and non maleficence) involved in decision making.
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PMID:[Ethical considerations regarding the communication of diagnosis of prodromal Alzheimer's disease]. 2515 75

Alzheimer's disease imposes a severe burden upon patients and their caregivers. We examined the relationship between the sociodemographic factors, burden of care and burnout level of 120 of 203 professional caregiving staff dealing with Alzheimer's disease patients in eight geriatric care centers in Istanbul/Turkey. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale was used to measure the level of burden of care, and the Maslach burnout inventory to measure the level of burnout. High levels of emotional exhaustion were present in 25% of our sample, and depersonalization was found in 30% reduced personal accomplishment was present in 26% of the caregivers.
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PMID:The Burden of Care and Burnout in Individuals Caring for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease. 2968 Sep 76

Being a housewife may already be a psychosocial risk factor leading to chronic stress and burnout, and this may be aggravated when the housewife must also become the caregiver of a family member with Alzheimer's. The burnout syndrome and how it can affect general health and the presence of emotional disorders were studied in housewives who were family caregivers of an Alzheimer's patient. The sample selected was made up of 193 housewives, 96 of whom were also caregivers for a family member with Alzheimer's. Sociodemographic measures used were the Maslach Burnout Inventory and The General Health Questionnaire. Burnout was found in a significant percentage of participants. Emotional exhaustion, effect on general health, and presence of emotional disorders were higher in caregivers. Emotional exhaustion, general health, and anxiety were more influential, while depersonalization affected the appearance of depressive symptoms more. Being a caregiver and emotional exhaustion appeared to be the best predictors of emotional disorders. It was confirmed that emotional exhaustion influenced appearance of anxiety and depression equally in both groups. In the case of caregivers, an exhaustion-illness spiral was produced. In this group, emotional exhaustion seemed to become more severe as a consequence of the presence of chronic illnesses, and possibly influence the number of hours spent on care and having children living at home. Future research should analyze in greater depth and in a larger sample, the role of these variables and widen the focus of attention to personal variables that could be acting as protective factors and could be subject to intervention. The discussion concludes with some actions that should be included in prevention programs for the groups studied.
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PMID:Caring for Family Members With Alzheimer's and Burnout Syndrome: Impairment of the Health of Housewives. 3237 5