Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T08:14:49.419Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Criteria for Evaluating Improvement in Schizophrenia in Psychopharmacological Research (With Special Reference to Gamma Endorphin Fragments)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Rahul Manchanda ,
Steven R. Hirsch  and
Thomas R. E. Barnes
Rahul Manchanda
Affiliation:
University of Western Ontario, St Thomas Psychiatric Hospital, Ontario, Canada
Steven R. Hirsch*
Affiliation:
Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
Thomas R. E. Barnes
Affiliation:
Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
*
∗Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A review of treatment trials with DTγE revealed widely discrepant results. Relevant variables were the variety of measures employed for monitoring psychotic symptoms, and the different criteria used to judge the degree of improvement. The authors suggest a uniform outcome criterion for early trials of new treatments, which would generate more consistent and comparable results between studies, and give a stronger indication of the value of the treatment under test. When the data from the various treatment trials of DTγE were re analysed, applying a uniform outcome criterion of improvement of a change of 80% or more on rating-scale score, the results were more consistent than would have been suspected from the original reports.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 153 , Issue 3 , September 1988 , pp. 354 - 358
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1988 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

De Weid, D., Kovacs, G. L., Bohus, B., Van Ree, J. M. & Greven, H. M. (1978a) Neuroleptic activity of the neuropeptide-LPH 62–77 (des-tyr-γ-endorphin: DTγE). European Journal of Pharmacology, 49, 427–436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Weid, D., Van Ree, J. M., Verhoeven, W. M. A. & Van Praag, H. M. (1978b). Endorphins and schizophrenia. Abstract No. 430, IInd World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, 31 August-6 September 1978, Barcelona. New York: Plenum.Google Scholar
Endicott, , Spitzer, R. L., Fleiss, J. L. & Cohen, J. (1976) The global assessment scale, a procedure for measuring overall severity of psychiatric disturbance. Archives of General Psychiatry, 33, 766–771.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emrich, H. M., Zandig, M., Kissling, W., Dirlich, G., Zerrsen, D. V. & Herz, A. (1980) Des-tyrosyl-–endorphin in schizophrenia, a double blind trial in 13 patients. Pharmakopsychiatrie, 13, 290–298.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gispen, W. H., Ormond, D., Ten Haaf, J. & De Weid, D. (1980) Modulation of ACTH induced grooming by (Des-tyr)–endorphin and haloperidol. European Journal of Pharmacology, 63, 203–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Honigfeld, G. & Klett, C. J. (1965) The nurses' observation scale for inpatient evaluation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21, 65–71.3.0.CO;2-I>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krawiecka, M., Goldberg, D. & Vaughn, M. (1977) A standardized psychiatric assessment scale for rating chronic psychotic patients. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 55, 299–308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loeber, J., Verhoef, J., Burbech, J. P. H. & Van Ree, J. M. (1979) Endorphins and related peptides in human cerebrospinal fluid. Acta Endocrinology Copenhagen, 91, (suppl. 225), 74.Google Scholar
Manchanda, R. & Hirsch, S. R. (1981) (Des-tyr1)–endorphin in the treatment of schizophrenia. Psychological Medicine, 11, 401–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manchanda, R. & Hirsch, S. R. (1982) (Des-tyr1)–endorphin for schizophrenia – critical review. International Pharmacopsychiatry, 17, 147–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manchanda, R. & Hirsch, S. R. (1986) (Des-tyr1)–endorphin in the treatment of depression: double blind placebo controlled trial. Human Psychopharmacology, 1, 99–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meltzer, H. Y., Busch, D. A., Tricou, B. J. & Robertson, A. (1982) Effect of (des-tyr)-gamma-endorphin in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research, 6, 313–326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Overall, L. J. E. & Gorham, D. R. (1962) The brief psychiatric rating scale. Psychological Reports, 10, 799–812.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spitzer, R. L. & Endicott, J. (1977) Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS-C) (3rd edn). New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute.Google Scholar
Tamminga, C. A., Tighe, P. J., Chase, T. N., de Fraites, G. & Scaffer, M. H. (1981) Des-tyrosine-–endorphin administration in chronic schizophrenics – a preliminary report. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 167–168.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verhoef, J., Loeber, J. G., Burbach, J. P. H., Gispen, W. H., Witter, A. & De Weid, D. (1980) -endorphin, –endorphin and their dcs-tyrosine fragments in rat pituitary and brain tissue. Life Sciences, 26, 851–859.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verhoeven, W. M. A., Van Praag, H. M., Van Ree, J. M. & De Weid, D. (1979) Improvement of schizophrenic patients by treatment with des-tyr–endorphin. Archives of General Psychiatry, 36, 294–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verhoeven, W. M. A., Van Ree, J. M., Van Bentum, A. H., De Weid, D., Van Praag, H. M. (1982) Antipsychotic properties of des-enkephalin–endorphin in treatment of schizophrenic patients. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 648–654.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verhoeven, W. M. A., Westenberg, H. G. M., Gerritsen, A. W., Van Praag, H. M., Thijssen, J. H. H., Schwarz, F., Van Ree, J. M. & De Weid, D. (1981) Des-tyrosine-–endorphin in schizophrenia. Clinical, biochemical and hormonal aspects. Psychiatry Research, 5, 293–310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wing, J. K., Cooper, J. E. & Sartorius, N. (1974) The Measurement and Classification of Psychiatric Symptoms. London: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.