This study aimed to investigate behavioral and neurochemical effects of α-lipoic acid (100 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg) alone or associated with L-DOPA using an animal model of Parkinson's disease induced by stereotaxic injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in rat striatum. Motor behavior was assessed by monitoring body rotations induced by apomorphine, open field test and cylinder test. Oxidative stress was accessed by determination of lipid peroxidation using the TBARS method, concentration of nitrite and evaluation of catalase activity. α-Lipoic acid decreased body rotations induced by apomorphine, as well as caused an improvement in motor performance by increasing locomotor activity in the open field test and use of contralateral paw (in the opposite side of the lesion produced by 6-OHDA) at cylinder test. α-lipoic acid showed antioxidant effects, decreasing lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels and interacting with antioxidant system by decreasing of endogenous catalase activity. Therefore, α-lipoic acid prevented the damage induced by 6-OHDA or by chronic use of L-DOPA in dopaminergic neurons, suggesting that α-lipoic could be a new therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease prevention and treatment.
Background/PurposeThere is evidence for low endogenous antioxidant levels and oxidative imbalance in patients with schizophrenia. A previous open-label study with α-lipoic acid (ALA), a potent antioxidant, improved patients' negative and cognitive symptoms and markers of lipid peroxidation. Here we report the results of a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study to verify the response of patients with schizophrenia to adjunctive treatment with ALA (100 mg/d) in a 4-month follow-up.MethodsWe conducted a 16-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of ALA at 100 mg/d dosages. We compared negative and positive symptoms, cognitive function, extrapyramidal symptoms, body mass index, and oxidative/inflammatory parameters between placebo and control groups.ResultsWe found no significant improvement in body mass index, cognition, psychopathology, antipsychotic adverse effects, or oxidative stress and inflammation in the experimental group compared with placebo. The whole group of patients improved in several measures, indicating a strong placebo effect in this population. A surprising finding was a significant decrease in red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the group treated with ALA.ConclusionsThe decrease in red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelet counts requires further investigation and attention when prescribing ALA for patients with schizophrenia.
If larger, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies confirm these preliminary findings, ALA could prove useful as adjunctive therapy for schizophrenia.
A avaliação neuropsicológica faz o uso de entrevistas, observações e aplicação de testes como instrumentos para auxiliar no processo de investigação e diagnóstico. Com o avanço das tecnologias, alguns dispositivos surgiram para auxiliar a avaliação e a terapia neuropsicológica, como o neurofeedback. Este artigo descreve o processo completo de construção, desde a especificação até a validação, de uma solução voltada para auxiliar a detecção de TDAH (Transtorno do déficit de atenção com hiperatividade), por meio de um jogo de neurofeedback com Interface Cérebro-Computador sem fio. A ferramenta desenvolvida foi testada com duas crianças, uma com e outra sem o transtorno. Com relação à usabilidade, os experimentos demonstraram que ambos os participantes de cinco anos conseguiram utilizar o jogo por inteiro, realizando todas as tarefas contidas nele. Os comportamentos das ondas EEG obtidos pela solução para a criança que tinha o transtorno foram similares aos de pacientes com TDAH encontrados em outros estudos. Em particular, os dados gerados demonstraram atividades do tipo Alfa em maior ocorrência na criança com TDAH.
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