The effects of phototherapy (PT) on diurnal rhythms of physiological parameters and melatonin excretion in subjects with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Pages 327-329 in B.D. Postl et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 90. Proceedings of the International Congress on Circumpolar Health, 8th, Whitehorse, Yukon, May 20-25, 1990. Arctic Medical Research 1991; Suppl.
Institute of Physiology, Siberian Branch, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Novosibirsk.
Source
Pages 327-329 in B.D. Postl et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 90. Proceedings of the International Congress on Circumpolar Health, 8th, Whitehorse, Yukon, May 20-25, 1990. Arctic Medical Research 1991; Suppl.
From 1987 to 1994, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has been diagnosed using the Rosenthal or DSM-III-R criteria. No major differences between them have been found, except that the DSM-III-R criteria were more stringent and difficult to implement. Little attention has been paid to differences in the criterion of the quality of improvement in summer. This study compared two groups of winter depressives characterized by complete or incomplete summer remission. Incomplete summer remission is associated with increased heterogeneity of the demographic and clinical profile of the disorder and a shift of this profile to that of classical depression. The data support clinical use of the DSM-IV criterion 'full remission' in the diagnosis of SAD.
The effects of two non-drug treatments (physical exercise and bright light) on mood, body weight and oxygen consumption were compared in age-matched groups of female subjects with winter depression, non-seasonal depression or without depression. It was found that oxygen consumption in the pre-treatment condition was similar in non-depressed subjects (n=18) and depressed non-seasonals (n=18), while comparatively lower values were obtained in winter depression (n=27). Neither mood nor metabolic parameters changed significantly in the group of nine untreated winter depressives. One week of physical exercise (1-h pedaling on a bicycle ergometer between 13.00 and 14.00 h) increased oxygen consumption in the group of nine winter depressives and lowered oxygen consumption in nine-subject groups of depressed and non-depressed non-seasonals. One week of bright light treatment (2-h exposure to 2500 lux between 14.00 and 16.00 h) increased oxygen consumption in nine winter depressives and nine non-depressed subjects, while no significant change in oxygen consumption was found in nine subjects with non-seasonal depression. Weight loss was observed in the groups treated with physical exercise and in the group of light-treated winter depressives. Winter depression responded equally well to exercising and light, while a significant therapeutic difference in favor of exercising was found in non-seasonal depression. Overall, the results of the study suggest that energy-regulating systems are implicated in the antidepressant action of the non-drug treatments.
Pages 330-333 in B.D. Postl et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 90. Proceedings of the International Congress on Circumpolar Health, 8th, Whitehorse, Yukon, May 20-25, 1990. Arctic Medical Research 1991; Suppl.
Biological Rhythms Research Laboratory, Siberian Branch, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Novosibirsk.
Source
Pages 330-333 in B.D. Postl et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 90. Proceedings of the International Congress on Circumpolar Health, 8th, Whitehorse, Yukon, May 20-25, 1990. Arctic Medical Research 1991; Suppl.
A sample of 1644 adults in Alaska, Chukotka, Yakutiya, Western Siberia and Turkmenistan were surveyed to examine the relationship between seasonal depressive behavior and sleep-wake patterns. Interviews included items derived from the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire, a 20 item general depression scale, and a 40 item sleep-wake questionnaire designed to assess the underlying mechanisms which regulate the cycles of sleep and wakefulness. Results show that subjects who suffer from seasonal depressive behavior, at latitudes ranging from 38-66 degrees North, are characterized by a sleep-wake pattern including 1) difficulty waking in the morning, 2) a low capacity to be awake at unusual times (out of sync with normal circadian patterns) and 3) a lower quality of nighttime sleep. Subjects with high levels of general depression suffer many of the same sleep problems, but this is not due to the measured association between seasonality and other depression. Disturbances in sleep-wake patterns may help to expand our understanding of the pathogenesis of seasonal depressive behavior, but further research to differentiate it from general depression is required.
Pages 281-284 in B.D. Postl et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 90. Proceedings of the International Congress on Circumpolar Health, 8th, Whitehorse, Yukon, May 20-25, 1990. Arctic Medical Research 1991; Suppl.
School of Health Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Source
Pages 281-284 in B.D. Postl et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 90. Proceedings of the International Congress on Circumpolar Health, 8th, Whitehorse, Yukon, May 20-25, 1990. Arctic Medical Research 1991; Suppl.
