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In 13 patients suffering from renal dysfunction and treated by chronic haemodialysis, the mnemic functions appeared within the limits of normality and there was no positive correlation between blood levels of neurophysines and free cortisol. On the other hand, a negative correlation was found between levels of neurophysine I and items 3 and 5 of the memory test PRM. This negative result indicates that in haemodialyzed patients a discrepancy may exist between blood levels of neurophysines and vasopressin release, or that there is no direct relationship between plasma and CSF concentrations of such hormones.

A double-blind study combining electrophysiological and psychometrical approaches was carried out to investigate the central effects of an intravenous oxytocin (OT) infusion in normal men. Contingent negative variation (CNV) was selected as the measure of central cognitive evoked potential, and the psychometric tests measured mood, vigilance and memory. OT infusion induced a significant decrease of CNV amplitude and an increase of post-imperative positive potentials in vertex derivations. A similar effect was still evidenced one week after treatment in frontal derivations, suggesting a long time effect of OT on human brain. No significant influence of OT on mood or vigilance tests was apparent; only one item of a memory test revealed a significant impairment of some mnesic performances. These observations provide new electrophysiological arguments supporting a central action of peripheral OT administration in man.

A new formulation of oxazepam especially designed to increase the speed of absorption and eliminate the need to use water (freeze-dried dosage formulation; FDDF) was compared in double-blind and crossover conditions with the standard tablets of the same compound. 5 inpatients with generalized anxiety disorder received at 1-week intervals a single 30 mg dose of one of the compounds. Every 8 min for 96 min after drug intake, they completed a battery of visual analogue scales and had an EEG recording with computerized spectral analysis. Results showed a significantly more rapid onset of activity of FDDF oxazepam for both the self-reports of anxiety level (p < 0.005) and the specific β₂ EEG changes (p < 0.0001), which were significantly correlated (r = -0.73; p < 0.01). Moreover, all patients rated FDDF oxazepam as having faster onset of action in clinical change than regular tablets (p < 0.05). This study shows the value of visual analogue scales, pharmaco-EEG, and crossover design in well-selected anxious inpatients in substantiating clinical differences between anxiolytic pharmacotherapies.