Our observations indicated that short-term nonsurgical therapy resulted in a significant improvement in periodontal indices and in a marked decrease of IL-1β, IL-8 and MMP-8 gingival crevicular fluid levels. Nevertheless, no significant correlations were found between clinical parameters and amounts of humoral factors after therapy.

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Building on prior research, which has suggested a relationship between aggression and left frontal activity, our study tested the hypothesis that proneness to impulsive aggression would be related to relative left frontal overactivation. EEG one-hertz resting alpha power frontal asymmetry was examined in 65 pediatric male psychiatric patients with a history of impulsive aggression and comorbid mood and disruptive behavior disorders. The strongest finding, which emerged from this analysis, was a finding of relative increases in left frontal activity compared with right frontal activity. The results also indicated that greater left frontal activity correlated positively with the severity of psychiatric disturbance. These findings suggest that relative increases in left frontal activity may be related to a locus of neurophysiological disruption associated with psychopathology characterized by behavioral and affective disinhibition. Results are discussed within a model of behavioral inhibition system-behavioral activation system theory.

Frontotemporal dementia is an underdiagnosed illness with predominant behavioral and executive manifestations. Historically, diagnosis has been based on a combination of clinical history, neuropsychological testing, and brain imaging. No effective treatment currently exists for this disorder. A case is presented using quantitative EEG with methylphenidate challenge correlated with SPECT. The patient underwent neuropsychological testing, a SPECT brain study, and a quantitative EEG, which was repeated after methylphenidate administration. SPECT was significant for hypoperfusion to the bilateral frontotemporal regions, with left-sided hypoperfusion greater than homologous right as demonstrated by LORETA analysis. QEEG correlated with SPECT, and demonstrated profound left greater than right bi-frontotemporal slowing, which normalized partially after methylphenidate administration. The patient has remained on methylphenidate as an outpatient, and has had significant behavioral improvement. Quantitative EEG may provide both diagnostic and therapeutic data with regard to frontotemporal dementia. Further studies of methylphenidate in this population are needed to confirm these data.

SUMMARY1. Membrane hyperpolarization and decreased excitability produced by galanin were investigated in vitro on parasympathetic postganglionic neurones in the cardiac ganglion of the mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus.2. Galanin produced a slowly developing hyperpolarization which, in 2-5 mM-KCl, reversed at -105-4 + 2-7 mV. The reversal potential was shifted by 38-7 + 4-9 mV following a fourfold elevation of the extracellular potassium concentration.3. Galanin inhibited action potential firing in spontaneously active neurones and decreased the number of spikes in a train produced by long (500-680 ms) depolarizing current pulses. Both effects were independent of the galanin-induced hyperpolarization.4. Galanin increased the threshold for spike generation, prolonged the spike hyperpolarizing after-potential and decreased the maximum rate of rise, amplitude and maximum rate of fall of the sodium spike. These effects occurred independently of the galanin-induced hyperpolarization.5. Galanin decreased the amplitude and duration of TTX-insensitive spikes initiated in cells maintained in a solution containing 9 mM-calcium, 20 mM-TEA and 1-5 uM-TTX.6. These results suggest that a galanin-like peptide may act as an inhibitory transmitter in the mudpuppy cardiac ganglion.