Avicenna Journal of Neuro Psycho Physiology
Volume:3 Issue: 2, May 2016

Bipolar disorder is a biological brain disorder which is associated with debilitating fluctuation in mood and adverse effects on patients, their families and society. The importance of genetics and its role in bipolar disorder is a controversial issue to discuss. Evidence indicates a relation between the risk of bipolar disorder and specific genes. Amongst the genes whose role has been established in bipolar disorder, the most notable gene is BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor)..
The study is based on a case-control methodology. During 18 months, the blood samples of patients diagnosed with bipolar mood disorder who were admitted to Farshchian hospital of Hamadan from March 2011 to September 2012 and for the control group, the blood samples of patients admitted to other parts of Farshchian hospital except psychiatric ward were taken and DNA extraction from white blood cells was performed. In general, 84 patients and 85 controls were examined in this study and an expert in vials containing EDTA anticoagulant collected 4ml of blood samples. These samples were sent to the molecular biology lab of Hamadan University of Medical Science to determine their genetic polymorphisms. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells using the real extraction DNA kit (DNP Tm kit, Cat# DN8115C, CinnaGen co., Iran). The allele specific polymerase chain reaction technique was used to determine the frequencies of listed genotype. Considering the different variations for each gene, primers design was carried out using the Allele ID software (Allele ID 6, premier Bio soft Int, USA). For this purpose, 401 nucleotide sequences of targeted gene polymorphisms was chosen as the control sequence and desired primers for this sequence was designed and ordered (Takapouzist Co., Iran). Finally, using the mentioned method the sequences were amplified and examined on 2% agarose gel during electrophoresis. The young mania rating scale (YMRS) was used to evaluate manic symptoms. A written consent was obtained from each individual patient during the study. In addition, all patients in this study were anonymous and ethical considerations were taken into account. Statistical data analysis was performed using SPSS Software and Chi-square test was used to analyze their significance..
The results of this study, which was conducted on 84 patients in the case group and 85 patients in the control group indicated that the frequencies of evaluated alleles in the case and control groups for AA genotype were 4 and 4, for GA genotype were 23 and 28, and for GG genotype were 53 and 53, respectively..
According to the obtained data, there is no significant relationship between genetic and bipolar disorder. Some studies in this field have also confirmed this issue..

Ducrosia anethifolia (DA) is a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat a wide spectrum of illnesses. DA contains a series of antioxidant compounds, including alpha-pinene, which give it a sedative and relaxing effect. In spite of these effects of DA, the effects of DA essential oil on anxiety and locomotor activity in open field tests have not yet been studied. In the present study, the effects of DA essential oil and its main component of alpha-pinene on locomotor activity and anxiety were studied using open field tests..
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of DA essential oil and its main component, alpha-pinene, on locomotor activity and anxiety behaviors using open field and antioxidant capacity tests in Wistar rats..
Sixty-three adult male Wistar rats (weighing 200 - 250 g) were divided into 9 groups: control, positive control (diazepam), essential oil treated groups (25, 50, 100, 200, and 500 mg/kg administered intraperitoneally, (i.p.)) and alpha-pinene groups (0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg, i.p.). For precisely 30 minutes after each injection in all groups, open field tests were used to assess behaviors such as rearing, line crossing, walling, grooming, and stretched attend posturing. In addition, oxidant and antioxidant parameters (malondialdehyde [MDA] and catalase [CAT]) were assessed in the rats’ temporal lobes..
DA (200 and 500 mg/kg doses) and alpha-pinene (0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg doses) significantly reduced locomotor activity, whereas doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg of DA failed to show such an effect. Treatment with DA and alpha-pinene resulted in a significant decrease in MDA levels and a significant increase in CAT activity in comparison to controls..
The results of this study suggest that the main component of DA (alpha-pinene) is responsible for DA’s ability to reduce locomotor activity and anxiety, which is indicative of CNS depressant activity. Moreover, it is possible that some of the motor suppression and sedation effects of the alpha-pinene in DA are due to the antioxidant capacity of this substance. However, further research and clinical evaluations are necessary to isolate and identify the other substances responsible for these activities in DA..

Menopause is a natural physiological event in women’s lives that can potentially have negative effects on their quality of life (QoL)..
The aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which sociodemographic characteristics are related to QoL and to compare the QoL of Iranian women with that of women in other countries..
This cross-sectional study was conducted using cluster sampling of 250 postmenopausal women in Hamadan in the west part of Iran in 2014. The participants were interviewed and completed questionnaires. These methods provided data on sociodemographic characteristics and menopause-specific QoL factors (vasomotor symptoms, psychosocial symptoms, physical symptoms, and sexual satisfaction). The QoL evidence was also compared with normative data from other countries. Inferential and descriptive statistics via SPSS 20.0 software were used for data analysis..
The mean age of the respondents was 52.27 years (SD = 3.84). The average scores of their vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual dimensions were 3.86, 2.30, 2.44, and 1.35, respectively. Sociodemographic dimensions, such as smaller age, being married, having a lower education level, and having a higher number of children, were related to sexual symptoms. Vasomotor symptoms were related to lower education and lower income. Psychosocial symptoms and physical symptoms were related to hormone replacement therapy. The QoL results did not differ from the normative data from other countries..
Sociodemographic dimensions were related to QoL, particularly to sexual satisfaction. The QoL results for postmenopausal Iranian women do not differ from results from other countries, suggesting that cultural factors do not influence QoL among postmenopausal Iranian women..

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by recurrent, moderate-to-severe affective, physical, and behavioral symptoms that develop during the luteal menstrual cycle and disappear within a few days of menstruation..
This article aims to identify the effects of relaxation, positive self-talk, and a combination of relaxation and positive self-talk on premenstrual syndrome..
In this quasi-experimental study, 80 women with PMS disorder were selected using a simple random sampling method, in Hamadan, west of Iran. They were randomly divided into four groups. The first and second groups underwent positive self-talk and relaxation, respectively. The third group experienced positive self-talk and relaxation at the same time. The fourth group did not receive any treatment. The duration of treatment was 8 one-hour sessions. Data were collected using a PMS symptom severity questionnaire. All groups were followed up for six months after the intervention. Finally, data analysis was performed using SPSS version 18 for ANCOVA and Bonferroni tests..
The results showed that compared to the control group, relaxation (23.2) and positive self-talk (21.25) treatment methods alone can reduce PMS (P It seems that psychological therapy based on relaxation and positive self-talk can be significantly effective in reducing PMS..

The administration of 3-4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) leads to learning and memory impairment..
Due to the effect of neurogenesis on memory and learning, in this study, we investigated the effects of MDMA on NeuN expression (a marker of neurogenesis) in the hippocampus..
Adult male Wistar rats (weighing 200 - 250 g) received a single intraperitoneal dose of 10 mg/kg of MDMA or were left undisrupted. The expression of NeuN was assessed using the immunohistochemistry method 7, 14, 28, and 60 days following MDMA administration..
Our results showed that MDMA administration caused a decrease in NeuN expression in the experimental group compared with the control group..
These results suggest a negative correlation between MDMA administration and adult hippocampal neurogenesis..