mental-health

Author: Michael S. Ritsner, and Chanoch Miodownik, and Yael Ratner, and Tatyana Shleifer, and Maria Mar, and Leonid Pintov, and Vladimir Lerner

Objective: L-Theanine is a unique amino acid present almost exclusively in the tea plant. It possesses neuroprotective, mood-enhancing, and relaxation properties. This is a first study designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of L-theanine augmentation of antipsychotic treatment of patients with chronic schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Method: 60 patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated in an 8-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. 400 mg/d of L-theanine was added to ongoing antipsychotic treatment from February 2006 until October 2008. The outcome measures were the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) for neurocognitive functioning, and additional measures of general functioning, side effects, and quality of life. Results: 40 patients completed the study protocol. Compared with placebo, L-theanine augmentation was associated with reduction of anxiety (P = .015; measured by the HARS scale) and positive (P = .009) and general psychopathology (P < .001) scores (measured by the PANSS 3-dimensional model). According to the 5-dimension model of psychopathology, L-theanine produced significant reductions on PANSS positive (P = .004) and activation factor (P = .006) scores compared to placebo. The effect sizes (Cohen d) for these differences ranged from modest to moderate (0.09–0.39). PANSS negative and CANTAB task scores, general functioning, side effect, and quality of life measures were not affected by L-theanine augmentation. L-Theanine was found to be a safe and well-tolerated medication. Conclusions: L-Theanine augmentation of antipsychotic therapy can ameliorate positive, activation, and anxiety symptoms in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder patients. Further long-term studies of L-theanine are needed to substantiate the clinically significant benefits of L-theanine augmentation.

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Author: Cohen-Zion M, and Ancoli-Israel S

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder of childhood. Multiple clinical and research reports suggest extensive sleep disturbances in children with ADHD, however, current data is contradictory. This paper reviewed 47 research studies (13 stimulant intervention and 34 naturalistic) on ADHD that were published since 1980. The main objectives of this review were to provide pediatric clinicians and researchers a clear and concise summary of published sleep data in children with ADHD, to provide a more accurate description of the current knowledge of the relationship between sleep and ADHD, and to provide current information on the effect of stimulant medication on sleep. Twenty-five of the reviewed studies used subjective reports of sleep, six were actigraphic studies, and 16 were overnight polysomnographic sleep studies (two of which also included Multiple Sleep Latency Tests). All participants were between the age of 3 and 19, and 60% were male. The results indicate high rates of parental reports of sleep disturbances in medicated and unmedicated children with ADHD, however, the majority of these findings have not been confirmed by objective sleep data. Although, agreement among objective studies is not absolute, the data suggest increased nighttime activity, reduced rapid eye movement sleep, and significant daytime somnolence in unmedicated children with ADHD when compared to controls. Data also suggest a possible increased prevalence of periodic limb movements in sleep in children with ADHD, however, little differences in sleep-disordered breathing. The limited number of studies, small and heterogeneous samples, and other methodological limitations make definite results difficult to determine. Future research will need to further clarify the relationship between sleep and ADHD and the effects of stimulants on sleep of children with ADHD.

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Author: Samuele Cortese and Stephen V. Faraone and Eric Konofal and Michel Lecendreux

Author: Pfurtscheller G

Oscillations in the alpha and beta bands can display either an event-related blocking response or an event-related amplitude enhancement. The former is named event-related desynchronization (ERD) and the latter event-related synchronization (ERS). Examples of ERS are localized alpha enhancements in the awake state as well as sigma spindles in sleep and alpha or beta bursts in the comatose state. It was found that alpha band activity can be enhanced over the visual region during a motor task, or during a visual task over the sensorimotor region. This means ERD and ERS can be observed at nearly the same time; both form a spatiotemporal pattern, in which the localization of ERD characterizes cortical areas involved in task-relevant processing, and ERS marks cortical areas at rest or in an idling state.

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Effects of l-theanine on attention and reaction time response

Author: Akiko Higashiyama and Hla Hla Htay and Makoto Ozeki and Lekh R.Juneja and Mahendra P.Kapoor

Previous human studies revealed that l-theanine influences brain function. The current study was designed to evaluate the affect of l-theanine (Suntheanine®) on attention and reaction time response in 18 normal healthy University student volunteers. In accordance with preliminary analysis of the manifest anxiety scale (MAS), the subjects were divided into two groups referred to as high anxiety propensity group and the minimal anxiety propensity group. Both groups received l-theanine (200 mg/100 ml water) and placebo (100 ml water) in a double blind repeated measurement design protocol. Assessments were performed for 15–60 min after consumption under a relaxed condition upon exerting an experimentally induced visual attentional task as well as audio response tests. Self-reports of anxiety as State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was characterized at post experiments. Alpha bands electroencephalographic activity and heart rate were recorded throughout the trial. The results demonstrate the significant enhanced activity of alpha bands, descending heart rate, elevated visual attentional performance, and improved reaction time response among high anxiety propensity subjects compared to a placebo. However, no significant differences were noticed among subjects with a minimal anxiety propensity. Results evidently demonstrated that l-theanine clearly has a pronounced effect on attention performance and reaction time response in normal healthy subjects prone to have high anxiety.

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Author: Song CH, and Jung JH, and Oh JS, and Kim KS

L-theanine Is an amino acid in green tea and has been known to decrease serotonin and increase norepinephrine in rat brains, and also reported to produce mental relaxation, lower blood pressure and improve learning ability in human beings. But, few studies on these effects for human beings have been conducted so far. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of L-theanine on the release of brain alpha waves known to be related with mental relaxation and concentration. Twenty healthy male volunteers aged 18 to 30 years without any Physical and Psychological diseases were recruited through written advertisement. Alpha power values of EEG as a surrogate marker of mental relaxation and concentration were measured in frontal and occipital regions for 40 minutes after administration of four placebo or test tablets and 20 minute resting period. The same procedure crossed over at 7-day intervals. We analyzed average alpha power values in frontal and occipital regions at 10 minute intervals. Repeated ANOVA revealed that there were significant differences of occipital alpha power values between placebo and test groups with high anxiety (p<0.05). The mean values at 20,30,40,50 and 60 minute intervals were 0.23, 024, 0.28, 0.25 and 0.34 in placebo, respectively and 0.23, 0.29, 0.40, 0.34, and 0.45 in test, respectively. But there were no significant differences of frontal and occipital alpha power values between placebo and test groups with low anxiety (p>0.05) . The results of this study suggest that L-theanine containing tablets promote the release of alpha waves related to mental relaxation and concentration in young adult males.

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Author: Tamano H, and Fukura K, and Suzuki M, and Sakamoto K, and Yokogoshi H, and Takeda A. 

Theanine, γ-glutamylethylamide, is one of the major amino acid components in green tea. On the basis of the preventive effect of theanine intake after birth on mild stress-induced attenuation of hippocamapal CA1 long-term potentiation (LTP), the present study evaluated the effect of theanine intake after weaning on stress-induced impairments of LTP and recognition memory. Young rats were fed water containing 0.3% theanine for 3 weeks after weaning and subjected to water immersion stress for 30 min, which was more severe than tail suspension stress for 30 s used previously. Serum corticosterone levels were lower in theanine-administered rats than in the control rats even after exposure to stress. CA1 LTP induced by a 100-Hz tetanus for 1 s was inhibited in the presence of 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV), an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, in hippocampal slices from the control rats and was attenuated by water immersion stress. In contrast, CA1 LTP was not significantly inhibited in the presence of APV in hippocampal slices from theanine-administered rats and was not attenuated by the stress. Furthermore, object recognition memory was impaired in the control rats, but not in theanine-administered rats. The present study indicates the preventive effect of theanine intake after weaning on stress-induced impairments of hippocampal LTP and recognition memory. It is likely that the modification of corticosterone secretion after theanine intake is involved in the preventive effect.

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Author: RYOHEI KIMURA, and TOSHIRO MURATA

Theanine (N-ethylglutamine), a flavourous constituent of tea leaves, was studied in respect of the influence on the central nervous system in mice.
Theanine was shown to inhibit the convulsive action of caffeine, but was ineffective against pentetrazole, picrotoxin, strychnine, pipradrol and bemegride as well as L-glutamine. Neither theanine nor L-glutamine effected on the prolongation of the sleeping time after the injection of hexobarbital sodium in mice. Using 14C-labeled theanine, it was found that the intraperitoneally administered theanine was taken up by brain tissue with out undergoing the metabolic changes in a 30minutes. The intracerebral level of γaminobutyric acid was shown to increase significantly at 30minutes following the intraperitoneal administration of theanine in mice.

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Author: Kim Zarse and Saskia Jabin and Michael Ristow

A Combination of Green Tea Extract and l-Theanine Improves Memory and Attention in Subjects with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study

Author: Sang-Ki Park, In-Chul Jung, Won Kyung Lee, Young Sun Lee, Hyoung Kook Park, Hyo Jin Go, Kiseong Kim, Nam Kyoo Lim, Jin Tae Hong, Sun Yung Ly, and Seok Seon Rho

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