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Objective: In a placebo-controlled, double-blind study, the authors investigated the efficacy and safety of olanzapine as monotherapy in relapse prevention in bipolar I disorder., Method: Patients achieving symptomatic remission from a manic or mixed episode of bipolar I disorder (Young Mania Rating Scale [YMRS] total score < or =12 and 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAM-D] score or =15, HAM-D score > or =15, or hospitalization)., Results: Time to symptomatic relapse into any mood episode was significantly longer among patients receiving olanzapine (a median of 174 days, compared with a median of 22 days in patients receiving placebo). Times to symptomatic relapse into manic, depressive, and mixed episodes were all significantly longer among patients receiving olanzapine than among patients receiving placebo. The relapse rate was significantly lower in the olanzapine group (46.7%) than in the placebo group (80.1%). During olanzapine treatment, the most common emergent event was weight gain; during the open-label phase, patients who received olanzapine gained a mean of 3.1 kg (SD=3.4). In double-blind treatment, placebo patients lost a mean of 2.0 kg (SD=4.4) and patients who continued to take olanzapine gained an additional 1.0 kg (SD=5.2)., Conclusions: Compared to placebo, olanzapine delays relapse into subsequent mood episodes in bipolar I disorder patients who responded to open-label acute treatment with olanzapine for a manic or mixed episode.

The authors compared CSF amino acid levels of 10 patients with mild to moderate dementia and probable Alzheimer's disease who had never received antidepressant or neuroleptic medication with those of 10 normal subjects of similar age. The Alzheimer's patients had significantly higher levels of CSF glutamate. This finding was not related to age, sex, or severity of dementia. Elevated CSF glutamate may reflect greater glutamatergic activity early in the course of Alzheimer's disease. The authors speculate that the excitotoxic effects of glutamate may contribute to progressive neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease.

Of 58 demented residents in an American-Chinese nursing home, 44 (75.9%) had multi-infarct dementia, seven (12.1%) had possible Alzheimer's disease, four (6.9%) had other dementias, and three 5.2% had unknown disorders. Alzheimer's disease was relatively less prevalent than in U.S. nursing homes overall.