[The influence of phototherapy on psycho-autonomic syndromes]

Therapy by bright white light was applied to 51 patients. 4 blocks of psychoautonomic syndromes of neurotic nature were analysed: 1) pronounced (14 cases) and mild (12) hypothalamic dysfunction; 2) moderate and pronounced depression (21) and the state without depression (9); 3) headache of different types--37 patients, including 21 ones with chronic headache of effort, combined with migraine--5 cases, or combined with vascular headache--11 patients; 4) paroxysmal disorders (43 individuals: 25--with typical panic attacks, 18--with atypical panic attacks). More pronounced positive effect was found in the group with atypic PA and in the group with slight hypothalamic dysfunction, accompanied by solitary neuro-endocrine symptoms with moderate or severe depression, with chronic headache of strain including a combination with migraine. Neuroendocrine, motivative, psychovegetative, algesic and psychopathologic symptomatology was decreased significantly in all the groups with positive effect together with the improvement of the objective psychophysiologic indices. Intrahemispheric interactions were also improved, exactly: the power of frequency EEG spectrum increased, in general, because of both the increase of the slow rhythms from both sides and the approach of the coefficient of asymmetry to the control. The least effect was observed in the patients with senesto-hypochondric syndrome, with prevalence of anxiety over depression, with rude hypothalamic dysfunction, with vascular headache, with typic PA.