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Updated: May 28, 2026

Investigating the Effects of Antipsychotics and Schizotypy on the N400 Using Event-Related Potentials and Semantic Categorization
Published on: November 19, 2014
Psychiatric predisposition to autonomic and abnormal perception side-effects of ziconotide: a case series study
Paolo Poli1, Antonella Ciaramella
1Pain Therapy Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana-Department of Oncology, Pisa, Italy.
Introduction:
Ziconotide is a reversible blocker of the N-type neuronal voltage-sensitive calcium channels with analgesic effects. The main adverse effects of ziconotide are ataxia, dizziness, gait disorder, confusion, hallucinations, and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Methods:
Eighteen chronic pain patients with intrathecal ziconotide treatment were investigated using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for psychiatric disorders according to the DSM IV.
Results:
Ten patients showed good pain relief (ΔVAS ≥ 50%) after one year of treatment. Patients without psychiatric comorbidity exhibited better outcomes, without autonomic side-effects. Eight patients with panic disorder (always comorbid with other psychiatric disorders) showed the greatest number of side-effects during treatment with ziconotide.
Discussion:
Emotional and cognitive symptoms of panic disorder are associated with autonomic symptoms resulting from parasympathetic activation. Dysfunction of both cholinergic and N-type calcium channel activity was found.
Conclusion:
A psychiatric disorder with cholinergic-noradrenergic system impairment could increase some side-effects of treatment with N-type calcium channel blockers.
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