The Outcome of Behavioral Intervention with a Person Living with Schizophrenia Who Exhibited Medication Noncompliance: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanahara, Shunsuke

2009-01-01

The behavioral counseling of a withdrawn and noncompliant schizophrenic South American person, who is an immigrant, by an Asian counselor taking place in the United States is introduced. Although some difficulties, such as a language barrier, exist in the clinical setting, a behavioral assessment to analyze the client's issues through focusing on…

Development of the caregivers attitude scale on home care of schizophrenics (CASHS)

PubMed Central

Balasubramanian, N; Sathyanarayana Rao, T. S.; D’Sa, Juliana Linnette

2014-01-01

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that elicits feelings of strangeness and discomfort, which may create stigma and lead to the social exclusion of the mentally ill and of the people relating with them. In the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of research studies on attitudes toward mental disorders. Materials and Methods: An instrument was developed to assess the attitude of primary caregivers on home care of schizophrenics. This article describes the development of a Likert scale, the Caregivers Attitude Scale on Home Care of Schizophrenics CASHS, which is a 31-item self-reported instrument that quantifies three aspects of home care, that is, attitude towards patient, towards treatment, and towards social interaction. The steps involved in its development are the review of literature, development of items, content validation, translation and language validity, pretesting, and reliability. Results: After establishing the content validity, the CASHS was pretested with five subjects. To establish the reliability of the CASHS, 21 primary caregivers were recruited through purposive sampling technique. In order to measure the stability between scores obtained, a test-retest reliability was computed using Karl Pearson correlation coefficient and the r value was 0.78. The internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation and the r value was 0.789. The item discrimination analysis was also computed and the value was of above 0.35. These statistical measurements indicate that the CASHS was reliable. Conclusions: The CASHS is a valid and reliable tool that can be utilized for assessing the attitude of primary caregivers on home care of schizophrenics. PMID:24574561

Auditory hallucinations and the temporal cortical response to speech in schizophrenia: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Woodruff, P W; Wright, I C; Bullmore, E T; Brammer, M; Howard, R J; Williams, S C; Shapleske, J; Rossell, S; David, A S; McGuire, P K; Murray, R M

1997-12-01

The authors explored whether abnormal functional lateralization of temporal cortical language areas in schizophrenia was associated with a predisposition to auditory hallucinations and whether the auditory hallucinatory state would reduce the temporal cortical response to external speech. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent signal induced by auditory perception of speech in three groups of male subjects: eight schizophrenic patients with a history of auditory hallucinations (trait-positive), none of whom was currently hallucinating; seven schizophrenic patients without such a history (trait-negative); and eight healthy volunteers. Seven schizophrenic patients were also examined while they were actually experiencing severe auditory verbal hallucinations and again after their hallucinations had diminished. Voxel-by-voxel comparison of the median power of subjects' responses to periodic external speech revealed that this measure was reduced in the left superior temporal gyrus but increased in the right middle temporal gyrus in the combined schizophrenic groups relative to the healthy comparison group. Comparison of the trait-positive and trait-negative patients revealed no clear difference in the power of temporal cortical activation. Comparison of patients when experiencing severe hallucinations and when hallucinations were mild revealed reduced responsivity of the temporal cortex, especially the right middle temporal gyrus, to external speech during the former state. These results suggest that schizophrenia is associated with a reduced left and increased right temporal cortical response to auditory perception of speech, with little distinction between patients who differ in their vulnerability to hallucinations. The auditory hallucinatory state is associated with reduced activity in temporal cortical regions that overlap with those that normally process external speech, possibly because of competition for common neurophysiological resources.

Bridging the Gap between Genes and Language Deficits in Schizophrenia: An Oscillopathic Approach

PubMed Central

Murphy, Elliot; Benítez-Burraco, Antonio

2016-01-01

Schizophrenia is characterized by marked language deficits, but it is not clear how these deficits arise from the alteration of genes related to the disease. The goal of this paper is to aid the bridging of the gap between genes and schizophrenia and, ultimately, give support to the view that the abnormal presentation of language in this condition is heavily rooted in the evolutionary processes that brought about modern language. To that end we will focus on how the schizophrenic brain processes language and, particularly, on its distinctive oscillatory profile during language processing. Additionally, we will show that candidate genes for schizophrenia are overrepresented among the set of genes that are believed to be important for the evolution of the human faculty of language. These genes crucially include (and are related to) genes involved in brain rhythmicity. We will claim that this translational effort and the links we uncover may help develop an understanding of language evolution, along with the etiology of schizophrenia, its clinical/linguistic profile, and its high prevalence among modern populations. PMID:27601987

Schizotypal personality disorder inside and outside the schizophrenic spectrum.

PubMed

Torgersen, Svenn; Edvardsen, J; Øien, P A; Onstad, S; Skre, I; Lygren, S; Kringlen, E

2002-03-01

The concept of schizotypal personality disorder has been heavily discussed since its introduction into the official classification of mental disorders in DSM-III. The aim of this study was to investigate the difference between schizotypal personality disorder within and outside the genetic spectrum of schizophrenia. Schizotypals with and without schizophrenic cotwins and first-degree relatives were compared, with individuals with other mental disorders and no mental disorders as controls. It appeared that only inadequate rapport and odd communication were more pronounced among schizotypals within, compared to schizotypals outside the schizophrenic spectrum. Schizotypals outside the schizophrenic spectrum, however, scored higher than schizotypals inside the schizophrenic spectrum on ideas of reference, suspiciousness, paranoia, social anxiety, self-damaging acts, chronic anger, free-floating anxiety and sensitivity to rejection. Interestingly, the four last features are seldom observed among schizotypals inside the schizophrenic spectrum. Monozygotic non-schizophrenic cotwins of schizophrenics score high on inadequate rapport, odd communication, social isolation and delusions/hallucinations. Monozygotic non-schizophrenic cotwins of schizotypals outside the schizophrenic genetic spectrum score high on illusions, depersonalization, derealization and magical thinking. Negative schizotypal features appear to be inside the schizophrenic spectrum, while positive borderline-like features are outside having another genetic endowment.

Temperament and character inventory in homicidal, nonaddicted paranoid schizophrenic patients: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Vandamme, Michel J; Nandrino, Jean-Louis

2004-10-01

This study assessed the personalities of 13 murderer schizophrenics using Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory, controlling different factors such as institution, treatment, detention or loss of liberty, and can discriminate between schizophrenic patients involved in homicide, schizophrenics with no past violent behavior, paranoiac murderers, and imprisoned murderers with no psychiatric history. Results show significantly that murderer schizophrenics had significantly higher scores on the subscale, Self-transcendence, than other groups, which suggests that Self-transcendence as measured may be an aggravating factor for schizophrenia and may be found in the personality of schizophrenic subjects who performed homicidal acts. This dimension constitutes a way and an additional element for diagnosis not available with the DSM-IV criteria. It may help understanding and predicting violent behavior among schizophrenic patients.

Schizophrenic Performance During Interpersonal Competitive Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Brent L.

1977-01-01

By assessing the competitive performance of schizophrenics on different types of tasks and by using nonschizophrenic groups, an attempt was made to determine more accurately whether schizophrenics respond differently to competition than nonschizophrenics, and if the effects of competition tend to be task-specific with schizophrenics. (Author/RK)

Schizophrenia and the structure of language: the linguist's view.

PubMed

Covington, Michael A; He, Congzhou; Brown, Cati; Naçi, Lorina; McClain, Jonathan T; Fjordbak, Bess Sirmon; Semple, James; Brown, John

2005-09-01

Patients with schizophrenia often display unusual language impairments. This is a wide ranging critical review of the literature on language in schizophrenia since the 19th century. We survey schizophrenic language level by level, from phonetics through phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. There are at least two kinds of impairment (perhaps not fully distinct): thought disorder, or failure to maintain a discourse plan, and schizophasia, comprising various dysphasia-like impairments such as clanging, neologism, and unintelligible utterances. Thought disorder appears to be primarily a disruption of executive function and pragmatics, perhaps with impairment of the syntax-semantics interface; schizophasia involves disruption at other levels. Phonetics is also often abnormal (manifesting as flat intonation or unusual voice quality), but phonological structure, morphology, and syntax are normal or nearly so (some syntactic impairments have been demonstrated). Access to the lexicon is clearly impaired, manifesting as stilted speech, word approximation, and neologism. Clanging (glossomania) is straightforwardly explainable as distraction by self-monitoring. Recent research has begun to relate schizophrenia, which is partly genetic, to the genetic endowment that makes human language possible.

Eye-hand preference in schizophrenia: sex differences and significance for hand function.

PubMed

Liu, Yi-Chia; Yang, Yen Kuang; Lee, I Hui; Lin, Keh-Chung; Jeffries, Keith J; Lee, Li-Ching

2004-06-01

Hand preference and eye dominance were investigated in 73 (30 women, 43 men) schizophrenic patients and 71 (30 women, 41 men) healthy controls. There were significantly more schizophrenic patients and normal controls who were significantly right-hand dominant. However, schizophrenic patients showed a significant excess of left-eye dominance relative to controls (65.8% vs 29.6%; Odds Ratio= 4.75, p< .001). In addition, female schizophrenic patients showed a higher rate of nonright (either left or inconsistent) eye dominance (80%) than male schizophrenic patients (55.8%) and controls (33.3%). Analysis of hand performance on the Purdue Pegboard Test indicated that schizophrenic patients who showed crossed eye-hand dominance scored higher than did patients without crossed eye-hand dominance.

Psychopathology in children of schizophrenics

PubMed Central

Shah, Sharita; Kamat, Sanjeev; Sawant, Urmila; Dhavale, H.S.

2003-01-01

The higher prevalence of schizophrenia in children of schizophrenics than in the general population has generated an interest in pinpointing those behaviors that may precede the disorder and serve as an index of vulnerability to the disorder. Signs of neurobehavioral dysfunction in areas of neurocognitive functioning and social behavior have been found in school-age children of schizophrenic parents. This study assessed the neurobehavioral functioning, social behavior, cognitive functioning, attention and intelligence in children with a schizophrenic parent and compared the same parameters with children of mentally healthy parents. The children aged 12-15 years, were assessed with a battery of neurobehavioral tests. The children with a schizophrenic parent performed more poorly on the tests as compared to the children of mentally healthy parents. The children with a schizophrenic parent were seen to have more behavioral problems, especially withdrawn behavior and more social problems when compared to the other children in the study. Poor attention, disordered thoughts and lower intelligence were also observed to be more in the children of the schizophrenic parent PMID:21206831

Components of Processing Deficit Among Paranoid and Nonparanoid Schizophrenics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neufeld, Richard W. J.

1977-01-01

Paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics were compared to normals in their performance on a sentence verification task. Results were related to past evidence and hypotheses about central processing performance among schizophrenics. (Editor/RK)

Moral Judgment Maturity of Process and Reactive Schizophrenics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herron, William G.; And Others

1983-01-01

Premorbid adjustment, paranoid symptomatology, and orientation were examined as major predictors of moral judgment maturity in 40 schizophrenics. Results suggest the importance of cognitive and social skills in the development of schizophrenics' moral judgment maturity. (Author/RH)

Revisiting the association of aggression and suicidal behavior in schizophrenic inpatients.

PubMed

Neuner, Tanja; Hübner-Liebermann, Bettina; Hausner, Helmut; Hajak, Göran; Wolfersdorf, Manfred; Spiessl, Hermann

2011-04-01

Our study investigated the association of aggression and suicidal behavior in schizophrenic inpatients. Eight thousand nine hundred one admissions for schizophrenia (1998-2007) to a psychiatric university hospital were included. Schizophrenic suicides (n = 7)/suicide attempters (n = 40) were compared to suicides (n = 30)/suicide attempters (n = 186) with other diagnoses and to schizophrenic non-attempters regarding aggression. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore risk factors for attempted suicide. Schizophrenic suicides/suicide attempters did not differ from other suicides/suicide attempters or from schizophrenic non-attempters with regard to aggression. Risk of inpatient suicide attempt was increased for patients with attempted suicide at admission, high school graduation, and disorganized subtype. Aggression could not be found to be a predictor of attempted suicide. Aggression seems to have a minor role for suicidal behavior in schizophrenia. © 2011 The American Association of Suicidology.

Family interaction: parental representation in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Onstad, S; Skre, I; Torgersen, S; Kringlen, E

1994-01-01

12 monozygotic (MZ) and 19 same-sexed dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs discordant for DSM-III-R schizophrenia completed the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). The schizophrenic twins described their parents as less caring and being more overprotective compared to their non-schizophrenic co-twins. These results were independent of age, sex and zygosity. Difference in paternal overprotection was the most important variable discriminating between the schizophrenic probands and their co-twins. Three different hypotheses regarding these findings are discussed.

Radioimmunoassay measurement of creatine kinase bb in the serum of schizophrenic patients

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lerner, M.H.; Friedhoff, A.J.

1980-03-03

Brain type creatine kinase (BB) isoenzyme was measured using a highly sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay procedure in two schizophrenic populations. The data would indicate that in the schizophrenic populations examined there is insufficient tissue disruption to cause abnormal build-up of brain creatine kinase levels. However the possibility of a rapid removal of creatine kinase BB from the circulation exists. The elevated creatine kinase reported in acute schizophrenics is most likely not of brain origin.

Inducing Assertive Behavior in Chronic Schizophrenics: A Comparison of Socioenvironmental Desensitization, and Relaxation Therapies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinman, Bernard; And Others

1972-01-01

It is concluded that systematic desensitization or relaxation therapy is not effective in inducing assertive behavior in the male chronic schizophrenic. The treatment of choice for the older chronic male schizophrenic remains socioenvironmental therapy. (Author)

Nondirective counseling interventions with schizophrenics.

PubMed

Gerwood, J B

1993-12-01

Counseling interventions with paranoid schizophrenics can be daunting. While chemical, directive, and behavioral controls often are considered important, nondirective counseling techniques used by the therapeutic staff may help schizophrenic patients explore their thoughts and feelings. Several nondirective concepts pioneered by Carl Rogers are examined. These methods, which represent basic concepts of the person-centered approach, are empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence. A brief illustration of an interaction with a patient diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic is presented to suggest the effectiveness of Rogerian counseling.

Assessment of the relationship between food addiction and nutritional status in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Küçükerdönmez, Özge; Urhan, Murat; Altın, Merve; Hacıraifoğlu, Özge; Yıldız, Burak

2017-10-27

Obesity is one of today's most important public health problems. It is suggested that overeating and substance addiction show similarities, and addiction to food may be an important factor in the obesity epidemic. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of food addiction among schizophrenic patients and to examine the relationship between food addiction and anthropometric measurements and dietary nutrient intake. Study participants included a total of 104 schizophrenic outpatients, 62 females and 42 males. Food addiction was assessed by using the Yale Food Addiction Scale, and the anthropometric measurements of participants and their three-day food consumption were recorded. This study found that more than half of the schizophrenic patients (60.6%) had food addiction, and that female schizophrenic patients had a higher prevalence (62.9%) of food addiction than male patients (57.1%). More than one-third of the schizophrenic patients with food addiction (41.3%) were found to be obese and their BMI, body weight, waist circumference, and body-fat ratio were higher than those of schizophrenic patients who did not have food addiction (P > 0.05). Moreover, the schizophrenic patients with food addiction were found to take significantly more energy, carbohydrate, and fat in their diet (P < 0.05). It was observed that the development of food addiction in schizophrenic patients increased the risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases, which were found to be at higher levels in these patients. Educational programs should be planned for these patients to acquire health dietary habits and to increase their physical activity levels, and an additional psychosocial support should be provided for patients with food addiction.

Affective Interchange in Families with a Schizophrenic Son.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angermeyer, Matthias C.; And Others

Sixty half-hour family discussions generated by the "revealed differences technique" were analyzed to determine the emotional intensity and quality (friendliness/attacking) of messages between individuals in families with schizophrenic and "normal" sons. Thirty families in each situation (schizophrenic/normal) were matched for comparison. Both…

Biobehavioral Risk Factors in Children of Schizophrenic Parents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erlenmeyer-Kimling, L.; Cornblatt, Barbara

1984-01-01

Research on risk factors for schizophrenia is reviewed with emphasis on children of schizophrenic parents. Four areas of biobehavioral functioning that have been examined in high-risk research are discussed. Three of these are considered compatible with hypothesis neurointegrative defect underlying schizophrenic-proneness. (Author/CL)

Comparison of folic acid levels in schizophrenic patients and control groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arthy, C. C.; Amin, M. M.; Effendy, E.

2018-03-01

Folic acid deficiency is a risk factor for schizophrenia through epidemiology, biochemistry and gene-related studies. Compared with healthy people, schizophrenic patients may have high homocysteine plasma values and homocysteine or low levels of folic acid, which seems to correlate with extrapyramidal motor symptoms caused by neuroleptic therapy and with symptoms of schizophrenia. In this present study, we focus on the difference of folic acid level between schizophrenic patient and control group. The study sample consisted of schizophrenic patients and 14 people in the control group and performed blood sampling to obtain the results of folic acid levels. The folic acid level in both groups was within normal range, but the schizophrenic patient group had lower mean folic acid values of 5.00 ng/ml (sb 1.66), compared with the control group with mean folic acid values of 10.75 ng/ml (sb 4.33). there was the group of the control group had a higher value of folic acid than the schizophrenic group.

Somatotypic characteristic of schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Sivkov, Stefan; Akabaliev, Valentin; Nikolova, Yulia

2005-01-01

Introduction of quantitative metric methods of somatotype assessment in schizophrenic patients to make clinical diagnosis more objective, the diagnosis being otherwise based exclusively on the clinical interview and assessment of the mental status of patients and thus involving certain subjectivity. The study included 67 schizophrenic inpatients (38 men, 29 women) consecutively admitted to the Clinic of Psychiatry in Plovdiv. Their mean age was 31.47 years (SD = 9.43, range 16-56), mean duration of illness 6.86 (SD = 6.09, range 1-27), mean number of hospitalizations 4.22 (SD = 4.08, range 1-19). The patients satisfied DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of schizophrenia (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The control group comprised 69 subjects (36 men, 33 women) with a mean age 39.24 years (SD = 10.18, range 22-68) and socioeconomic background matching that of the patients. The data showed statistically significant differences in the three somatotype component and in almost all somatotypological variables between male schizophrenic patients and control subjects. The somatotype categories were more extensively presented in the schizophrenic patients. There was a tendency to higher frequency of the ectomorphic categories (ectomorphic mesomorph, mesomorphic ectomorph and endomorph-ectomorph). No statistically significant differences were found in the somatotype components and somatotypological variables between the female schizophrenic patients and control subjects. The data of the examination of the somatotype of schizophrenic patients and control subjects evince a definite sexually related body constitution characteristic that differentiates the groups. Schizophrenic patients and control subjects are clearly determined somatotypically only in the group of males.

Depression and Suicide in Schizophrenic Patients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salama, Aziz A.

1988-01-01

Identified schizophrenic patients as distinctive subgroup of patients who can suffer from major depressive illness and can commit suicide. Found 22.4 percent of 620 schizophrenics in psychiatric facility showed symptoms of major depressive episode. Seven patients committed suicide during acute phase of illness, 9 attempted suicide while…

Mimetic Theory and the evolutionary paradox of schizophrenia: The archetypal scapegoat hypothesis.

PubMed

Riordan, Daniel Vincent

2017-10-01

Schizophrenia poses an evolutionary paradox, being genetically mediated yet associated with reduced fecundity. Numerous hypotheses have attempted to address this, but few describe how the schizophrenic phenotype itself might constitute an evolutionary adaptation. This paper draws on René Girard's theory on human origins, which claims that humans evolved a tendency to mimic both the desires and the behaviours of each other (mimetic theory). This would have promoted social cohesion and co-operation, but at the cost of intra-group rivalry and conflict. The mimetic dynamic would have escalated such conflicts into reciprocal internecine violence, threatening the survival of the entire group. Girard theorised that the "scapegoat mechanism" emerged, by which means such violence was curtailed by the unanimity of "all against one", thus allowing the mimetic impulse to safely evolve further, making language and complex social behaviours possible. Whereas scapegoating may have emerged in the entire population, and any member of a community could be scapegoated if necessary, this paper proposes that the scapegoat mechanism would have worked better in groups containing members who exhibited traits, recognised by all others, which singled them out as victims. Schizophrenia may be a functional adaptation, similar in evolutionary terms to altruism, in that it may have increased inclusive fitness, by providing scapegoat victims, the choice of whom was likely to be agreed upon unanimously, even during internecine conflict, thus restoring order and protecting the group from self-destruction. This evolutionary hypothesis, uses Girardian anthropology to combine the concept of the schizophrenic as religious shaman with that of the schizophrenic as scapegoat. It may help to reconcile divergent philosophical concepts of mental illness, and also help us to better understand, and thus counter, social exclusion and stigmatisation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Divergent Thinking Abilities across the Schizophrenic Spectrum and Other Psychological Correlates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodrigue, Amanda L.; Perkins, David R.

2012-01-01

The literature on the connection between psychopathology and creativity is vast and recent research has focused on the relationship between the schizophrenic spectrum and creativity. The schizophrenic spectrum includes genetically related disorders that share certain symptom features. It has been suggested that schizotypal personality disorder, a…

Revisiting the Association of Aggression and Suicidal Behavior in Schizophrenic Inpatients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neuner, Tanja; Hubner-Liebermann, Bettina; Hausner, Helmut; Hajak, Goran; Wolfersdorf, Manfred; Spiessl, Hermann

2011-01-01

Our study investigated the association of aggression and suicidal behavior in schizophrenic inpatients. Eight thousand nine hundred one admissions for schizophrenia (1998-2007) to a psychiatric university hospital were included. Schizophrenic suicides (n = 7)/suicide attempters (n = 40) were compared to suicides (n = 30)/suicide attempters (n =…

Family Type as a Prognostic Indicator of Rehabilitation Outcome with Post-Hospitalized Male Schizophrenics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beres, Barbara Oliver; Frumkin, Robert M.

1973-01-01

A study of 65 male schizophrenic patients at the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation Unit, Cleveland Psychiatric Institute, Cleveland, Ohio revealed that family type (conjugal settings, parental settings, living alone) is found to to be a valuable prognosticator of rehabilitation outcome among post-hospitalized schizophrenics. (EA)

Encoding Orientation and the Remembering of Schizophrenic Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koh, Soon D.; Peterson, Rolf A.

1978-01-01

This research examines different types of encoding strategies, in addition to semantic and organizational encodings, and their effects on schizophrenics' remembering. Based on Craik and Lockhart (1972), i.e., memory performance is a function of depth of encoding processing, this analysis compares schizophrenics' encoding processing with that of…

SOCIOPATHS AND SCHIZOPHRENICS - A COMPARISON OF FAMILY INTERACTIONS

DTIC Science & Technology

Matched groups of sociopaths and schizophrenics were compared in a military psychiatric hospital. Striking differences in patterns of family...pathological concern. The parents of sociopaths showed conspicuous disinterest, characterized by unconcern or rejection. The parents of...schizophrenics wrote more, visited more, and traveled greater distances than did parents of sociopaths .

Impact of Life Events on the Relapse of Schizophrenic Patients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussein, Hassan Ali; Jacoob, Shirooq; Sharour, Loai Abu

2016-01-01

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between stressful life events at the time of relapse in schizophrenic patients at psychiatric hospitals in Baghdad city. Methodology: A purposive (non-probability) sampling of 50 schizophrenic patients who have relapsed was involved in the present study. Data were collected through the use of the…

Reported Childhood Trauma and Suicide Attempts in Schizophrenic Patients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Alec

2005-01-01

Childhood traumas are associated with suicidal behavior but this aspect has not been examined in relation to schizophrenia. In this study, 50 chronic schizophrenic patients who had attempted suicide were compared with 50 chronic schizophrenic patients who had never attempted suicide for their scores on the 34-item Childhood Trauma Questionnaire…

Schizophrenia and the paranormal: more psi belief and superstition, and less déjà vu in medicated schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Shiah, Yung-Jong; Wu, Yi-Zhen; Chen, Yueh-Hua; Chiang, Shih-Kuang

2014-04-01

The present study examined the relation between déjà vu experiences and paranormal beliefs in schizophrenic patients. A total of 522 participants (54.5% female; mean age=33.3, SD=16.02) were recruited, including 422 healthy adults (60.9% female; mean age=29.48, SD=15.07) and 100 medicated adult schizophrenic patients (27.3% female; mean age=48.98, SD=8.57). The Chinese version of the Inventory of Déjà-vu Experiences Assessment was created via back translation. Chinese versions of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (CRPB), Beck Anxiety Inventory (CBAI), and Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS) were also used. After controlling for age, gender, education, and anxiety, the results supported the following three hypotheses. Schizophrenic persons have fewer déjà vu experiences than normal persons. These experiences are positively related to paranormal beliefs in healthy adults but not in schizophrenic patients. Schizophrenic patients have higher scores than healthy adults on the psi and superstitious subscales of the CRPB. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dopamine DRD2/Cys311 is not associated with chronic schizophrenia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crawford, F.; Hoyne, J.; Cai, Xingang

A mutation in the DRD2 receptor gene has been reported in association with schizophrenia in Japanese and Caucasian populations. The variation, Ser to Cys at codon 311, occurs in the third intracellular loop of the receptor and is therefore putatively functional. We report the results of screening US Caucasian schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic populations. We detected the occurrence of the DRD2 Cys311 variant in both schizophrenics and controls. Our data demonstrates no significant difference between the frequency of Cys311 in Caucasian schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic populations, indicating no association with schizophrenia. 8 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

Visual interaction in recently admitted and chronic long-stay schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Rutter, D R

1976-09-01

Several reports have suggested that schizophrenic patients engage in very little Looking and eye-contact. However, previous work, much of it methodologically unsatisfactory, has been based almost always on the clinical psychiatric interview, with the result that several important questions remain unanswered. In particular, we do not know how schizophrenic patients behave in free conversation, how their behaviour with another patient may differ from their behaviour with a psychiatrically normal partner, nor even whether they show individual consistency across encounters. The first study was designed to examine these questions, by observing recently admitted schizophrenic patients in two free dyadic conversations, one with a schizophrenic partner and one with a psychiatrically normal partner, and comparing them with three control groups: depressive patients; patients suffering from neurotic or personality disorders; and psychiatrically normal chest patients. The second study went on to test whether the early descriptions of gross abnormality may be more appropriate to chronic long-stay patients than to recently admitted patients, and the design consisted of a comparison between the two groups. The first study revealed a quite unexpected pattern of results. Consistently across their two encounters, schizophrenic subjects behaved similarly for the most part to all three control groups, normal and abnormal alike. Moreover, the few differences which did emerge conflicted sharply with previous findings, including the writer's, and were no more marked in patient-patient than patient-normal encounters. The second study revealed no differences between chronic long-stay and recently admitted schizophrenic patients. It is suggested that the differences in findings between the present two studies and previous reports are most likely to be attributable to differences in verbal content: schizophrenic patients show abnormalities of visual interaction when talking about personal matters, but behave quite normally when the topic is not of immediate personal relevance.

Stigma, schizophrenia and the media: exploring changes in the reporting of schizophrenia in major U.S. newspapers.

PubMed

Vahabzadeh, Arshya; Wittenauer, Justine; Carr, Erika

2011-11-01

Newspaper media are a major source of information about mental illness in the United States. Previous research has shown that some printed material has been both negative and stigmatizing, which can have a detrimental impact on individuals with mental illnesses. Such perceptions represented in the media may cause those with mental illnesses to internalize a negative and stigmatizing stereotype and hinder the public's understanding of mental illness. In recent years, advocacy groups have increased their efforts to combat stigmatization of those with mental illnesses. This study focused specifically on the use of stigmatizing language concerning schizophrenia in U.S. newspapers. Because advocacy to decrease stigmatization of mental illness has increased in recent years, this study compared media depictions of schizophrenia in 2000 and 2010 to determine if there had been a reduction in reporting of dangerousness and perpetration of crime by people with schizophrenia or in stigmatizing language. All articles published in five high-circulation newspapers from diverse urban geographical regions between January 1 and June 1 in 2000 and 2010 that contained the words "schizophrenia" or "schizophrenic" were reviewed. Articles were categorized under the categories of education, incidental reference, medical and pharmaceutical news, metaphorical use, charity, obituary, medically inappropriate, and human interest. Human interest articles were further subcategorized into advocacy, crimes committed by people with schizophrenia, crimes committed against those suffering from schizophrenia, and issues related to poor mental health care. There was a statistically significant decrease in reporting of crime committed by people with schizophrenia in 2010 compared with 2000. However, no significant difference was found in metaphorical usage of the terms schizophrenia and schizophrenic between 2000 and 2010.

[Disorders of emotional control in schizophrenia and unilateral brain damage].

PubMed

Kucharska-Pietura, K; Kopacz, G

2001-01-01

Although, emotions play a crucial role in schizophrenia, the changes in emotional dimension still remain controversial. The aim of our work was: 1) to compare the disorders of emotional control between the examined groups: S--non-chronic schizophrenic patients (n = 50), CS--chronic schizophrenic patients (n = 50), N--healthy controls (n = 50), R--right brain-damaged patients (n = 30), and L--left brain-damaged patients (n = 30), 2) to assess a level of impairment of emotional control, its relation to lateralised hemisphere damage and chronicity of schizophrenic process. All psychiatric subjects were diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenics according to DSM-IV criteria and were scored on the PANSS scale after four weeks of neuroleptic treatment. Brain-damaged patients were included if they experienced single-episode cerebrovascular accidents causing right or left hemisphere damage (confirmed in CT scan reports). The neurological patients were examined at least 3 weeks after the onset of cerebrovascular episode. Emotional control was assessed using Brzeziński Questionnaire of Emotional Control aimed at the evaluation of: 1) control in perception and interpretation of emotive situation, 2) emotional arousal, 3) emotional-rational motivation, and 4) acting caused by emotions. Our results revealed significantly greater impairment of emotional control in schizophrenics (chronic schizophrenics, in particular) compared to healthy volunteers. Chronicity of the schizophrenic process seemed to intensify emotional control impairment. Interestingly, no significant qualitative and quantitative differences in emotional control mechanism between unilateral brain-damaged patients and the control group were found.

Characteristics of the tree-drawing test in chronic schizophrenia.

PubMed

Kaneda, Ayako; Yasui-Furukori, Norio; Saito, Manabu; Sugawara, Norio; Nakagami, Taku; Furukori, Hanako; Kaneko, Sunao

2010-04-01

A tree-drawing test acts as both a projective psychological examination as well as a supplementary psychodiagnostic tool. There is little information relating the characteristics of schizophrenia and the tree-drawing test. The present study compared the structural and morphological differences in the results of the tree-drawing test between schizophrenic patients and healthy individuals, as well as between schizophrenic patients who responded well to treatment and those who responded poorly. The subjects included 202 chronic schizophrenic patients and 113 healthy individuals. The schizophrenic patients were categorized as 'good responders' or 'poor responders' based on their response to medical treatments. The tree-drawing test was performed on all subjects. The tree drawn by each subject was analyzed structurally and morphologically. There were significant differences between the trunk and branches drawn by schizophrenic patients and those drawn by healthy controls. There were no significant differences between the good responders and the poor responders in any aspect of the tree drawings. Multiple regression models showed that the ratio of the tree area to the total area of the drawing paper, the width of the trunk, the trunk base opening, and the size of the branch ends were significantly associated with schizophrenia. The present study suggests that the trees drawn by schizophrenic patients are significantly different from those drawn by healthy individuals, but among schizophrenic patients, it is difficult to distinguish between good responders and poor responders using the tree-drawing test.

Homicide by schizophrenic patients in Israel.

PubMed

Valevski, A; Averbuch, I; Radwan, M; Gur, S; Spivak, B; Modai, I; Weizman, A

1999-04-01

Thirty-three schizophrenic inpatients aged 45.3 +/- 13.5 years who had been found not guilty of homicide by reason of insanity were compared with 28 schizophrenic patients matched for age, sex and duration of disease who had not committed any crime. Statistical analysis revealed a high rate in the study group of individual factors associated with aggression, such as alcohol abuse, previous contact with the police, aggressive behavior and threats (P < 0.05). Significantly more of them were also immigrants (P < 0.05). There was no between-group difference in familial factors. These findings support earlier studies indicating that schizophrenic patients with the profile of alcoholism, aggressiveness and foreign country of origin are at high risk of homicidal behavior.

Psychotherapy with schizophrenics in team groups: a systems model.

PubMed

Beeber, A R

1991-01-01

This paper focuses on the treatment of patients with schizophrenic disorders employing the Team Group model. The advantages and disadvantages of the Team Group are presented. Systems theory and principles of group development are applied as a basis for understanding the dynamics of the group in the context at the acute psychiatric unit. Particular problems encountered in treating patients with schizophrenic disorders in this setting are presented. These include: (1) issues of therapist style and technique, (2) basic psychopathology of the schizophrenic disorders, and (3) phase-specific problems associated with the dynamics of the group. Recommendations for therapist interventions are made that may better integrate these patients into the Team Group.

Visuospatial deficits in schizophrenia: central executive and memory subsystems impairments.

PubMed

Leiderman, Eduardo A; Strejilevich, Sergio A

2004-06-01

Object and spatial visual working memory are impaired in schizophrenic patients. It is not clear if the impairments reside in each memory subsystem alone or also in the central executive component that coordinates these processes. In order to elucidate which memory component is impaired, we developed a paradigm with single spatial and object working memory tasks and dual ones with two different delays (5 and 30 s). Fifteen schizophrenic patients and 14 control subjects performed these tests. Schizophrenic patients had a poorer performance compared to normal controls in all tasks and in all time delays. Both schizophrenics and controls performed significantly worse in the object task than in the spatial task. The performance was even worse in the dual task compared to the singles ones in schizophrenic patients but not in controls. These data suggest that visuospatial performance deficits in schizophrenia are due to both visuospatial memory subsystems impairments and central executive ones. The pattern of deficits observed points to a codification or evocation deficit and not to a maintenance one.

Measurement of plasma homovanillic acid concentrations in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Kaminski, R; Powchick, P; Warne, P A; Goldstein, M; McQueeney, R T; Davidson, M

1990-01-01

1. Several lines of evidence suggest that abnormalities of central dopaminergic transmission may be involved in the expression of some schizophrenic symptoms. However, elucidation of the role of dopamine (DA) in schizophrenia has eluded investigative efforts partially because no accurate and easily repeatable measure of brain DA activity exists. 2. The development of a technique to measure homovanillic acid in plasma has offered the possibility of performing serial measurements of this major DA metabolite. 3. Assuming that plasma homovanillic acid (PHVA) concentrations is an index of brain DA activity, measurement of PHVA can play a role in elucidating the DA abnormality in schizophrenia. 4. Results to date suggest that plasma homovanillic acid concentrations are lower in chronic schizophrenic patients compared to normal controls, and that PHVA values correlate with schizophrenic symptom severity. 5. In addition, PHVA levels were shown to initially rise and subsequently decline during chronic neuroleptic administration in treatment responsive but not in treatment refractory schizophrenic patients.

Discriminant analysis of functional optical topography for schizophrenia diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuang, Ching-Cheng; Nakagome, Kazuyuki; Pu, Shenghong; Lan, Tsuo-Hung; Lee, Chia-Yen; Sun, Chia-Wei

2014-01-01

Abnormal prefrontal function plays a central role in the cognition deficits of schizophrenic patients; however, the character of the relationship between discriminant analysis and prefrontal activation remains undetermined. Recently, evidence of low prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation in individuals with schizophrenia has also been found during verbal fluency tests (VFT) and other cognitive tests with several neuroimaging methods. The purpose of this study is to assess the hemodynamic changes of the PFC and discriminant analysis between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls during VFT task by utilizing functional optical topography. A total of 99 subjects including 53 schizophrenic patients and 46 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were studied. The results showed that the healthy group had larger activation in the right and left PFC than in the middle PFC. Besides, the schizophrenic group showed weaker task performance and lower activation in the whole PFC than the healthy group. The result of the discriminant analysis showed a significant difference with P value <0.001 in six channels (CH 23, 29, 31, 40, 42, 52) between the schizophrenic and healthy groups. Finally, 68.69% and 71.72% of subjects are correctly classified as being schizophrenic or healthy with all 52 channels and six significantly different channels, respectively. Our findings suggest that the left PFC can be a feature region for discriminant analysis of schizophrenic diagnosis.

Pretreatment plasma homovanillic acid in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder: the influence of demographic variables and the inpatient drug-free period.

PubMed

Sharma, R P; Javaid, J I; Davis, J M; Janicak, P G

1998-09-15

The relationship between plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) and schizophrenic symptoms has not been conclusively determined. We reexamine pHVA levels in a new sample of patients with emphasis on demographic variables and the drug-free period. Plasma HVA levels were studied in 54 schizophrenic and schizoaffective-disordered, drug-free inpatients suffering from a psychotic exacerbation. A significant correlation was observed between pHVA levels and the number of inpatient drug-free days in the total sample, as well as the schizophrenic patient subsample. Further, pHVA was significantly and positively correlated with the duration of illness in the schizophrenic patient subsample. Plasma HVA correlations with behavior, as measured by Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale factors (anxiety/depression and hostility/suspiciousness), emerged only when considering schizophrenic patients drug-free for more than 2 weeks. No correlation was found between pHVA and the age of illness onset or the duration of the delay of treatment of the first psychotic episode. The effects of antipsychotic withdrawal on levels of pHVA in clinical populations may have to be examined and controlled for in future studies attempting to study the relationship between this metabolite and behavior in acutely ill, drug-free schizophrenic patients.

Schizophrenic patients and their unaffected siblings share increased resting-state connectivity in the task-negative network but not its anticorrelated task-positive network.

PubMed

Liu, Haihong; Kaneko, Yoshio; Ouyang, Xuan; Li, Li; Hao, Yihui; Chen, Eric Y H; Jiang, Tianzi; Zhou, Yuan; Liu, Zhening

2012-03-01

Abnormal connectivity of the anticorrelated intrinsic networks, the task-negative network (TNN), and the task-positive network (TPN) is implicated in schizophrenia. Comparisons between schizophrenic patients and their unaffected siblings enable further understanding of illness susceptibility and pathophysiology. We examined the resting-state connectivity differences in the intrinsic networks between schizophrenic patients, their unaffected siblings, and healthy controls. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance images were obtained from 25 individuals in each subject group. The posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were used as seed regions to identify the TNN and TPN through functional connectivity analysis. Interregional connectivity strengths were analyzed using overlapped intrinsic networks composed of regions common to all subject groups. Schizophrenic patients and their unaffected siblings showed increased connectivity in the TNN between the bilateral inferior temporal gyri. By contrast, schizophrenic patients alone demonstrated increased connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus and left inferior temporal gyrus and between the ventral medial prefrontal cortex and right lateral parietal cortex in the TNN. Schizophrenic patients exhibited increased connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right inferior frontal gyrus in the TPN relative to their unaffected siblings, though this trend only approached statistical significance in comparison to healthy controls. Resting-state hyperconnectivity of the intrinsic networks may disrupt network coordination and thereby contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Similar, though milder, hyperconnectivity of the TNN in unaffected siblings of schizophrenic patients may contribute to the identification of schizophrenia endophenotypes and ultimately to the determination of schizophrenia risk genes.

Dysfunction of protein kinase FA/GSK-3 alpha in lymphocytes of patients with schizophrenic disorder.

PubMed

Yang, S D; Yu, J S; Lee, T T; Yang, C C; Ni, M H; Yang, Y Y

1995-09-01

As compared to normal people, the lymphocytes of patients with schizophrenia were found to have an impairment of ATP.Mg-dependent protein phosphatase activation. More importantly, the impaired protein phosphatase activation in the lymphocytes of schizophrenic patients could be consistently and completely restored to normal by exogenous pure protein kinase FA/glycogen synthase kinase-3 alpha (kinase FA/GSK-3 alpha) (the activating factor of ATP.Mg-dependent protein phosphatase), indicating that the molecular mechanism for the impaired protein phosphatase activation in schizophrenic patients may be due to a functional loss of kinase FA/GSK-3 alpha. Immunoblotting and kinase activity analysis in an anti-kinase FA/GSK-3 alpha immunoprecipitate further demonstrate that both cellular activities and protein levels of kinase FA/GSK-3 alpha in the lymphocytes of schizophrenic patients were greatly impared as compared to normal controls. Statistical analysis revealed that the lymphocytes isolated from 37 normal people contain kinase FA/GSK-3 alpha activity in the high levels of 14.8 +/- 2.4 units/mg of cell protein, whereas the lymphocytes of 48 patients with schizophrenic disorder contain kinase FA/GSK-3 alpha activity in the low levels of 2.8 +/- 1.6 units/mg, indicating that the different levels of kinase FA/GSK-3 alpha activity between schizophrenic patients and normal people are statistically significant. Taken together, the results provide initial evidence that patients with schizophrenic disorder may have a common impairment in the protein levels and cellular activities of kinase FA/GSK-3 alpha, a multisubstrate protein kinase and a multisubstrate protein phosphatase activator in their lymphocytes.

COMT haplotypes, catecholamine metabolites in plasma and clinical response in schizophrenic and bipolar patients.

PubMed

Zumárraga, Mercedes; Arrúe, Aurora; Basterreche, Nieves; Macías, Isabel; Catalán, Ana; Madrazo, Arantza; Bustamante, Sonia; Zamalloa, María I; Erkoreka, Leire; Gordo, Estibaliz; Arnaiz, Ainara; Olivas, Olga; Arroita, Ariane; Marín, Elena; González-Torres, Miguel A

2016-06-01

We examined the association of COMT haplotypes and plasma metabolites of catecholamines in relation to the clinical response to antipsychotics in schizophrenic and bipolar patients. We studied 165 patients before and after four weeks of treatment, and 163 healthy controls. We assessed four COMT haplotypes and the plasma concentrations of HVA, DOPAC and MHPG. Bipolar patients: haplotypes are associated with age at onset and clinical evolution. In schizophrenic patients, an haplotype previously associated with increased risk, is related to better response of negative symptoms. Haplotypes would be good indicators of the clinical status and the treatment response in bipolar and schizophrenic patients. Larger studies are required to elucidate the clinical usefulness of these findings.

Drug Treated Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective and Bipolar Disorder Patients Evaluated by qEEG Absolute Spectral Power and Mean Frequency Analysis.

PubMed

Wix-Ramos, Richard; Moreno, Xiomara; Capote, Eduardo; González, Gilbert; Uribe, Ezequiel; Eblen-Zajjur, Antonio

2014-04-01

Research of electroencephalograph (EEG) power spectrum and mean frequency has shown inconsistent results in patients with schizophrenic, schizoaffective and bipolar disorders during medication when compared to normal subjects thus; the characterization of these parameters is an important task. We applied quantitative EEG (qEEG) to investigate 38 control, 15 schizophrenic, 7 schizoaffective and 11 bipolar disorder subjects which remaine under the administration of psychotropic drugs (except control group). Absolute spectral power (ASP), mean frequency and hemispheric electrical asymmetry were measured by 19 derivation qEEG. Group mean values were compared with non parametrical Mann-Whitney test and spectral EEG maps with z-score method at p < 0.05. Most frequent drug treatments for schizophrenic patients were neuroleptic+antiepileptic (40% of cases) or 2 neuroleptics (33.3%). Schizoaffective patients received neuroleptic+benzodiazepine (71.4%) and for bipolar disorder patients neuroleptic+antiepileptic (81.8%). Schizophrenic (at all derivations except for Fp1, Fp2, F8 and T6) and schizoaffective (only at C3) show higher values of ASP (+57.7% and +86.1% respectively) compared to control group. ASP of bipolar disorder patients did not show differences against control group. The mean frequency was higher at Fp1 (+14.2%) and Fp2 (+17.4%) in bipolar disorder patients than control group, but no differences were found in frequencies between schizophrenic or schizoaffective patients against the control group. Majority of spectral differences were found at the left hemisphere in schizophrenic and schizoaffective but not in bipolar disorder subjects. The present report contributes to characterize quantitatively the qEEG in drug treated schizophrenic, schizoaffective or bipolar disorder patients.

A comparative study on long-term evoked auditory and visual potential responses between Schizophrenic patients and normal subjects

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The electrical signals measuring method is recommended to examine the relationship between neuronal activities and measure with the event related potentials (ERPs) during an auditory and a visual oddball paradigm between schizophrenic patients and normal subjects. The aim of this study is to discriminate the activation changes of different stimulations evoked by auditory and visual ERPs between schizophrenic patients and normal subjects. Methods Forty-three schizophrenic patients were selected as experimental group patients, and 40 healthy subjects with no medical history of any kind of psychiatric diseases, neurological diseases, or drug abuse, were recruited as a control group. Auditory and visual ERPs were studied with an oddball paradigm. All the data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software version 10.0. Results In the comparative study of auditory and visual ERPs between the schizophrenic and healthy patients, P300 amplitude at Fz, Cz, and Pz and N100, N200, and P200 latencies at Fz, Cz, and Pz were shown significantly different. The cognitive processing reflected by the auditory and the visual P300 latency to rare target stimuli was probably an indicator of the cognitive function in schizophrenic patients. Conclusions This study shows the methodology of application of auditory and visual oddball paradigm identifies task-relevant sources of activity and allows separation of regions that have different response properties. Our study indicates that there may be slowness of automatic cognitive processing and controlled cognitive processing of visual ERPs compared to auditory ERPs in schizophrenic patients. The activation changes of visual evoked potentials are more regionally specific than auditory evoked potentials. PMID:21542917

Diagnostic consistency and interchangeability of schizophrenic disorders and bipolar disorders: A 7-year follow-up study.

PubMed

Hung, Yen-Ni; Yang, Shu-Yu; Kuo, Chian-Jue; Lin, Shih-Ku

2018-03-01

The change in psychiatric diagnoses in clinical practice is not an unusual phenomenon. The interchange between the diagnoses of schizophrenic disorders and bipolar disorders is a major clinical issue because of the differences in treatment regimens and long-term prognoses. In this study, we used a nationwide population-based sample to compare the diagnostic consistency and interchange rate between schizophrenic disorders and bipolar disorders. In total, 25 711 and 11 261 patients newly diagnosed as having schizophrenic disorder and bipolar disorder, respectively, were retrospectively enrolled from the Psychiatric Inpatient Medical Claims database between 2001 and 2005. We followed these two cohorts for 7 years to determine whether their diagnoses were consistent throughout subsequent hospitalizations. The interchange between the two diagnoses was analyzed. In the schizophrenic disorder cohort, the overall diagnostic consistency rate was 87.3% and the rate of change to bipolar disorder was 3.0% during the 7-year follow-up. Additional analyses of subtypes revealed that the change rate from schizoaffective disorder to bipolar disorder was 12.0%. In the bipolar disorder cohort, the overall diagnostic consistency rate was 71.9% and the rate of change to schizophrenic disorder was 8.3%. Changes in the diagnosis of a major psychosis are not uncommon. The interchange between the diagnoses of schizophrenic disorders and bipolar disorders might be attributed to the evolution of clinical symptoms and the observation of preserved social functions that contradict the original diagnosis. While making a psychotic diagnosis, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of the change in diagnosis in the future. © 2017 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2017 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

The neuroanatomical basis of panic disorder and social phobia in schizophrenia: a voxel based morphometric study.

PubMed

Picado, Marisol; Carmona, Susanna; Hoekzema, Elseline; Pailhez, Guillem; Bergé, Daniel; Mané, Anna; Fauquet, Jordi; Hilferty, Joseph; Moreno, Ana; Cortizo, Romina; Vilarroya, Oscar; Bulbena, Antoni

2015-01-01

It is known that there is a high prevalence of certain anxiety disorders among schizophrenic patients, especially panic disorder and social phobia. However, the neural underpinnings of the comorbidity of such anxiety disorders and schizophrenia remain unclear. Our study aims to determine the neuroanatomical basis of the co-occurrence of schizophrenia with panic disorder and social phobia. Voxel-based morphometry was used in order to examine brain structure and to measure between-group differences, comparing magnetic resonance images of 20 anxious patients, 20 schizophrenic patients, 20 schizophrenic patients with comorbid anxiety, and 20 healthy control subjects. Compared to the schizophrenic patients, we observed smaller grey-matter volume (GMV) decreases in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and precentral gyrus in the schizophrenic-anxiety group. Additionally, the schizophrenic group showed significantly reduced GMV in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, temporal gyrus and angular/inferior parietal gyrus when compared to the control group. Our findings suggest that the comorbidity of schizophrenia with panic disorder and social phobia might be characterized by specific neuroanatomical and clinical alterations that may be related to maladaptive emotion regulation related to anxiety. Even thought our findings need to be replicated, our study suggests that the identification of neural abnormalities involved in anxiety, schizophrenia and schizophrenia-anxiety may lead to an improved diagnosis and management of these conditions.

Nonlinear Analysis of Motor Activity Shows Differences between Schizophrenia and Depression: A Study Using Fourier Analysis and Sample Entropy

PubMed Central

Hauge, Erik R.; Berle, Jan Øystein; Oedegaard, Ketil J.; Holsten, Fred; Fasmer, Ole Bernt

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study has been to describe motor activity data obtained by using wrist-worn actigraphs in patients with schizophrenia and major depression by the use of linear and non-linear methods of analysis. Different time frames were investigated, i.e., activity counts measured every minute for up to five hours and activity counts made hourly for up to two weeks. The results show that motor activity was lower in the schizophrenic patients and in patients with major depression, compared to controls. Using one minute intervals the depressed patients had a higher standard deviation (SD) compared to both the schizophrenic patients and the controls. The ratio between the root mean square successive differences (RMSSD) and SD was higher in the schizophrenic patients compared to controls. The Fourier analysis of the activity counts measured every minute showed that the relation between variance in the low and the high frequency range was lower in the schizophrenic patients compared to the controls. The sample entropy was higher in the schizophrenic patients compared to controls in the time series from the activity counts made every minute. The main conclusions of the study are that schizophrenic and depressive patients have distinctly different profiles of motor activity and that the results differ according to period length analysed. PMID:21297977

The Neuroanatomical Basis of Panic Disorder and Social Phobia in Schizophrenia: A Voxel Based Morphometric Study

PubMed Central

Picado, Marisol; Carmona, Susanna; Hoekzema, Elseline; Pailhez, Guillem; Bergé, Daniel; Mané, Anna; Fauquet, Jordi; Hilferty, Joseph; Moreno, Ana; Cortizo, Romina; Vilarroya, Oscar; Bulbena, Antoni

2015-01-01

Objective It is known that there is a high prevalence of certain anxiety disorders among schizophrenic patients, especially panic disorder and social phobia. However, the neural underpinnings of the comorbidity of such anxiety disorders and schizophrenia remain unclear. Our study aims to determine the neuroanatomical basis of the co-occurrence of schizophrenia with panic disorder and social phobia. Methods Voxel-based morphometry was used in order to examine brain structure and to measure between-group differences, comparing magnetic resonance images of 20 anxious patients, 20 schizophrenic patients, 20 schizophrenic patients with comorbid anxiety, and 20 healthy control subjects. Results Compared to the schizophrenic patients, we observed smaller grey-matter volume (GMV) decreases in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and precentral gyrus in the schizophrenic-anxiety group. Additionally, the schizophrenic group showed significantly reduced GMV in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, temporal gyrus and angular/inferior parietal gyrus when compared to the control group. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the comorbidity of schizophrenia with panic disorder and social phobia might be characterized by specific neuroanatomical and clinical alterations that may be related to maladaptive emotion regulation related to anxiety. Even thought our findings need to be replicated, our study suggests that the identification of neural abnormalities involved in anxiety, schizophrenia and schizophrenia-anxiety may lead to an improved diagnosis and management of these conditions. PMID:25774979

Cortical hypoactivation during resting EEG in schizophrenics but not in depressives and schizotypal subjects as revealed by low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA).

PubMed

Mientus, Susanne; Gallinat, Jürgen; Wuebben, Yvonne; Pascual-Marqui, Roberto D; Mulert, Christoph; Frick, Kurt; Dorn, Hans; Herrmann, Werner M; Winterer, Georg

2002-11-30

This study was performed in order to address the question whether the newly introduced technique of low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) is able to detect hypofrontality in schizophrenic patients. We investigated resting EEGs of 19 unmedicated schizophrenics and 20 normal subjects. For comparison, we also investigated 19 subjects with schizotypal personality and 30 unmedicated depressive patients. A significant increase of delta activity was found in schizophrenic patients over the whole cortex, most strongly in the anterior cingulate gyrus and temporal lobe (fusiform gyrus). Both schizotypal subjects and depressive subjects showed significantly less delta, theta and beta activity in the anterior cingulum, a decrease of alpha1 activity in the right temporal lobe and a decrease of alpha2 activity in the left temporal lobe. The results suggest general cortical hypoactivation, most pronounced in the anterior cingulate and temporal lobe in schizophrenics, whereas there is evidence for a complex, frequency-dependent spatial pattern of hyperactivation in schizotypal subjects and depressive patients. The results are discussed within a neurophysiological and methodological framework.

Homicide, schizophrenia and substance abuse or dependency.

PubMed

Beaudoin, M N; Hodgins, S; Lavoie, F

1993-10-01

Few studies have extensively studied the aggressive behaviours of mentally disordered offenders. This investigation compared 14 schizophrenics found not guilty of homicide by reason of insanity (NGRI) with 12 schizophrenics convicted of homicide. A comparison group of 15 homicide offenders with no major mental disorder was used. Drug and alcohol consumption, previous history of aggression against others as well as mental health were assessed using standardized, reliable, valid instruments. Significantly more of the inmates with no major mental disorder were diagnosed as having a history of drug or alcohol abuse or dependency (60%) than the NGRI schizophrenics (35.7%). In addition, both groups of convicted homicide offenders were more likely to have committed homicide under the influence of drugs or alcohol than the NGRI group. No significant difference distinguished the groups for the mean number of aggressive incidents. The subjects found NGRI assaulted more often during an acute phase of mental illness than the convicted schizophrenics. Although both groups appeared to have a similar number of hospitalizations, most of the hospitalizations of the convicted schizophrenics occurred after the crime.

Ethnopsychiatric interpretations of schizophrenic illness: the problem of nervios within Mexican-American families.

PubMed

Jenkins, J H

1988-09-01

Among Mexican-American families, the concept of nervios (nerves) serves as a culturally meaningful illness category for a wide range of conditions, including schizophrenic disorders diagnosed according to psychiatric criteria. This article examines the nature and the meaning of nervios as a notion used by Mexican-American families to understand the schizophrenic illness of a relative. Family descriptions of the condition are presented and the emotional and symbolic meanings of the concept are discussed. The complex and somewhat ambiguous nature of folk conceptions is evidenced not only by variations in the description of nervios but also by the finding that nervios is but one way to view schizophrenic illness. It is suggested that a cultural preference for the term nervios is linked to the efforts of family members to reduce the stigma associated with a mental illness while also reinforcing the strength of family bonds and solidarity by fostering tolerant inclusion of the family member within the home. It is argued that the concept of nervios, and the family emotions that surround this folk label, may mediate the course and outcome of schizophrenic disorder.

Schizophrenia and the corpus callosum: developmental, structural and functional relationships.

PubMed

David, A S

1994-10-20

Several empirical and theoretical connections exist between schizophrenia and the corpus callosum: (1) disconnection symptoms resemble certain psychotic phenomena; (2) abnormal interhemispheric transmission could explain typically schizophrenic phenomena; (3) cases of psychosis have been found in association with complete and partial agenesis of the callosum; (4) experimental neuropsychology with schizophrenic patients has revealed abnormal patterns of interhemispheric transfer; (5) studies using magnetic resonance imaging have shown abnormal callosal dimensions in schizophrenic patients. The evidence in support of these links is discussed critically. Novel neuropsychological approaches in the study of information transfer in the visual modality between the cerebral hemispheres, consistent with callosal hyperconnectivity in schizophrenic patients but not matched psychiatric controls are highlighted. Some suggestions for further work including integrating functional and structural measures are offered.

Understanding the symptoms of schizophrenia using visual scan paths.

PubMed

Phillips, M L; David, A S

1994-11-01

This paper highlights the role of the visual scan path as a physiological marker of information processing, while investigating positive symptomatology in schizophrenia. The current literature is reviewed using computer search facilities (Medline). Schizophrenics either scan or stare extensively, the latter related to negative symptoms. Schizophrenics particularly scan when viewing human faces. Scan paths in schizophrenics are important when viewing meaningful stimuli such as human faces, because of the relationship between abnormal perception of stimuli and symptomatology in these subjects.

GABAA receptor subunit gene expression in human prefrontal cortex: comparison of schizophrenics and controls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akbarian, S.; Huntsman, M. M.; Kim, J. J.; Tafazzoli, A.; Potkin, S. G.; Bunney, W. E. Jr; Jones, E. G.; Bloom, F. E. (Principal Investigator)

1995-01-01

The prefrontal cortex of schizophrenics is hypoactive and displays changes related to inhibitory, GABAergic neurons, and GABAergic synapses. These changes include decreased levels of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), the enzyme for GABA synthesis, upregulation of muscimol binding, and downregulation of benzodiazepine binding to GABAA receptors. Studies in the visual cortex of nonhuman primates have demonstrated that gene expression for GAD and for several GABAA receptor subunit polypeptides is under control of neuronal activity, raising the possibility that similar mechanisms in the hypoactive prefrontal cortex of schizophrenics may explain the abnormalities in GAD and in GABAA receptor regulation. In the present study, which is the first of its type on human cerebral cortex, levels of mRNAs for six GABAA receptor subunits (alpha 1, alpha 2, alpha 5, beta 1, beta 2, gamma 2) and their laminar expression patterns were analyzed in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenics and matched controls, using in situ hybridization histochemistry and densitometry. Three types of laminar expression pattern were observed: mRNAs for the alpha 1, beta 2, and gamma 2 subunits, which are the predominant receptor subunits expressed in the mature cortex, were expressed at comparatively high levels by cells of all six cortical layers, but most intensely by cells in lower layer III and layer IV. mRNAs for the alpha 2, alpha 5, and beta 1 subunits were expressed at lower levels; alpha 2 and beta 1 were expressed predominantly by cells in layers II, III, and IV; alpha 5 was expressed predominantly in layers IV, V, and VI. There were no significant changes in overall mRNA levels for any of the receptor subunits in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenics, and the laminar expression pattern of all six receptor subunit mRNAs did not differ between schizophrenics and controls. Because gene expression for GABAA receptor subunits is not consistently altered in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenics, the previously reported upregulation of muscimol binding sites and downregulation of benzodiazepine binding sites in the prefrontal and adjacent cingulate cortex of schizophrenics are possibly due to posttranscriptional modifications of mRNAs and their translated polypeptides.

Self-Instructional Training with an Adolescent Schizophrenic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gumaer, Jim; Headspeth, Tanya

1985-01-01

Presents a case study involving the use of self-instructional training with an adolescent schizophrenic boy. Changes initiated in his internal and external dialog with himself improved his self-control and task performance. (JAC)

MMPI Indices in the Discrimination of Brain-Damaged and Schizophrenic Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holland, Terrill R.; And Others

1975-01-01

The results of this investigation support Watson's (1971) hypothesis that his Schizophrenia-Organicity scales might be valid discriminators of braindamaged and schizophrenic patients equated for degree of intellectual deficit. (Author)

Pitting temporal against spatial integration in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Herzog, Michael H; Brand, Andreas

2009-06-30

Schizophrenic patients show strong impairments in visual backward masking possibly caused by deficits on the early stages of visual processing. The underlying aberrant mechanisms are not clearly understood. Spatial as well as temporal processing deficits have been proposed. Here, by combining a spatial with a temporal integration paradigm, we show further evidence that temporal but not spatial processing is impaired in schizophrenic patients. Eleven schizophrenic patients and ten healthy controls were presented with sequences composed of Vernier stimuli. Patients needed significantly longer presentation times for sequentially presented Vernier stimuli to reach a performance level comparable to that of healthy controls (temporal integration deficit). When we added spatial contextual elements to some of the Vernier stimuli, performance changed in a complex but comparable manner in patients and controls (intact spatial integration). Hence, temporal but not spatial processing seems to be deficient in schizophrenia.

Evaluation and Socio-occupational Intervention in Bipolar and Schizophrenic Patients within a Multimodal Intervention Program- PRISMA.

PubMed

Díaz Zuluaga, Ana M; Duica, Kelly; Ruiz Galeano, Carlos; Vargas, Cristian; Agudelo Berruecos, Yuli; Ospina, Sigifredo; López-Jaramillo, Carlos

Functional improvement in bipolar and schizophrenic patients is one of the main aims of treatment. Nevertheless, there is no evidence about the effect of socio-occupational intervention within a multimodal intervention (MI) programme. To describe the socio-occupational profile and to evaluate the functional effect of a MI in bipolar I and schizophrenic patients. A prospective, longitudinal, therapeutic-comparative study was performed including 302 subjects (104 schizophrenic and 198 Bipolar Disorder I [BDI] patients), who were randomised into two groups, multimodal (psychiatry, psychology, medicine, occupational therapy, neuropsychology, and family therapy), or traditional intervention (psychiatry and medicine only). Several scales were applied to assess assertiveness, free time management, social abilities, general anxiety, self-care and performance in home, work and community tasks. After performing the longitudinal analysis, it was shown that the multimodal intervention was more effective than traditional intervention in general anxiety scores (P=.026) and development in home tasks (P=.03) in schizophrenic patients. No statistical differences were found in bipolar patients. The other variables showed improvement, however, their effect was similar in both intervention groups. Our study identified functional improvement in home tasks in schizophrenic patients after receiving multimodal intervention. Other variables also showed improvement for both interventions groups. Future studies, applying longer rehabilitation programs and other ecological strategies should be performed to identify the most effective interventions. Copyright © 2017 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Abnormal infant neurodevelopment predicts schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Fish, Barbara; Kendler, Kenneth S

2005-06-01

The aim of this study was to detect infants who carry a schizophrenic genotype and study the development of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SZSD) from birth. In the 1940s, Bender described uneven maturation in childhood schizophrenics and in 1952 found this in the infant histories of 6 schizophrenic children. We tested a possible index for defective neural integration in infants termed "pandysmaturation" (PDM). This required retarded cranial growth plus retarded and erratic gross motor development on a single exam. Twelve offspring of hospitalized schizophrenic mothers and 12 infants in a "Well Baby Clinic," were examined 10 times between birth and 2 years of age. Psychiatric interviews and psychological testing were done at 10, 15, and 22 years of age, plus follow-up at 27-35 years of age. Six infants had PDM at 2, 6, or 13 months of age. Five individuals have been blindly diagnosed (by KSK) as having lifetime SZSD; all 5 had PDM before 8 months. Chi-square one-tailed tests confirmed the predictions: (1) PDM was related to subsequent SZSD (chi(2) = 11.43; p < 0.0005); (2) schizophrenic mothers had more infants with PDM than nonschizophrenic mothers (chi(2) = 3.28; p < 0.05); and (3) schizophrenic mothers had more SZSD offspring than nonschizophrenic mothers (chi(2) = 6.39; p < 0.0125). These first behavioral observations of aberrant neurodevelopment in pre- SZSD infants support the evidence of early neurodevelopmental disorder seen in studies of brain pathology in SZSD adults.

Different patterns of sexual dysfunctions associated with psychiatric disorders and psychopharmacological treatment. Results of an investigation by semistructured interview of schizophrenic and neurotic patients and methadone-substituted opiate addicts.

PubMed

Teusch, L; Scherbaum, N; Böhme, H; Bender, S; Eschmann-Mehl, G; Gastpar, M

1995-05-01

Little is known about sexual dysfunctions associated with psychiatric disorders and psychopharmacological treatment. In the present study schizophrenic patients (n = 45, mostly under neuroleptic treatment), neurotic patients (n = 50, mostly treated without medication), methadone-substituted opiate addicts (n = 37), and normal controls (n = 41) were included. They were interviewed with the aid of a sex-differentiated semistructured questionnaire on sexual function. All the methadone-substituted opiate addicts and nearly all the schizophrenic patients suffered from dysfunctions in at least one criterion. The three clinical groups differed significantly from the controls in sexual interest, emotional arousal, physiological arousal (erectile function/vaginal lubrication), performance (ejaculatory function/vaginism, dyspareunia), and orgasm satisfaction. Characteristic patterns of dysfunction were found in the male patients. The schizophrenic patients had significantly more dysfunctions of interest, physiological arousal, performance, and orgasm than the controls. Emotional arousal, erectile and ejaculatory functions, and orgasm satisfaction were impaired more frequently in the male schizophrenics than in the neurotic patients. Reduced sexual interest, emotional arousal, and orgasm satisfaction were reported more frequently by the methadone-substituted opiate addicts than by the neurotic men. Emotional arousal was even more frequently reduced than in the schizophrenic men. There was no correlation between sexual dysfunction and particular neuroleptics or neuroleptic or methadone dosage. The results are compared with the literature and suggestions made for further investigations.

Electrophysiological Correlates of Language Processing in Schizotypal Personality Disorder

PubMed Central

Niznikiewicz, Margaret A.; Voglmaier, Martina; Shenton, Martha E.; Seidman, Larry J.; Dickey, Chandlee C.; Rhoads, Richard; Teh, Enkeat; McCarley, Robert W.

2010-01-01

Objective This study examined whether the electrophysiological correlates of language processing found previously to be abnormal in schizophrenia are also abnormal in schizotypal individuals. The authors used the N400 component to evaluate language dysfunction in schizotypal individuals. Method Event-related potentials were recorded in 16 comparison subjects and 17 schizotypal individuals (who met full DSM-III-R criteria) to sentences presented both visually and aurally; half of the sentences ended with an expected word completion (congruent condition), and the other half ended with an unexpected word completion (incongruent condition). Results In the congruent condition, the N400 amplitude was more negative in individuals with schizotypal personality disorder than in comparison subjects in both the visual and auditory modalities. In addition, in the visual modality, the N400 latency was prolonged in the individuals with schizotypal personality disorder. Conclusions The N400 was found to be abnormal in the individuals with schizotypal personality disorder relative to comparison subjects. The abnormality was similar to the abnormality the authors’ laboratory reported earlier in schizophrenic subjects, in which the N400 amplitude was found to be more negative in both congruent and incongruent sentence completions. The N400 abnormality is consistent with the inefficient use of context. PMID:10401451

Comparative study of clozapine, electroshock and the combination of ECT with clozapine in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Masoudzadeh, A; Khalilian, A R

2007-12-01

The aim of this study was to compare the results of treatment with clozapine alone, Electroshock (ECT) alone and the combination of clozapine with ECT in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients. Eighteen treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients were assigned to three equal groups: one group was given clozapine; one group was treated with ECT and one group was treated with the combination of clozapine and ECT. The treatment response was evaluated using the PANSS criteria and the data were analyzed with ANOVA. Combination therapy was superior to single modality therapy. The reduction of PANSS scores was 46% in the clozapine group, 40% in the ECT groups and 71% in the combination group, the difference between the combination group and the other groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Patients had a quick response to combination treatment, which resulted in a higher cure rate of positive and negative symptoms and improved the patients general performance. There were no significant adverse effects with combination treatment. Combination treatment with clozapine and ECT was safe and effective in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients. It should be considered for the treatment of treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients.

Tone discrimination performance in schizophrenic patients and normal volunteers: impact of stimulus presentation levels and frequency differences.

PubMed

Holcomb, H H; Ritzl, E K; Medoff, D R; Nevitt, J; Gordon, B; Tamminga, C A

1995-06-29

Psychophysical and cognitive studies carried out in schizophrenic patients show high within-group performance variance and sizable differences between patients and normal volunteers. Experimental manipulation of a target's signal-to-noise characteristics can, however, make a given task more or less difficult for a given subject. Such signal-to-noise manipulations can substantially reduce performance differences between individuals. Frequency and presentation level (volume) changes of an auditory tone can make a sound more or less difficult to recognize. This study determined how the discrimination accuracy of medicated schizophrenic patients and normal volunteers changed when the frequency difference between two tones (high frequency vs. low frequency) and the presentation levels of tones were systematically degraded. The investigators hypothesized that each group would become impaired in its discrimination accuracy when tone signals were degraded by making the frequencies more similar and the presentation levels lower. Schizophrenic patients were slower and less accurate than normal volunteers on tests using four tone levels and two frequency differences; the schizophrenic patient group showed a significant decrement in accuracy when the signal-to-noise characteristics of the target tones were degraded. The benefits of controlling stimulus discrimination difficulty in functional imaging paradigms are discussed.

Neuropsychological dysfunction in schizophrenia and affective disease.

PubMed

Taylor, M A; Redfield, J; Abrams, R

1981-05-01

We used Smith's neuropsychological test battery to study the cortical functioning of 52 patients with affective disorders, 17 schizophrenics, and 8 patients with coarse brain disease (CBD), all diagnosed according to research criteria. Testing and diagnoses were made independently and blindly. After accounting for the variance due to age, sex, handedness, educational level, and psychotropic drugs, we found that on tests of dominant hemisphere function schizophrenics performed significantly worse than patients with affective disorder but were no different from patients with CBD. On tests of nondominant hemisphere function the performance of the schizophrenics was similar to that of the other two groups, which were different from each other in that patients with CBD had poorer performance than affectives. A discriminant function analysis of the test scores applied to a jackknifed classification matrix successfully predicted research diagnosis in 86.5% of the affectively ill patients and 76.5% of the schizophrenics, for an overall hit rate of 84.1%. A canonical plot of the discriminant scores further showed distinct groups, with manics and depressives most alike but quite different from schizophrenics and patients with CBD. These findings are consistent with those derived from other neuropsychological studies, as well as EEG and CT scan studies.

[Acute schizophrenia concept and definition: investigation of a French psychiatrist population].

PubMed

Baylé, F J; Misdrahi, D; Llorca, P M; Lançon, C; Olivier, V; Quintin, P; Azorin, J M

2005-01-01

For schizophrenic disorders, the clinical conception of "acute state" is widely used in clinical settings to assess the effectiveness of therapeutic programs as well as epidemiological studies. Schizophrenic-specific symptomatology modification, need for hospitalization, significant change in care, disturbances in social behavior or suicide attempts were all used to define acute schizophrenic state. The decision to hospitalize is frequently used to define acute state but refers to multiple factors such as mood disorder, suicide attempts, drug abuse or social and environmental problems. Indeed, several and distinct definitions in a criteria basis form are available but no one has reached consensus. Because recognition of acute schizophrenic state remains based on the subjective clinician's advice, epidemiological and therapeutic studies fail in validity and reliability. The aim of the study was to evaluate how a population of French psychiatrists define criteria and therapeutic targets of acute schizophrenic state in their clinical practice. Psychiatrists filled out a self administered interview. At the time the interview was given, clinicians were notified that they were participating in a clinical consensus survey about schizophrenia. Six major indicators for acute state definition based on the literature data were proposed: general schizophrenic symptomatology modification (depression, anxiety, agitation, impulsivity/aggressiveness), specific schizophrenic symptomatology modification (positive symptoms, negative symptoms, disorganization), need for hospitalization, significant change in care, disturbance in social behavior and lastly, suicidal behavior. Minimal duration (1.2 or 4 weeks) of general and specific schizophrenic symptomatology modification required to define acute state were evaluated. The booklet included the 30 PANSS symptoms listed with their definitions. Among this symptom list, clinicians were instructed to select the ten criteria which they estimated best defined the acute state, followed by the ten most important target symptoms to be treated. Out of 2,369 questionnaires, 1,584 were collected on time (66.9%). Among the six majors indicators proposed to define acute state 75% of psychiatrists considered 1 to 3 criteria. Three were more frequently rated, including core schizophrenic symptomatology disturbance (68.4%), general schizophrenic symptomatology disturbance (68.0%) and suicidal behavior (64.9%). The other criteria were rated as follows: need for hospitalization (26.8%), significant change in care (18.3%), and disturbance in social behavior (29.1%). For 53.2% of psychiatrists the definition of acute state requires the presence of specific schizophrenic symptomatology for a minimal duration of one week. Two weeks with general symptomatology was required for 45.5% of psychiatrists to define acute state. Symptoms more often rated within the four first choices for acute state definition included delusions, conceptual disorganization, hallucinatory behavior and excitement. Except for grandiosity, all the PANSS positive subscale items were chosen to be included in the definition (delusions, conceptual disorganization, hallucinatory behavior, excitement, suspiciousness/persecution and hostility). Four items, including anxiety, depression, uncontrolled hostility, inner tension from the general psychopathology subscale were chosen as part of the ten most important criteria to define acute state. On the PANSS negative subscale (blunted affect, emotional withdrawal, poor relationships, passive apathetic withdrawal, difficulty in abstract thinking, lack of spontaneity/flow of conversation and stereotyped thinking), no item was rated to be included in the acute state definition. The highest rated symptoms among the four first choices for treatment included delusions, hallucinatory behavior, excitement and anxiety. The ten most important criteria for treatment were the same as for acute state definition with differences in frequency. Excited state, depression and suspiciousness/persecution were more rated for treatment than definition whereas delusion, hostility and conceptual disorganization were less rated as treatment target than definition criteria. In clinical practice, recognition of acute schizophrenic state is underscored by the association of specific schizophrenic symptomatology (positive symptoms, negative symptoms, disorganization) and general symptomatology (impulsivity/aggressiveness, anxiety, depression, agitation) of schizophrenia. For most clinicians, acute state definition requires specific symptom for a minimum of one week and other non-specific indicators such as suicidal behaviour have to be taken into account. With regard to PANSS criteria, most positive schizophrenic symptoms and some general schizophrenic symptoms are necessary for definition and designated as treatment priorities. Negative symptoms were not taken into account. Hallucinatory behavior is the first symptom rated in definition and is considered by psychiatrists as the absolute therapeutic priority. This survey could be a first step in the construction of an operational and consensual definition. This definition is strongly needed as a valid measurement in therapeutic and epidemiological outcome studies, which remain at least partly based on clinician subjective judgment.

Spatial vs. Nonspatial Reasoning Ability in Chronic Schizophrenics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartlage, Lawrence C.; Garber, Judy

1976-01-01

Compares spatial with nonspatial reasoning ability within the same patients to determine whether spatial reasoning deficits in schizophrenics are specific to spatial types of tasks or are indicative of generalized reasoning difficulties. (Author/RK)

[Relaxation to defuse acting out for dangerous schizophrenics].

PubMed

Bogar, Mireille; Bouchard, Jean-Pierre

2015-01-01

Relaxation is often considered as a contraindication in the management of schizophrenics. An experiment carried out with dangerous schizophrenics at the unit for dangerous patients at Cadillac general hospital revealed that, on the contrary, such an opinion is not necessarily valid in all cases. Indeed, for many of these patients, relaxation can have positive effects on their clinical state. As with its other indications, relaxation must be practised by clinicians who have an in-depth knowledge of techniques to use and of mental disorders treated in that way.

Quantification of endocannabinoids in postmortem brain of schizophrenic subjects.

PubMed

Muguruza, Carolina; Lehtonen, Marko; Aaltonen, Niina; Morentin, Benito; Meana, J Javier; Callado, Luis F

2013-08-01

Numerous studies have implicated the endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Endocannabinoids have been measured in blood and cerebrospinal fluid in schizophrenic patients but, to the date, there are no published reports dealing with measurements of endocannabinoid levels in schizophrenics' brain tissue. In the present study, postmortem brain samples from 19 subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) and 19 matched controls were studied. In specific brain regions, levels of four endocannabinoids (2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide, AEA), dihomo-γ-linolenoylethanolamine (LEA), and docosahexaenoylethanolamine (DHEA)) and two cannabimimetic compounds (palmitoyl-ethanolamine (PEA) and oleoyl-ethanolamine (OEA)) were measured using quantitative liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detection. Suffering from schizophrenia significantly affects the brain levels of 2-AG (p<0.001), AEA (p<0.0001), DHEA (p<0.0001), LEA (p<0.01) and PEA (p<0.05). In schizophrenic subjects, the three studied brain regions (cerebellum: 130±18%; p=0.16; hippocampus: 168±28%, p<0.01; prefrontal cortex: 237±45%, p<0.05) showed higher 2-AG levels when compared to matched controls. Conversely, AEA levels were lower in all brain regions of schizophrenic subjects (cerebellum: 66±7%, p<0.01; hippocampus: 66±7%, p<0.01; prefrontal cortex: 75±10%, p=0.07). Statistically significant lower levels of DHEA were also found in cerebellum (60±6%, p<0.001) and hippocampus (68±7%, p<0.05) of schizophrenic subjects. PEA (71±6%, p<0.05) and LEA (72±6%, p<0.05) levels were also found to be lower in cerebellum. No significant differences were found in OEA levels. Our results evidence specific alterations in the levels of some endocannabinoids in different brain regions of schizophrenic subjects. Furthermore, these data evidence the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis of Schizophrenics' and Normals' Perceptions of Verbal Similarity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neufeld, Richard W. J.

1975-01-01

Twenty-eight schizophrenics (14 paranoid and 14 nonparanoid) were compared with 14 normals on their judgments of similarity among words. The judgments were analyzed using an individual-differences multidimensional scaling procedure. (Editor)

Torque and Schizophrenic Vulnerability: As the World Turns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blau, Theodore H.

1977-01-01

Based upon reports of parents and guardians, with subjects at an average age of 21 years, it was found that 11 of the youngsters who had exhibited torque had in the interim been diagnosed as schizophrenic. (Author)

[Intensity of negative symptoms, working memory and executive functions disturbances in schizophrenic patients in partial remission period].

PubMed

Hintze, Beata; Borkowska, Alina

2011-01-01

The aim of the study was to assess the correlation between the level of working memory and executive functions impairment in schizophrenic subjects in their partial remission period and the intensity of psychopathological symptoms measured by PANSS scale. 45 patients with schizophrenia were included in the study (28 male and 17 female), aged 18-46 (mean 27 +/- 7) years during partial remission of psychopathological symptoms (PANSS < 70). The control group consisted in 35 age, gender and education matched healthy persons (13 male i 22 female), aged 21-49 (mean 30 +/- 8) years. To assess the intensity of psychopathological symptoms the PANSS scale was used, neuropsychological assessment included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), N-back test and Stroop test from the Vienna Tests Battery. In schizophrenic patients in partial remission period, the significant dysfunctions of working memory and executive functions show association with negative (not positive) schizophrenic symptoms.

Perceptual and conceptual information processing in schizophrenia and depression.

PubMed

Dreben, E K; Fryer, J H; McNair, D M

1995-04-01

Schizophrenic patients (n = 20), depressive patients (n = 20), and normal adults (n = 20) were compared on global vs local analyses of perceptual information using tachistoscopic tasks and on top-down vs bottom-up conceptual processing using card-sort tasks. The schizophrenic group performed more poorly on tasks requiring either global analyses (counting lines when distracting circles were present) or top-down conceptual processing (rule learning) than they did on tasks requiring local analyses (counting heterogeneous lines) or bottom-up processing (attribute identification). The schizophrenic group appeared not to use conceptually guided processing. Normal adults showed the reverse pattern. The depressive group performed similarly to the schizophrenic group on perceptual tasks but closer to the normal group on conceptual tasks, thereby appearing to be less dependent on a particular information-processing strategy. These deficits in organizational strategy may be related to the use of available processing resources as well as the allocation of attention.

[Cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenic psychoses. Drug and psychological treatment choices].

PubMed

Sachs, G; Katschnig, H

2001-03-01

Primarily from the perspective of psychopharmacology, schizophrenic symptomatology has recently been dichotomized into "plus" and "minus" symptoms, although the role of cognitive dysfunctions has been regarded as particularly important for the diagnosis since the time of Eugen Bleuler. Many studies show that schizophrenic patients suffer consistently from cognitive dysfunction. Among these, are impairments of attention and memory functions as well as executive functions such as planning and problem solving. These impairments are stable or progressive and often continue into the remission phase of schizophrenia and impair both social integration as well as occupational performance. In this overview, research results on cognitive dysfunction in patients with schizophrenic illnesses and their relation to psychosocial disabilities are described first. The therapeutic value and possible clinical-practice implications of atypical anti-psychotics and various cognitive therapy methods are then presented. Methodological weaknesses and open questions, both pharmacological and with regard to cognitive interventions, are discussed.

Hypochondriasis and obsessive-compulsive disorder in schizophrenic patients treated with clozapine vs other atypical antipsychotics.

PubMed

Grassi, Giacomo; Poli, Lorenzo; Cantisani, Andrea; Righi, Lorenzo; Ferrari, Gabriella; Pallanti, Stefano

2014-08-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence rates of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and hypochondriasis in schizophrenic patients treated with atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) and to investigate the different comorbidity rates of OCD and hypochondriasis between clozapine-treated patients and patients treated with other AAPs. We therefore recruited 60 schizophrenic patients treated with clozapine or other AAPs. We assessed the prevalence rates of OCD or OC symptoms and hypochondriasis or hypochondriac symptoms in the whole group of patients and in clozapine-treated patients versus patients treated with other AAPs. Schizophrenic patients had a higher comorbidity rate of OCD (26.6% vs 1-3%) and hypochondriasis (20% vs 1%) than the general population. These comorbidities were more frequent in schizophrenic patients treated with clozapine versus patients treated with other AAPs (36.7% vs 16.7% and 33.3% vs 6.7%). Clozapine-treated patients showed a higher mean Y-BOCS and HY-BOCS score when compared to patients treated with other AAPs (10.90 vs 5.90, p = .099; 15.40 vs 8.93, p = .166). A statistical significant correlation was found between the Y-BOCS and HY-BOCS scores of the whole group (r = .378, p = 0.03). Furthermore, we found an inverse correlation between the global level of functioning and the diagnosis of hypochondriasis (p = .048) and the severity of hypochondriac symptoms (p = .047). Hypochondriasis could represent an important clinical feature of schizophrenic patients treated with atypical antipsychotics, and further research is needed in this field.

LORETA imaging of P300 in schizophrenia with individual MRI and 128-channel EEG.

PubMed

Pae, Ji Soo; Kwon, Jun Soo; Youn, Tak; Park, Hae-Jeong; Kim, Myung Sun; Lee, Boreom; Park, Kwang Suk

2003-11-01

We investigated the characteristics of P300 generators in schizophrenics by using voxel-based statistical parametric mapping of current density images. P300 generators, produced by a rare target tone of 1500 Hz (15%) under a frequent nontarget tone of 1000 Hz (85%), were measured in 20 right-handed schizophrenics and 21 controls. Low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA), using a realistic head model of the boundary element method based on individual MRI, was applied to the 128-channel EEG. Three-dimensional current density images were reconstructed from the LORETA intensity maps that covered the whole cortical gray matter. Spatial normalization and intensity normalization of the smoothed current density images were used to reduce anatomical variance and subject-specific global activity and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was applied for the statistical analysis. We found that the sources of P300 were consistently localized at the left superior parietal area in normal subjects, while those of schizophrenics were diversely distributed. Upon statistical comparison, schizophrenics, with globally reduced current densities, showed a significant P300 current density reduction in the left medial temporal area and in the left inferior parietal area, while both left prefrontal and right orbitofrontal areas were relatively activated. The left parietotemporal area was found to correlate negatively with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total scores of schizophrenic patients. In conclusion, the reduced and increased areas of current density in schizophrenic patients suggest that the medial temporal and frontal areas contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, the frontotemporal circuitry abnormality.

Superior Temporal Gyrus Volume Abnormalities and Thought Disorder in Left-Handed Schizophrenic Men

PubMed Central

Holinger, Dorothy P.; Shenton, Martha E.; Wible, Cynthia G.; Donnino, Robert; Kikinis, Ron; Jolesz, Ferenc A.; McCarley, Robert W.

2010-01-01

Objective Studies of schizophrenia have not clearly defined handedness as a differentiating variable. Moreover, the relationship between thought disorder and anatomical anomalies has not been studied extensively in left-handed schizophrenic men. The twofold purpose of this study was to investigate gray matter volumes in the superior temporal gyrus of the temporal lobe (left and right hemispheres) in left-handed schizophrenic men and left-handed comparison men, in order to determine whether thought disorder in the left-handed schizophrenic men correlated with tissue volume abnormalities. Method Left-handed male patients (N=8) with DSM-III-R diagnoses of schizophrenia were compared with left-handed comparison men (N=10) matched for age, socioeconomic status, and IQ. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a 1.5-T magnet was used to obtain scans, which consisted of contiguous 1.5-mm slices of the whole brain. MRI analyses (as previously defined by the authors) included the anterior, posterior, and total superior temporal gyrus in both the left and right hemispheres. Results There were three significant findings regarding the left-handed schizophrenic men: 1) bilaterally smaller gray matter volumes in the posterior superior temporal gyrus (16% smaller on the right, 15% smaller on the left); 2) a smaller volume on the right side of the total superior temporal gyrus; and 3) a positive correlation between thought disorder and tissue volume in the right anterior superior temporal gyrus. Conclusions These results suggest that expression of brain pathology differs between left-handed and right-handed schizophrenic men and that the pathology is related to cognitive disturbance. PMID:10553736

Reading in Schizophrenic Subjects and Their Nonsymptomatic First-Degree Relatives

PubMed Central

Roberts, Eryl O.; Proudlock, Frank A.; Martin, Kate; Reveley, Michael A.; Al-Uzri, Mohammed; Gottlob, Irene

2013-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated eye movement abnormalities during smooth pursuit and antisaccadic tasks in schizophrenia. However, eye movements have not been investigated during reading. The purpose of this study was to determine whether schizophrenic subjects and their nonsymptomatic first-degree relatives show eye movement abnormalities during reading. Reading rate, number of saccades per line, amplitudes of saccades, percentage regressions (reverse saccades), and fixation durations were measured using an eye tracker (EyeLink, SensoMotoric Instruments, Germany) in 38 schizophrenic volunteers, 14 nonaffected first-degree relatives, and 57 control volunteers matched for age and National Adult Reading Test scores. Parameters were examined when volunteers read full pages of text and text was limited to progressively smaller viewing areas around the point of fixation using a gaze-contingent window. Schizophrenic volunteers showed significantly slower reading rates (P = .004), increase in total number of saccades (P ≤ .001), and a decrease in saccadic amplitude (P = .025) while reading. Relatives showed a significant increase in total number of saccades (P = .013) and decrease in saccadic amplitude (P = .020). Limitation of parafoveal information by reducing the amount of visible characters did not change the reading rate of schizophrenics but controls showed a significant decrease in reading rate with reduced parafoveal information (P < .001). Eye movement abnormalities during reading of schizophrenic volunteers and their first-degree relatives suggest that visual integration of foveal and parafoveal information may be reduced in schizophrenia. Reading abnormalities in relatives suggest a genetic influence in reading ability in schizophrenia and rule out confounding effects of medication. PMID:22267532

Chemistry, physiology and neuropsychology of schizophrenia: towards an earlier diagnosis of schizophrenia I.

PubMed

Kornhuber, H H

1983-01-01

Data supporting the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia are presented. The glutamate hypothesis is linked to the dopamine hypothesis by the fact that dopamine synapses inhibit the release of glutamate in the striate and mesolimbic system. The glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia may open a way to find better drugs for treatment. The concept of schizophrenia I is described. It consists of "negative symptoms" such as disconcentration or reduction of energy. Schizophrenia I precedes and follows schizophrenia II with "positive symptoms," e.g. hallucinations and delusions. Schizophrenia I so far cannot be diagnosed as schizophrenia unless schizophrenia II appears. Chemical, physiological or neuropsychological methods for the diagnosis of schizophrenia I would render an earlier treatment of schizophrenia possible and thus make social and occupational rehabilitation more efficient. An objective diagnosis of schizophrenia I may also elucidate the mode of genetic transmission of schizophrenia. Several neuropsychological methods distinguish schizophrenic patients as a group from normals. Some of them are based on a specific disturbance of long term concentration. The EEG also distinguishes schizophrenics from normals when analyzed during voluntary movement. For schizophrenics it takes more effort to initiate a voluntary movement, and there are several features of the EEG correlated to this. Moreover, the longer motor reaction time of schizophrenics is paralleled by a longer duration of the Bereitschaftspotential in schizophrenia. Furthermore, there is a difference in the theta rhythm between schizophrenic patients and normals in a task which requires concentration. Some of the children of schizophrenic parents show a disturbance of concentration in both reaction time tasks and the d 2 test.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Auditory Processing Speed and Signal Detection in Schizophrenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korboot, P. J.; Damiani, N.

1976-01-01

Two differing explanations of schizophrenic processing deficit were examined: Chapman and McGhie's and Yates'. Thirty-two schizophrenics, classified on the acute-chronic and paranoid-nonparanoid dimensions, and eight neurotics were tested on two dichotic listening tasks. (Editor)

Magical Ideation and Schizophrenia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

George, Leonard; Neufeld, Richard W. J.

1987-01-01

Administered the Eckblad and Chapman (1983) Magical Ideation Scale to groups of paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics and control subjects. Schizophrenics scored significantly higher than nonschizophrenic patients (mainly cases of affective disorder) and normal control subjects. Discusses theoretical and prognostic utility of this finding.…

The Schizophrenic Brain: Rewriting the Chapter.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenberg, Joel

1979-01-01

Evidence of last two decades indicates schizophrenic disorders related to imbalance of brain chemicals. Recent discovery made of association between chronic schizophrenia and variety of structural abnormalities. Included are frontal lobe reversal and accipital lobe reversal. Computer tomography scans and data presented. (SA)

Ineffectiveness of deanol in tardive dyskinesia: a placebo controlled study.

PubMed

de Montigny, C; Chouinard, G; Annable, L

1979-11-01

In a double-blind placebo-controlled study, deanol acetamidobenzoate, administered in doses up to 1.5 g q.d. for three weeks to chronic schizophrenic patients presenting moderate to severe tardive dyskinesia, failed to alleviate the dyskinetic movements. However, there was a tendency for a significant increase in the schizophrenic symptoms of the deanol-treated group relative to the control group. The ineffectiveness of deanol in alleviating tardive dyskinesia is consistent with its inability to enhance brain acetylcholine synthesis. The worsening of the schizophrenic symptoms may possibly result from an interference by deanol with central cholinergic function.

A controlled comparison of the effects of social skills training and remedial drama on the conversational skills of chronic schizophrenic inpatients.

PubMed

Spencer, P G; Gillespie, C R; Ekisa, E G

1983-08-01

This study compared the effects of social-skills training, remedial drama and group discussion on the conversation skills of chronic schizophrenic patients. After 16 one-hour treatment sessions only the social-skills training resulted in significant improvement, which was maintained at two-month follow-up. Although there was little evidence to support generalisation, the results are seen as indicating the usefulness of social-skills training in improving the performance level of chronic schizophrenic inpatients and in maintaining their social functioning. The implications for future rehabilitation practice are discussed.

[Eyes test performance among unaffected mothers of patients with schizophrenia].

PubMed

Birdal, Seval; Yıldırım, Ejder Akgün; Arslan Delice, Mehtap; Yavuz, Kasım Fatih; Kurt, Erhan

2015-01-01

Theory of Mind (ToM) deficit is a widely accepted feature of schizophrenia. A number of studies have examined ToM deficits of first degree relatives of schizophrenic patients as genetic markers of schizophrenia. Examination of mentalization capacity among mothers of schizophrenia patients may improve our understanding of theory of mind impairments in schizophrenia. The aim of this study is to use Reading Mind in the Eyes test to examine theory of mind capacity among mothers of schizophrenic patients. Performance during the test "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" (Eyes Test) was compared between the mothers of schizophrenic patients (n=47) and mothers whose children have no psychotic mental illness (n=47). Test results were analyzed based on the categorization of test items as positive, negative, and neutral. Mothers of schizophrenic patients displayed poorer performance during the Eyes Test compare to mothers in the control group, particularly in the recognition of positive and neutral mental representations. There was no statistically significant difference in the recognition of negative mental representations between mothers of patients and the control groups. The results of this study indicate that mothers of schizophrenic patients differ in some theory of mind patterns. Theory of mind may be an important developmental or endophenotipic factor in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and should be further evaluated using other biological markers.

Gender differences in facial emotion recognition in persons with chronic schizophrenia.

PubMed

Weiss, Elisabeth M; Kohler, Christian G; Brensinger, Colleen M; Bilker, Warren B; Loughead, James; Delazer, Margarete; Nolan, Karen A

2007-03-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate possible sex differences in the recognition of facial expressions of emotion and to investigate the pattern of classification errors in schizophrenic males and females. Such an approach provides an opportunity to inspect the degree to which males and females differ in perceiving and interpreting the different emotions displayed to them and to analyze which emotions are most susceptible to recognition errors. Fifty six chronically hospitalized schizophrenic patients (38 men and 18 women) completed the Penn Emotion Recognition Test (ER40), a computerized emotion discrimination test presenting 40 color photographs of evoked happy, sad, anger, fear expressions and neutral expressions balanced for poser gender and ethnicity. We found a significant sex difference in the patterns of error rates in the Penn Emotion Recognition Test. Neutral faces were more commonly mistaken as angry in schizophrenic men, whereas schizophrenic women misinterpreted neutral faces more frequently as sad. Moreover, female faces were better recognized overall, but fear was better recognized in same gender photographs, whereas anger was better recognized in different gender photographs. The findings of the present study lend support to the notion that sex differences in aggressive behavior could be related to a cognitive style characterized by hostile attributions to neutral faces in schizophrenic men.

Smoking in schizophrenic patients: A critique of the self-medication hypothesis

PubMed Central

Manzella, Francesca; Maloney, Susan E; Taylor, George T

2015-01-01

A common remark among laypeople, and notably also among mental health workers, is that individuals with mental illnesses use drugs as self-medication to allay clinical symptoms and the side effects of drug treatments. Roots of the self-medication concept in psychiatry date back at least to the 1980s. Observations that rates of smokers in schizophrenic patients are multiple times the rates for regular smoking in the general population, as well as those with other disorders, proved particularly tempting for a self-medication explanation. Additional evidence came from experiments with animal models exposed to nicotine and the identification of neurobiological mechanisms suggesting self-medication with smoking is a plausible idea. More recently, results from studies comparing smoking and non-smoking schizophrenic patients have led to the questioning of the self-medication hypothesis. Closer examination of the literature points to the possibility that smoking is less beneficial on schizophrenic symptomology than generally assumed while clearly increasing the risk of cancer and other smoking-related diseases responsible for early mortality. It is a good time to examine the evidence for the self-medication concept as it relates to smoking. Our approach is to focus on data addressing direct or implied predictions of the hypothesis in schizophrenic smokers. PMID:25815253

A polydiagnostic approach to the differences in the symptoms of schizophrenia in different cultural and ethnic populations.

PubMed

Maslowski, J; Jansen van Rensburg, D; Mthoko, N

1998-07-01

This study evaluates the pathoplastic influences of ethnicity and culture on the symptoms of schizophrenia. A sample of 113 schizophrenics was evaluated using the Present State Examination (PSE) and Landmark's Manual for the Assessment of Schizophrenia. The subjects were 57 coloured and 56 black individuals. Six different tribes of Bantu, Negroid and Khoisan origin and with different language and cultural backgrounds were represented among the black subjects. Core symptoms remained basically the same in two groups, but the content of positive symptoms was found to be influenced by culture. However, no statistically significant differences in the presentation of negative symptoms were found in terms of quantity, but there were qualitative differences between the ethnic groups.

Conformity and Psychopathology: A Comparative Study of Conformity Behaviors in Manic-depressive, Paranoid Schizophrenic and Normal Populations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsella, Anthony J.

1975-01-01

The present study investigated the relationship between conformity and psychopathology in male and female manic-depressive (MD), paranoid schizophrenics (PS), and normals (N) on two conformity tasks under conditions of live social pressure. (Author)

Remedying Social Skills Deficits in a Chronic Schizophrenic-Retarded Person.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Henry J.; Martin, Rose

1983-01-01

An adult chronic schizophrenic, residual type, with an additional diagnosis of mild-moderate retardation, received social skills training (SST). Videotaped role-play assessments showed change occurred following SST, while a multiple-baseline design demonstrated functional control over the behaviors. (Author/CL)

The Comprehension of Idiomatic Expressions in Schizophrenic Patients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schettino, Antonio; Lauro, Leonor Romero; Crippa, Franca; Anselmetti, Simona; Cavallaro, Roberto; Papagno, Costanza

2010-01-01

Recent fMRI and TMS studies on idiom comprehension have shown that the prefrontal cortex is involved in idiom processing. Since schizophrenic patients exhibit prefrontal "structural" changes and dysexecutive "behavioural" deficits, we hypothesised an impairment in idiom comprehension, correlating with performance on executive…

Dissociation of emotional decision-making from cognitive decision-making in chronic schizophrenia.

PubMed

Lee, Yanghyun; Kim, Yang-Tae; Seo, Eugene; Park, Oaktae; Jeong, Sung-Hun; Kim, Sang Heon; Lee, Seung-Jae

2007-08-30

Recent studies have examined the decision-making ability of schizophrenic patients using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). These studies, however, were restricted to the assessment of emotional decision-making. Decision-making depends on cognitive functions as well as on emotion. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of schizophrenic patients on the IGT and the Game of Dice Task (GDT), a decision-making task with explicit rules for gains and losses. In addition, it was intended to test whether poor performance on IGT is attributable to impairments in reversal learning within the schizophrenia group using the Simple Reversal Learning Task (SRLT), which is sensitive to measure the deficit of reversal learning following ventromedial prefrontal cortex damage. A group of 23 stable schizophrenic patients and 28 control subjects performed computerized versions of the IGT, GDT, SRLT and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). While schizophrenic patients performed poorly on the IGT relative to normal controls, there was no significant difference between the two groups on GDT performance. The performance of the schizophrenia group on the SRLT was poorer than that of controls, but was not related to IGT performance. These data suggest that schizophrenic patients have impaired emotional decision-making but intact cognitive decision-making, suggesting that these two processes of decision-making are different. Furthermore, the impairments in reversal learning did not contribute to poor performance on the IGT in schizophrenia. Therefore, schizophrenic patients have difficulty in making decisions under ambiguous and uncertain situations whereas they make choices easily in clear and unequivocal ones. The emotional decision-making deficits in schizophrenia might be attributable more to another mechanism such as a somatic marker hypothesis than to an impairment in reversal learning.

The planetary positions and relationships at the dates of birth of a cohort of Nigerian schizophrenics.

PubMed

Ohaeri, J U

1997-01-01

Some astrological hypotheses related to predisposition to severe mental illness were tested by analysing the zodiacal signs, the interactions between planetary qualities (aspects), and the occurrence of full and new moon dates, on the dates of birth of 221 schizophrenics, compared with 112 normal subjects. The sun signs of the schizophrenics were significantly more likely to be in the signs associated with introversion, while those of the control population were significantly more likely to be in the outgoing signs. A significantly higher proportion of schizophrenics had their Mars (i.e., symbol of aggressiveness) in the outgoing signs than the normal population. A significantly higher proportion of control subjects fulfilled operational criteria for adequacy of number of aspects between the sun and the other planets. The tendency for a higher proportion of schizophrenics to have "difficult" aspects just failed to reach significance. A significantly higher proportion of control subjects had aspects between the sun and mars; and also a significantly higher proportion of control subjects had "soft" (helpful) aspects between the sun and mars. These findings are in keeping with the well-known oddity of schizophrenia (schiz = split; phren = mind); such that, a group which collectively is characterised by an "introverted" self (i.e. sun sign), has a coexisting aggressive tendency (i.e. strong mars) and poor integration between the elements of the psyche and the self (i.e. inadequacy of aspects between Sun and other planets). However, the findings give only partial support to key astrological postulates because there was a non-significant trend for more schizophrenics to be born in "water" signs and on full moon dates.

EEG theta power and coherence to octave illusion in first-episode paranoid schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations.

PubMed

Zheng, Leilei; Chai, Hao; Yu, Shaohua; Xu, You; Chen, Wanzhen; Wang, Wei

2015-01-01

The exact mechanism behind auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia remains unknown. A corollary discharge dysfunction hypothesis has been put forward, but it requires further confirmation. Electroencephalography (EEG) of the Deutsch octave illusion might offer more insight, by demonstrating an abnormal cerebral activation similar to that under auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients. We invited 23 first-episode schizophrenic patients with auditory hallucinations and 23 healthy participants to listen to silence and two sound sequences, which consisted of alternating 400- and 800-Hz tones. EEG spectral power and coherence values of different frequency bands, including theta rhythm (3.5-7.5 Hz), were computed using 32 scalp electrodes. Task-related spectral power changes and task-related coherence differences were also calculated. Clinical characteristics of patients were rated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. After both sequences of octave illusion, the task-related theta power change values of frontal and temporal areas were significantly lower, and the task-related theta coherence difference values of intrahemispheric frontal-temporal areas were significantly higher in schizophrenic patients than in healthy participants. Moreover, the task-related power change values in both hemispheres were negatively correlated and the task-related coherence difference values in the right hemisphere were positively correlated with the hallucination score in schizophrenic patients. We only tested the Deutsch octave illusion in primary schizophrenic patients with acute first episode. Further studies might adopt other illusions or employ other forms of schizophrenia. Our results showed a lower activation but higher connection within frontal and temporal areas in schizophrenic patients under octave illusion. This suggests an oversynchronized but weak frontal area to exert an action to the ipsilateral temporal area, which supports the corollary discharge dysfunction hypothesis. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Significant treatment effect of adjunct music therapy to standard treatment on the positive, negative, and mood symptoms of schizophrenic patients: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Tseng, Ping-Tao; Chen, Yen-Wen; Lin, Pao-Yen; Tu, Kun-Yu; Wang, Hung-Yu; Cheng, Yu-Shian; Chang, Yi-Chung; Chang, Chih-Hua; Chung, Weilun; Wu, Ching-Kuan

2016-01-26

Music therapy (MT) has been used as adjunct therapy for schizophrenia for decades. However, its role is still inconclusive. A recent meta-analysis demonstrated that MT for schizophrenic patients only significantly benefits negative symptoms and mood symptoms rather than positive symptoms. In addition, the association between specific characteristics of MT and the treatment effect remains unclear. The aim of this study was to update the published data and to explore the role of music therapy in adjunct treatment in schizophrenia with a thorough meta-analysis. We compared the treatment effect in schizophrenic patients with standard treatment who did and did not receive adjunct MT through a meta-analysis, and investigated the clinical characteristics of MT through meta-regression. The main finding was that the treatment effect was significantly better in the patients who received adjunct MT than in those who did not, in negative symptoms, mood symptoms, and also positive symptoms (all p < 0.05). This significance did not change after dividing the patients into subgroups of different total duration of MT, amounts of sessions, or frequency of MT. Besides, the treatment effect on the general symptoms was significantly positively associated with the whole duration of illness, indicating that MT would be beneficial for schizophrenic patients with a chronic course. Our meta-analysis highlights a significantly better treatment effect in schizophrenic patients who received MT than in those who did not, especially in those with a chronic course, regardless of the duration, frequency, or amounts of sessions of MT. These findings provide evidence that clinicians should apply MT for schizophrenic patients to alleviate disease severity.

Gray matter-changes and correlates of disease severity in schizophrenia: a statistical parametric mapping study.

PubMed

Wilke, M; Kaufmann, C; Grabner, A; Pütz, B; Wetter, T C; Auer, D P

2001-05-01

Voxel-based morphometry has recently been used successfully to detect gray matter volume reductions in schizophrenic patients. The aim of the present study was to confirm the findings on gray-matter changes and to complement these by applying the methodology to CSF-differences. Also, we wanted to determine whether a correlation exists between a clinically defined parameter of disease severity and brain morphology in schizophrenic patients. We investigated 48 schizophrenic patients and compared them with 48 strictly age- and sex-matched controls. High-resolution whole-brain MR-images were segmented and analyzed using SPM99. In a further analysis, the covariate effect of the global assessment of functioning-score (GAF) was calculated. Main findings were (i) left-dominant frontal, temporal, and insular GM-reductions and (ii) GM-increases in schizophrenic patients in the right basal ganglia and bilaterally in the superior cerebellum; (iii) CSF-space increases in patients complementary to some GM-reductions; (iv) a correlation between the GAF-score and local GM-volume in the left inferior frontal and inferior parietal lobe of schizophrenic patients. This study confirms and extends some earlier findings on GM-reduction and detected distinct GM-increases in schizophrenic patients. These changes were corroborated by complementary CSF-increases. Most importantly, a correlation could be established between two particular gray matter-regions and the overall disease severity, with more severely ill patients displaying a local GM-deficit. These findings may be of potentially large importance for both the future interpretation and design of neuroimaging studies in schizophrenia and the further elucidation of possible pathophysiological processes occurring in this disease. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Adequate antipsychotic treatment normalizes serum nerve growth factor concentrations in schizophrenia with and without cannabis or additional substance abuse.

PubMed

Jockers-Scherübl, Maria C; Rentzsch, Johannes; Danker-Hopfe, Heidi; Radzei, Nicole; Schürer, Falk; Bahri, Sharif; Hellweg, Rainer

2006-06-12

Neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are important for the development and maintenance of neuron function. Neurodevelopment is thought to be impaired in schizophrenia, and vulnerable schizophrenic brains may be more sensitive to toxic influences. Thus, cannabis as a neurotoxin (and other substances) may be more harmful to schizophrenic brains than to non-schizophrenic brains, when used chronically. In a previous study we demonstrated an earlier disease onset and significantly higher serum NGF concentrations in drug-naïve schizophrenic patients with previous long-term cannabis abuse than in schizophrenics without cannabis abuse or cannabis abusers without schizophrenia. We therefore investigated whether this difference is still observed after treatment. Serum NGF measured in 114 treated schizophrenic patients (schizophrenia alone, n=66; schizophrenia plus cannabis abuse, n=42; schizophrenia plus multiple substance abuse, n=6) no longer differed significantly among those groups and from the control groups (healthy controls, n=51; cannabis controls, n=24; multiple substance controls, n=6). These results were confirmed by an additional prospective study in 28 patients suffering from schizophrenia (S) or schizophrenia with cannabis abuse (SC). Previously elevated serum NGF levels in the drug-naïve state, also differing between the groups (S: 83.44+/-265.25 pg/ml; SC: 246.89+/-310.24 pg/ml, S versus SC: p=0.03) dropped to 10.72+/-14.13 pg/ml (S) and 34.19+/-38.96 pg/ml (SC) (S versus SC, p>0.05), respectively, after adequate antipsychotic treatment. We thus conclude that antipsychotic treatment leads to recovery of neural integrity, as indicated by renormalized NGF values.

Comparisons of methamphetamine psychotic and schizophrenic symptoms: a differential item functioning analysis.

PubMed

Srisurapanont, Manit; Arunpongpaisal, Suwanna; Wada, Kiyoshi; Marsden, John; Ali, Robert; Kongsakon, Ronnachai

2011-06-01

The concept of negative symptoms in methamphetamine (MA) psychosis (e.g., poverty of speech, flatten affect, and loss of drive) is still uncertain. This study aimed to use differential item functioning (DIF) statistical techniques to differentiate the severity of psychotic symptoms between MA psychotic and schizophrenic patients. Data of MA psychotic and schizophrenic patients were those of the participants in the WHO Multi-Site Project on Methamphetamine-Induced Psychosis (or WHO-MAIP study) and the Risperidone Long-Acting Injection in Thai Schizophrenic Patients (or RLAI-Thai study), respectively. To confirm the unidimensionality of psychotic syndromes, we applied the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) on the eight items of Manchester scale. We conducted the DIF analysis of psychotic symptoms observed in both groups by using nonparametric kernel-smoothing techniques of item response theory. A DIF composite index of 0.30 or greater indicated the difference of symptom severity. The analyses included the data of 168 MA psychotic participants and the baseline data of 169 schizophrenic patients. For both data sets, the EFA and CFA suggested a three-factor model of the psychotic symptoms, including negative syndrome (poverty of speech, psychomotor retardation and flatten/incongruous affect), positive syndrome (delusions, hallucinations and incoherent speech) and anxiety/depression syndrome (anxiety and depression). The DIF composite indexes comparing the severity differences of all eight psychotic symptoms were lower than 0.3. The results suggest that, at the same level of syndrome severity (i.e., negative, positive, and anxiety/depression syndromes), the severity of psychotic symptoms, including the negative ones, observed in MA psychotic and schizophrenic patients are almost the same. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Size Estimation in Schizophrenic and Nonschizophrenic Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopfstein, Joan Held; Neale, John M.

1971-01-01

The results of this study showed no significant differences in the size estimation levels of acute and chronic schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic psychiatric patients. Also, there were no significant differences when these groups were subdivided on the basis of both premorbid adjustment and paranoid status. (Author/CG)

Information Processing by Schizophrenics When Task Complexity Increases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirt, Michael; And Others

1977-01-01

The performance of hospitalized paranoid schizophrenics, nonparanoids, and hospitalized controls was compared on motor, perceptual, and cognitive tasks of increasing complexity. The data were examined within the context of comparing differential predictions made by input and central processing theories of information-processing deficit. (Editor)

Comment on Differentiating Paranoid From Nonparanoid Schizophrenics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calhoun, James F.

1971-01-01

Three methods of differentiating paranoid from nonparanoid schizophrenics were compared using 97 males from a Veterans Administration hospital. Official hospital diagnosis and behavior ratings were found to be significantly correlated, while self-report correlated with neither of the other two techniques. Implications for research are briefly…

Perceived Attitudes of Schizophrenic Inpatients in Relation to Rehospitalization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Brian; And Others

1987-01-01

Schizophrenic inpatients who were ready for discharge completed the Influential Relationships Questionnaire, measuring their perceptions of three characteristic attitudes (care, overprotection, and criticism) demonstrated by two influential people in the patients' lives. Readmitted patients rated the second-most influential person higher on the…

The Well Siblings of Schizophrenics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuels, Laurel; Chase, Laura

1979-01-01

Explores the impact of having a schizophrenic sibling. Subjects functioned at high levels of adjustment. Separated from their families, there followed a period of reinvolvement, including responsibility for the ill sibling. Younger siblings expressed guilt over being well, whereas older siblings expressed guilt over earlier sibling rivalry.…

Depressive syndromes among female caregivers of schizophrenic patients in prof. dr. m. ildrem mental hospital medan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handi, A.; Husada, M. S.; Gultom, D. P.

2018-03-01

Caring for schizophrenic patients can lead to emotional distress. It remains unclear about the level of depressive syndromes among female caregivers of schizophrenic patients. To determine the level of depression among female caregivers of schizophrenic patients. This is a descriptive study with a cross-sectional approach to describe the level of depression of female caregivers in Prof. dr. M. Ildrem Mental Hospital Medan, using HADS instruments. Most age group of caregivers is from age 51-60 years that is 48.15%, caregiver’s work status mostly not works (62.96%), marital status of caregiver mostly is married (59.26%), kinship with most patients are a biological mother (57.41%). Most patient age group is from age below 30 years (50%), work status of most patients is not working (81.48%), marital status of most caregiver is married (83.33%). Mostly of the depressive syndrome is mild depression (42.59%). Mostly of the depressive syndrome is from mild depression.

[Disorders of cognitive activity in schizophrenics].

PubMed

Follin, S; Perrette, J; Sandretto, M

1979-01-01

4 tests are exploring the cognitive activity of 3 groups of persons: normal, mental patients of various types, schizophrenics, homogeneous as far as the I.Q. is concerned (above 110) and education (secondary school, or university). Whereas normal and mental patients give identical results, except that they are worse for the latter, schizophrenics have better success than other patients in two tests of logic-mathematical reasoning and obviously worse in two tests of experimental logic. These results are interpreted in the frame of Piaget's theory as demonstrating the discordance of the very dynamics of schizophrenic thinking whose cognitive activity is at the same time too near to the object by adherence to the perceived structure (too concrete) and too far from it by adherence to formal reasoning schemes acquired under genetic development (too abstract). These results are coherent with clinical features showing that autistic thinking is not only discordant by its contents and its meaning, but also by the formal dynamic patterns of its modus operandi.

Information processing deficits in psychiatric populations: Implications for normal workload assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, Philip D.

1988-01-01

In one study, schizophrenics, bipolar manics, and mentally normal individuals were administered a digit recall task. The total performance of schizophrenics looked much like that of a normal processor under a higher load level. The manics' performance was intermediate. Primary performance was particularly poor among the mentally ill subjects. In a second study, three groups in the same populations as in the first study were asked to shadow and recall verbatim eight descriptive text passages. Distraction effects were found for schizophrenics only in the areas of percentage of words correctly shadowed and recall variables; the two areas were not correlated, however. It appears that, for schizophrenics, distraction disrupts the ability to effectively shadow information to a greater extent than it disrupts the ability to encode information for recall. The two studies imply that capacity-carrying abnormalities that affect the quantity but not the quality of information processing can be useful in pointing to information processing of normal humans under high load conditions.

GABA and homovanillic acid in the plasma of Schizophrenic and bipolar I patients.

PubMed

Arrúe, Aurora; Dávila, Ricardo; Zumárraga, Mercedes; Basterreche, Nieves; González-Torres, Miguel A; Goienetxea, Biotza; Zamalloa, Maria I; Anguiano, Juan B; Guimón, José

2010-02-01

We have determined the plasma (p) concentration of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA), and the pHVA/pGABA ratio in schizophrenic and bipolar patients. The research was undertaken in a geographic area with an ethnically homogeneous population. The HVA plasma concentrations were significantly elevated in the schizophrenic patients compared to the bipolar patients. The levels of pGABA was significantly lower in the two groups of patients compared to the control group, while the pHVA/pGABA ratio was significantly greater in the both groups of patients compared to the controls. As the levels of pHVA and pGABA are partially under genetic control it is better to compare their concentrations within an homogeneous population. The values of the ratio pHVA/pGABA are compatible with the idea of an abnormal dopamine-GABA interaction in schizophrenic and bipolar patients. The pHVA/pGABA ratio may be a good peripheral marker in psychiatric research.

Viewing strategies for simple and chimeric faces: an investigation of perceptual bias in normals and schizophrenic patients using visual scan paths.

PubMed

Phillips, M L; David, A S

1997-11-01

Left hemi-face (LHF) perceptual bias of chimeric faces in normal right-handers is well-documented. We investigated mechanisms underlying this by measuring visual scan paths in right-handed normal controls (n = 9) and schizophrenics (n = 8) for simple, full-face photographs and schematic, happy-sad chimeric faces over 5 s. Normals viewed the left side/ LHF first, more so than the right of all stimuli. Schizophrenics viewed the LHF first more than the right of stimuli for which there was a LHF choice of predominant affect. Neither group demonstrated an overall LHF perceptual bias for the chimeric stimuli. Readjustment of the initial LHF bias in controls was probably a result of increased attention to stimulus detail with scanning, whereas the schizophrenics demonstrated difficulty in redirection of the initial focus of attention. The study highlights the role of visual scan paths as a marker of normal and abnormal attentional processes. Copyright 1997 Academic Press.

Long-term outcome of schizoaffective disorder. Are there any differences with respect to schizophrenia?

PubMed

Pinna, Federica; Sanna, Lucia; Perra, Valeria; Pisu Randaccio, Rachele; Diana, Enrica; Carpiniello, Bernardo

2014-01-01

A number of studies suggest that the clinical characteristics and long-term outcome of schizoaffective patients closely resemble those observed in schizophrenia when cases are diagnosed according to DSM criteria. The primary aim was to compare remission and recovery rates in a cohort of chronic schizoaffective and schizophrenic outpatients. A sample of 102 consecutive outpatients, 46 affected by schizophrenia (45.1%, mean age 44.22±9.97 years) and 66 affected by schizoaffective disorder (54.9%, mean age 43.00±9.07 years) was examined in the study. Personal data and psychiatric history were collected according to AMDP system; premorbid assessment was performed by means of PAS. Axis I and II psychiatric diagnosis was confirmed by means of SCID-I and II. Psychopathological status was evaluated by means of PANSS and CGI-SCH scales; neuropsychological evaluation was performed by means of BACS and MMSE; Functioning, subjective well-being and quality of life were respectively evaluated by means of PSP, SWN and WHOQoL-bref. Schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients investigated were characterized by an overlapping age at onset, mean duration of illness, mean duration of untreated psychosis and common sociodemographic characteristics; subjects' cross-sectional psychopathological and neurocognitive profiles were remarkably similar. However, schizoaffective patients are more frequently of the female gender, showing a better social premorbid adjustment and a somewhat more complicated clinical course in terms of more frequent hospitalizations and suicidality; outcome measures are substantially better among schizoaffective patients: rates of clinical remission were 43.5% and 54.5% in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients, respectively; 13% and 25.8% of schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients, respectively, were considered as functionally remitted; recovery was observed in 6.5% and 22.7% of schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients, respectively; the majority of patients, both schizophrenic and schizoaffective, were taking antipsychotics, mainly atypical, although a significantly higher proportion of schizoaffective subjects were on mood stabilizers, antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Compared to schizophrenic patients, DSM-IV-TR schizoaffective patients may be considered as a subgroup of psychotic patients displaying several specific characteristics in terms of clinical course, clinical and functional outcome and treatment.

Plasma homovanillic acid in schizophrenics: supportive evidence for the two-subtype hypothesis.

PubMed

Chen, T Y; Lee, C F; Lung, F W; Lee, T C; Lin, W L; Hu, W H; Yeh, E K; Chang, W H

1989-06-01

Plasma levels of homovanillic acid (pHVA), a major metabolite of dopamine (DA), were measured in a group of 51 schizophrenic inpatients before and during 6 weeks of neuroleptic treatment. Steady-state plasma drug concentrations were monitored in parallel with pHVA. Good responders (n = 22) had higher pretreatment pHVA levels as compared to poor responders (n = 22). Differential pHVA changes during neuroleptic treatment were also found between each group. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of age, duration of illness, severity of presenting symptoms, neuroleptic, dose, or plasma drug concentration. Two hypothetical subtypes in the group of schizophrenics were proposed.

Final Report of the Vocational Assessment Project, 1979-80.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutgers, The State Univ., New Brunswick, NJ. School of Medicine.

To improve vocational rehabilitation programs for schizophrenic persons, a project sought to design an effective assessment strategy. Inactive records of schizophrenic clients at New Jersey sheltered workshops were examined to determine validity and reliability of assessment instruments being used. General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) profiles of…

Substance Abuse and Schizophrenia: A Health Maintenance Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damron, Susan W.; Simpson, William R.

Abuse of alcohol or other substances by schizophrenic patients seriously undermines effective treatment. To document the extent of substance abuse among schizophrenic patients hospitalized in one Veterans Administration Hospital, medical records of 100 patients were reviewed. The results revealed that 54 patients had recent substance abuse, with…

Hypothesizing dopaminergic genetic antecedents in schizophrenia and substance seeking behavior.

PubMed

Blum, Kenneth; Oscar-Berman, Marlene; Badgaiyan, Rajendra D; Palomo, Tomas; Gold, Mark S

2014-05-01

The dopamine system has been implicated in both substance use disorder (SUD) and schizophrenia. A recent meta-analysis suggests that A1 allele of the DRD2 gene imposes genetic risk for SUD, especially alcoholism and has been implicated in Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS). We hypothesize that dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene Taq1 A2 allele is associated with a subtype of non-SUD schizophrenics and as such may act as a putative protective agent against the development of addiction to alcohol or other drugs of abuse. Schizophrenics with SUD may be carriers of the DRD2 Taq1 A1 allele, and/or other RDS reward polymorphisms and have hypodopaminergic reward function. One plausible mechanism for alcohol seeking in schizophrenics with SUD, based on previous research, may be a deficiency of gamma type endorphins that has been linked to schizophrenic type psychosis. We also propose that alcohol seeking behavior in schizophrenics, may serve as a physiological self-healing process linked to the increased function of the gamma endorphins, thereby reducing abnormal dopaminergic activity at the nucleus accumbens (NAc). These hypotheses warrant further investigation and cautious interpretation. We, therefore, encourage research involving neuroimaging, genome wide association studies (GWAS), and epigenetic investigation into the relationship between neurogenetics and systems biology to unravel the role of dopamine in psychiatric illness and SUD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Smoking improves divided attention in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Ahlers, Eike; Hahn, Eric; Ta, Thi Minh Tam; Goudarzi, Elnaz; Dettling, Michael; Neuhaus, Andres H

2014-10-01

Smoking is highly prevalent in schizophrenia, and there is evidence for beneficial effects on neurocognition. Smoking is therefore hypothesized a self-medication in schizophrenia. Although much effort is devoted to characterize those cognitive domains that potentially benefit from smoking, divided attention has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to analyze the interactional effects of diagnosis of schizophrenia and smoking history on divided attention. We investigated behavioral measures of divided attention in a sample of 48 schizophrenic patients and 48 controls (24 current smokers and non-smokers each) carefully matched for age, sex, education, verbal IQ, and smoking status with general linear models. Most important within the scope of this study, significant interactions were found for valid reactions and errors of omission: Performance substantially increased in smoking schizophrenic patients, but not in controls. Further, these interactions were modified by sex, driven by female schizophrenic patients who showed a significant behavioral advantage of smokers over non-smokers, other than male schizophrenic patients or healthy controls who did not express this sex-specific pattern. Results suggest a positive effect of smoking history on divided attention in schizophrenic patients. This study provides first evidence that the complex attention domain of divided attention is improved by smoking, which further substantiates the self-medication hypothesis of smoking in schizophrenia, although this has been shown mainly for sustained and selective attention. Gender-specific effects on cognition need to be further investigated.

Hypothesizing Dopaminergic Genetic Antecedents in Schizophrenia and Substance Seeking Behavior

PubMed Central

Blum, Kenneth; Oscar-Berman, Marlene; Badgaiyan, Rajendra; Palomo, Tomas; Gold, Mark S.

2014-01-01

The dopamine system has been implicated in both substance use disorder (SUD) and schizophrenia. A recent meta- analysis suggests that A1 allele of the DRD2 gene imposes genetic risk for SUD, especially alcoholism and has been implicated in Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS). We hypothesize that dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene Taq1 A2 allele is associated with a subtype of non- SUD schizophrenics and as such may act as a putative protective agent against the development of addiction to alcohol or other drugs of abuse. Schizophrenics with SUD may be carriers of the DRD2 Taq1 A1 allele, and/or other RDS reward polymorphisms and have hypodopaminergic reward function. One plausible mechanism for alcohol seeking in schizophrenics with SUD, based on previous research, may be a deficiency of gamma type endorphins that has been linked to schizophrenic type psychosis.. We also propose that alcohol seeking behavior in schizophrenics, may serve as a physiological self-healing process linked to the increased function of the gamma endorphins, thereby reducing abnormal dopaminergic activity at the nucleus accumbens (NAc). These hypotheses warrant further investigation and cautious interpretation. We, therefore, encourage research involving neuroimaging, genome wide association studies (GWAS), and epigenetic investigation into the relationship between neurogenetics and systems biology to unravel the role of dopamine in psychiatric illness and SUD. PMID:24636783

Eye movements during the Rorschach test in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Hori, Yasuko; Fukuzako, Hiroshi; Sugimoto, Yoko; Takigawa, Morikuni

2002-08-01

In order to understand relationships between scanning behaviors, characteristics of visual stimuli and the clinical symptoms in schizophrenia, eye movements of 37 schizophrenic patients and 36 controls were recorded using an eye-mark recorder during a free-response period in a Rorschach test. Four cards (I, II, V and VIII) were used. Data were analyzed during 15 s from the presentation of each card. For all cards, the number of eye fixations and the number of eye fixation areas were fewer, and total scanning length and mean scanning length were shorter for schizophrenic patients than for controls. For card II, in the non-popular response group, eye fixation frequency upon area 5 + 6 (red) was higher for schizophrenic patients. For card VIII, in the popular response group, eye fixation frequency upon area 5 + 6 (pink) was lower for schizophrenic patients. For cards II and VIII, the number of eye fixations was inversely correlated with negative symptoms. For card II, total scanning length tended to be inversely correlated with negative symptoms, and mean eye fixation time was correlated with negative symptoms. The number of eye fixation areas was inversely correlated with positive symptoms. For card VIII, eye fixation frequency in a stimulative area tended to be correlated with positive symptoms. Scanning behaviors in schizophrenic patients are affected by characteristics of visual stimuli, and partially by clinical symptoms.

Proverb comprehension reconsidered--'theory of mind' and the pragmatic use of language in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Brüne, Martin; Bodenstein, Luise

2005-06-15

For decades, impaired proverb comprehension has been regarded as typical of schizophrenic thought disorder. Testing patients' proverb understanding has widely been abandoned, however, due to poor reliability and validity of the assessment procedures. Since the underlying cognitive deficit of impaired proverb interpretation remained obscure, this study sought to determine the relation of proverb understanding with other cognitive domains, particularly 'theory of mind' or 'mindreading', in schizophrenia. 31 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were assessed using a novel German Proverb Test [Barth, A., Küfferle, B., 2001. Die Entwicklung eines Sprichworttests zur Erfassung konkretistischer Denkstörungen bei schizophrenen Patienten. Nervenarzt 72, 853-858.], a 'theory of mind' test battery, a variety of executive functioning tests and verbal intelligence. Psychopathology was measured using the PANSS [Kay, S.R., Opler, L.A., Lindenmayer, J.P., 1989. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS): rationale and standardisation. Br. J. Psychiatry 158 (suppl. 7), 59-67.]. Patients' task performance was compared to a group of healthy control persons. 'Theory of mind', executive functioning and intelligence were strongly correlated with patients' ability to interpret proverbs correctly. In a regression analysis 'theory of mind' performance predicted, conservatively estimated, about 39% of the variance of proverb comprehension in the patient group. The ability to interpret such metaphorical speech that is typical of many proverbs crucially depends on schizophrenic patients' ability to infer mental states. Future studies may further address differences between schizophrenia subtypes or the relation to specific symptom clusters.

Interference Effects in Schizophrenic Short-Term Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauman, Edward; Kolisnyk, Eugene

1976-01-01

Assesses the effects of input and output interference on schizophrenic recall. Input interference is the interference resulting from the interpolation of items between presentation and recall of the probed item. Output interference is the interference resulting from the interpolation of responses between the presentation and recall of the probed…

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO LATER BECAME SCHIZOPHRENIC.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BOWER, ELI M.; AND OTHERS

THE STUDY IDENTIFIED A GROUP OF 44 INSTITUTIONALIZED MALE SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS AGED 19 TO 26 AND SURVEYED DESCRIPTIONS OF THEIR HIGH SCHOOL BEHAVIOR FOR PREDICTIVE SYMPTOMS. INTERVIEWS USING AN 18-ITEM BEHAVIOR RATING FORM WERE CONDUCTED WITH THE PATIENTS' FORMER HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS. CONTROL SUBJECTS WERE ALSO RATED. ADDITIONAL DATA WERE…

A Study of Childhood Social Competence, Adult Premorbid Competence, and Psychiatric Outcome in Three Schizophrenic Subtypes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewine, R. J.; And Others

1978-01-01

School and hospital records were used to examine childhood social competence, adult premorbid competence, and psychiatric outcome in adult schizoaffective, paranoid, and undifferentiated schizophrenics. A significant difference existed in childhood interpersonal competence and adult social competence among the subtypes. Results reflect…

Schizophrenics for Whom Phenothiazines May Be Contraindicated or Unnecessary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappaport, Maurice; And Others

In this study of young male schizophrenic patients who reported they were not taking antipsychotic medication at follow-up, those treated with placebos in contrast to those treated with chlorpromazine while hospitalized showed significantly greater long term clinical improvement, less pathology at follow-up, fewer rehospitalizations and better…

Schizophrenia: A Cognitive Model and Its Implications for Psychological Intervention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemsley, David R.

1996-01-01

Proposes a cognitive model of schizophrenia stating that schizophrenic behavior is caused by a disturbance in sensory input and stored material integration. Cites research to support this model. Outlines the manner in which a disturbance in sensory input integration relates to schizophrenic symptoms and discusses the model's relevance for…

Work History of Schizophrenics and Alcoholics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Caesar C.; Downie, N. M.

1970-01-01

Data were obtained from 308 alcoholic and 297 schizophrenics on the following variables: age, hospitalizations, funds, education, number and quality of jobs, time longest job held, placement related to past work, and marital status. Results pointed to new insights into the working behavior and social adjustment of the two groups. (Author)

Sensory Integration and Ego Development in a Schizophrenic Adolescent Male.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pettit, Karen A.

1987-01-01

A retrospective study compared hours spent by a schizophrenic adolescent in "time out" before and after initiation of treatment. The study evaluated the effects of sensory integrative treatment on the ability to handle anger and frustration. Results demonstrate the utility of statistical analysis versus visual comparison to validate effectiveness…

Multiple Group Counseling with Discharged Schizophrenic Adolescents and their Parents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lurie, Abraham; Harold, Ron

Discharged adolescent schizophrenics (17) and their families participated in a pilot program of multiple group counseling, planned to help ex-patients reintegrate into the community. Patients were selected prior to discharge and randomly divided into three multiple-family groups. Each participating family had had a severe breakdown in the…

Referent Communication in Chronic Schizophrenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kantorowitz, David A.; Cohen, Bertram D.

1977-01-01

Thirty chronic schizophrenics (15 process and 15 reactive) and 15 normal control speakers described colors displayed in three-chip sets containing a referent and two nonreferent colors. Concludes that poor communication accuracy in long-term schizophrenics results from failure to include a self-editing stage as a part of the communication process.…

"Theory of mind" in schizophrenia: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Brüne, Martin

2005-01-01

The term theory of mind (ToM) refers to the capacity to infer one's own and other persons' mental states. A substantial body of research has highlighted the evolution of ToM in nonhuman primates, its emergence during human ontogeny, and impaired ToM in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. There is good empirical evidence that ToM is specifically impaired in schizophrenia and that many psychotic symptoms-for instance, delusions of alien control and persecution, the presence of thought and language disorganization, and other behavioral symptoms-may best be understood in light of a disturbed capacity in patients to relate their own intentions to executing behavior, and to monitor others' intentions. However, it is still under debate how an impaired ToM in schizophrenia is associated with other aspects of cognition, how the impairment fluctuates with acuity or chronicity of the schizophrenic disorder, and how this affects the patients' use of language and social behavior. In addition to these potential research areas, future studies may also address whether patients could benefit from cognitive training in this domain.

Can delusions be understood linguistically?

PubMed Central

Hinzen, Wolfram; Rosselló, Joana; McKenna, Peter

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Delusions are widely believed to reflect disturbed cognitive function, but the nature of this remains elusive. The “un-Cartesian” cognitive-linguistic hypothesis maintains (a) that there is no thought separate from language, that is, there is no distinct mental space removed from language where “thinking” takes place; and (b) that a somewhat broadened concept of grammar is responsible for bestowing meaning on propositions, and this among other things gives them their quality of being true or false. It is argued that a loss of propositional meaning explains why delusions are false, impossible and sometimes fantastic. A closely related abnormality, failure of linguistic embedding, can additionally account for why delusions are held with fixed conviction and are not adequately justified by the patient. The un-Cartesian linguistic approach to delusions has points of contact with Frith’s theory that inability to form meta-representations underlies a range of schizophrenic symptoms. It may also be relevant to the nature of the “second factor” in monothematic delusions in neurological disease. Finally, it can inform the current debate about whether or not delusions really are beliefs. PMID:27322493

Can delusions be understood linguistically?

PubMed

Hinzen, Wolfram; Rosselló, Joana; McKenna, Peter

2016-07-01

Delusions are widely believed to reflect disturbed cognitive function, but the nature of this remains elusive. The "un-Cartesian" cognitive-linguistic hypothesis maintains (a) that there is no thought separate from language, that is, there is no distinct mental space removed from language where "thinking" takes place; and (b) that a somewhat broadened concept of grammar is responsible for bestowing meaning on propositions, and this among other things gives them their quality of being true or false. It is argued that a loss of propositional meaning explains why delusions are false, impossible and sometimes fantastic. A closely related abnormality, failure of linguistic embedding, can additionally account for why delusions are held with fixed conviction and are not adequately justified by the patient. The un-Cartesian linguistic approach to delusions has points of contact with Frith's theory that inability to form meta-representations underlies a range of schizophrenic symptoms. It may also be relevant to the nature of the "second factor" in monothematic delusions in neurological disease. Finally, it can inform the current debate about whether or not delusions really are beliefs.

[Development of a proverb test for assessment of concrete thinking problems in schizophrenic patients].

PubMed

Barth, A; Küfferle, B

2001-11-01

Concretism is considered an important aspect of schizophrenic thought disorder. Traditionally it is measured using the method of proverb interpretation, in which metaphoric proverbs are presented with the request that the subject tell its meaning. Interpretations are recorded and scored on concretistic tendencies. However, this method has two problems: its reliability is doubtful and it is rather complicated to perform. In this paper, a new version of a multiple choice proverb test is presented which can solve these problems in a reliable and economic manner. Using the new test, it is has been shown that schizophrenic patients have greater deficits in proverb interpretation than depressive patients.

A Weight-Reduction Program for Schizophrenic Patients on a Token Economy Unit: Two Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Upper, Dennis; Newton, Judith G.

1971-01-01

Overweight patients on a token economy psychiatric ward were reinforced with tokens, off ward privileges and social approval for meeting a weight loss criterion of three pounds per week. The progress of two subjects, both chronic paranoid schizophrenics, is described. The procedure appears to be effective. (Author)

Context, Cortex, and Dopamine: A Connectionist Approach to Behavior and Biology in Schizophrenia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Jonathan D.; Servan-Schreiber, David

1992-01-01

Using a connectionist framework, it is possible to develop models exploring effects of biologically relevant variables on behavior. The ability of such models to explain schizophrenic behavior in terms of biological disturbances is considered, and computer models are presented that simulate normal and schizophrenic behavior in an attentional task.…

Therapeutic Relationship of A-B Therapists as Perceived by Client and Therapist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bednar, Richard L.

1970-01-01

Analysis of variance was employed to evaluate the therapeutic relationship offered to schizophrenic and psychoneurotic patients by A-B type therapists. Results are discussed in context of the Whitehorn-Betz original claim that the differential therapeutic success of A-B type therapists with schizophrenic and psychoneurotic clients are a function…

Schizophrenia--A High-Risk Factor for Suicides: Clues to Risk Reduction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caldwell, Constance B.; Gottesman, Irving I.

1992-01-01

Notes that suicide is chief cause of premature death among schizophrenic persons, with lifetime incidence of suicide for patients with schizophrenia at 10-13% compared to general population estimate of 1%. Discusses salient risk factors for suicide in schizophrenics and types of especially vulnerable patients identified by research. Notes that…

Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness among Schizophrenic Patients and Their Families (Comparative Study)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahmoud, Sahar; Zaki, Rania A.

2015-01-01

This study was a comparative study aiming to assess the extent of internalized stigma of mental illness among patients with schizophrenia & identify stigma as perceived by family members caring schizophrenic patients. The study was conducted in two settings 1st clinic was outpatient clinic for psychiatric patient affiliated to Abbasia…

Dysfluent Handwriting in Schizophrenic Outpatients.

PubMed

Gawda, Barbara

2016-04-01

Taking into account findings in the literature, the author aimed to test whether specific graphical characteristics of handwriting can distinguish patients diagnosed with schizophrenic disorders from healthy controls. Handwriting samples (one sample from each person) from 60 outpatients (29 women, 31 men; age M = 28.5, SD = 5.4) with paranoid schizophrenia were analyzed by three documents examiners and were compared to samples from 60 controls (30 men, 30 women, age M = 28.0, SD = 3.0) without psychiatric disorders. Document examiners assessed 32 graphical features potentially related to schizophrenia. The comparisons between groups revealed that only 7 out of 32 handwriting properties were significantly different in the handwriting of schizophrenic outpatients from controls: the calligraphic forms of letters, loops in ovals, lacking of dots, tremor, sinusoidal baseline, and irregularities size of lower zone. These findings are discussed in terms of motor disturbances in schizophrenia and in relation to the previous research on handwriting of other mental disorders. Similarities between the graphical patterns of handwriting of schizophrenic patients and those of other mental disorders and/or other mental states have been demonstrated. © The Author(s) 2016.

The relationship between intelligence and cognitive function in schizophrenic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catherine; Amin, M. M.; Effendy, E.

2018-03-01

The most common of psychotic disorders is schizophrenia. While evaluating the cognitive function with a standardized test, the intelligence test is by using the IQ test. For schizophrenic patients, intelligence is usually reported to be lower than average. This research is an analytical study that commenced in January and ended in March 2014. Primary criteria are schizophrenics who are in-patients in Prof. dr. M. Ildrem Mental Hospital, aged between 15 to 55 years old, with the highest qualification of secondary high school. The secondary criteria are those patients with other psychotic disorders, head injuries and other neurological disorders, endocrine disorders. The total sample is 100 subjects. From this study, the correlation value is 0.876 shows a very strong correlation. And the p-value 0.001.The results of this study show that there is a direct correlation (p=0.001) and a correlation (r=0.876) between intelligence and cognitive function on schizophrenic. And it is also necessary to do more researches by using other rating scales and examination to measure the relationship between intelligence and cognitive function, and other factors that may affect results.

Exploratory eye movements to pictures in childhood-onset schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

PubMed

Karatekin, C; Asarnow, R F

1999-02-01

We investigated exploratory eye movements to thematic pictures in schizophrenic, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and normal children. For each picture, children were asked three questions varying in amount of structure. We tested if schizophrenic children would stare or scan extensively and if their scan patterns were differentially affected by the question. Time spent viewing relevant and irrelevant regions, fixation duration (an estimate of processing rate), and distance between fixations (an estimate of breadth of attention) were measured. ADHD children showed a trend toward shorter fixations than normals on the question requiring the most detailed analysis. Schizophrenic children looked at fewer relevant, but not more irrelevant, regions than normals. They showed a tendency to stare more when asked to decide what was happening but not when asked to attend to specific regions. Thus, lower levels of visual attention (e.g., basic control of eye movements) were intact in schizophrenic children. In contrast, they had difficulty with top-down control of selective attention in the service of self-guided behavior.

Implicit and explicit learning in schizophrenics treated with olanzapine and with classic neuroleptics.

PubMed

Stevens, Andreas; Schwarz, Jürgen; Schwarz, Benedikt; Ruf, Ilona; Kolter, Thomas; Czekalla, Joerg

2002-03-01

Novel and classic neuroleptics differ in their effects on limbic striatal/nucleus accumbens (NA) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) dopamine turnover, suggesting differential effects on implicit and explicit learning as well as on anhedonia. The present study investigates whether such differences can be demonstrated in a naturalistic sample of schizophrenic patients. Twenty-five inpatients diagnosed with DSM-IV schizophrenic psychosis and treated for at least 14 days with the novel neuroleptic olanzapine were compared with 25 schizophrenics taking classic neuroleptics and with 25 healthy controls, matched by age and education level. PFC/NA-dependent implicit learning was assessed by a serial reaction time task (SRTT) and compared with cerebellum-mediated classical eye-blink conditioning and explicit visuospatial memory. Anhedonia was measured with the Snaith-Hamilton-Pleasure Scale (SHAPS). Implicit (SRTT) and psychomotor speed, but not explicit (visuospatial) learning were superior in the olanzapine-treated group as compared to the patients on classic neuroleptics. Compared to healthy controls, olanzapine-treated schizophrenics showed similar implicit learning, but reduced explicit (visuospatial) memory performance. Acquisition of eyeblink conditioning was not different between the three groups. There was no difference with regard to anhedonia and SANS scores between the patients. Olanzapine seems to interfere less with unattended learning and motor speed than classical neuroleptics. In daily life, this may translate into better adaptation to a rapidly changing environment. The effects seem specific, as in explicit learning and eyeblink conditioning no difference to classic NL was found.

Brain blood flow changes measured by positron emission tomography during an auditory cognitive task in healthy volunteers and in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Emri, Miklós; Glaub, Teodóra; Berecz, Roland; Lengyel, Zsolt; Mikecz, Pál; Repa, Imre; Bartók, Eniko; Degrell, István; Trón, Lajos

2006-05-01

Cognitive deficit is an essential feature of schizophrenia. One of the generally used simple cognitive tasks to characterize specific cognitive dysfunctions is the auditory "oddball" paradigm. During this task, two different tones are presented with different repetition frequencies and the subject is asked to pay attention and to respond to the less frequent tone. The aim of the present study was to apply positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the regional brain blood flow changes induced by an auditory oddball task in healthy volunteers and in stable schizophrenic patients in order to detect activation differences between the two groups. Eight healthy volunteers and 11 schizophrenic patients were studied. The subjects carried out a specific auditory oddball task, while cerebral activation measured via the regional distribution of [15O]-butanol activity changes in the PET camera was recorded. Task-related activation differed significantly across the patients and controls. The healthy volunteers displayed significant activation in the anterior cingulate area (Brodman Area - BA32), while in the schizophrenic patients the area was wider, including the mediofrontal regions (BA32 and BA10). The distance between the locations of maximal activation of the two populations were 33 mm and the cluster size was about twice as large in the patient group. The present results demonstrate that the perfusion changes induced in the schizophrenic patients by this cognitive task extends over a larger part of the mediofrontal cortex than in the healthy volunteers. The different pattern of activation observed during the auditory oddball task in the schizophrenic patients suggests that a larger cortical area - and consequently a larger variety of neuronal networks--is involved in the cognitive processes in these patients. The dispersion of stimulus processing during a cognitive task requiring sustained attention and stimulus discrimination may play an important role in the pathomechanism of the disorder.

Impairment of perception and recognition of faces, mimic expression and gestures in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Berndl, K; von Cranach, M; Grüsser, O J

1986-01-01

The perception and recognition of faces, mimic expression and gestures were investigated in normal subjects and schizophrenic patients by means of a movie test described in a previous report (Berndl et al. 1986). The error scores were compared with results from a semi-quantitative evaluation of psychopathological symptoms and with some data from the case histories. The overall error scores found in the three groups of schizophrenic patients (paranoic, hebephrenic, schizo-affective) were significantly increased (7-fold) over those of normals. No significant difference in the distribution of the error scores in the three different patient groups was found. In 10 different sub-tests following the movie the deficiencies found in the schizophrenic patients were analysed in detail. The error score for the averbal test was on average higher in paranoic patients than in the two other groups of patients, while the opposite was true for the error scores found in the verbal tests. Age and sex had some impact on the test results. In normals, female subjects were somewhat better than male. In schizophrenic patients the reverse was true. Thus female patients were more affected by the disease than male patients with respect to the task performance. The correlation between duration of the disease and error score was small; less than 10% of the error scores could be attributed to factors related to the duration of illness. Evaluation of psychopathological symptoms indicated that the stronger the schizophrenic defect, the higher the error score, but again this relationship was responsible for not more than 10% of the errors. The estimated degree of acute psychosis and overall sum of psychopathological abnormalities as scored in a semi-quantitative exploration did not correlate with the error score, but with each other. Similarly, treatment with psychopharmaceuticals, previous misuse of drugs or of alcohol had practically no effect on the outcome of the test data. The analysis of performance and test data of schizophrenic patients indicated that our findings are most likely not due to a "non-specific" impairment of cognitive function in schizophrenia, but point to a fairly selective defect in elementary cognitive visual functions necessary for averbal social communication. Some possible explanations of the data are discussed in relation to neuropsychological and neurophysiological findings on "face-specific" cortical areas located in the primate temporal lobe.

CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA—A PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGICAL APROACH1

PubMed Central

Ban, Thomas A.; Guy, William; Prakash, Rudra

1984-01-01

SUMMARY Our work suggests that the Leonhard classification system holds much pron.ise as a framework for future neurological development. One might speculate along biochemical lines that the nonsystematic subpopulation of schizophrenics may suffer from altered dopamine β-hydroxylase activity which results in an excess of dopamine, This would eeplain why this class responds so well to dopamine receptor blocking agent when other patient do not. One might also speculate tint we are dealing with a number of diseases-each with different courses and progressing to different end states, but all with common pattern during the acute stage, e.g., increased dopamine levels or receptor sensitivity levels. This is probably why the acute stage can usually be controlled by the administration of a dopamine receptor blocking agent. A further speculation concerns the catatonic patient- who had begun to respond to psychosocial and milieu treatment prior to the introduction of neuroleptics. This particular group of patients do not seem to benefit from prophylactic treatment with neuroleptics. If, by activating a patient, catecholamines are released, it is hypothesized that the Catatonics are a completely separate subpopulation-not just clinically-but also biochemically. Completely different types of drugs may be helpful for the different schizophrenic subpopulations. Among the various substances, propranolol should be considered. Obviously, this drug will not be effective in all schizophrenics; but there arc certain types of patients who respond to β-blockers. There is also increasing evidence that clordine (which stimulates alpha-adrenergic receptors) may also have an effect on certain schizophrenics The most recent findings is that cholecystokinin-thought for Some time to be an exclusively peripheral substance-appears to be present in the brain and available in the form of ceulotide, a neuropeptide which is a dopamine agonist. This susbtance, also, seems to be effective in the treatment of certain schizophrenics. Chronic schizophrenia requires re-evaluation and it should be recognized that different drugs are effective in different types of patients. There is renewed interest in the various schizophrenic conditions and their end states. We must hope that the pharmacologists, provided with sufficient information, will search for new drugs with differentiated activities that will meaningfully influence the end states of schizophrenic disorders and/or prevent their development. PMID:21966007

Interactional Patterns of Schizophrenic, Depressed and Well Mothers and Their Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musick, Judith S.; And Others

This study analyzes the interaction patterns and behavioral characteristics of mentally ill and well mothers and their young children. The children were between 1 and 4 years of age. The group of mentally ill mothers was comprised of 18 schizophrenic and psychotically depressed women each with a history of at least one psychiatric hospitalization.…

Weight reduction in schizophrenics by molindone.

PubMed

Gardos, G; Cole, J O

1977-03-01

The weight-reducing property of molindone, a recently introduced antipsychotic drug, was tested in 9 hospitalized chronic schizophrenic patients. There was an average weight loss of 7.6 kg after 3 months on molindone; most of the loss occurred during the first month. The mechanism producing this weight loss is uncertain, but a central anorexigenic effect may be an important factor.

[Hölderlin--or the question of the meaning of psychosis].

PubMed

Gonther, U; Schlimme, J E

2009-03-01

Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843) is one of the most important German poets. Actual research into his life and work has shown new aspects in his thinking concerning questions about subjectivity, sense of life and psychosis. We follow these lines using a hermeneutical method. In his late poems the experience of schizophrenic alienation appears metaphorically speaking like an ebbing of a former plenitude of meanings or as if he were decentered from his own life. Hölderlin names it an "uninvolved" view onto the ordinary life. Hölderlin invites and enables us via his offer for an innerperspective understanding of the schizophrenic experience of alienation to deal fairly and respectfully with schizophrenic patients as if we were "alienists" (E. Straus).

Differential amygdala response during facial recognition in patients with schizophrenia: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Kosaka, H; Omori, M; Murata, T; Iidaka, T; Yamada, H; Okada, T; Takahashi, T; Sadato, N; Itoh, H; Yonekura, Y; Wada, Y

2002-09-01

Human lesion or neuroimaging studies suggest that amygdala is involved in facial emotion recognition. Although impairments in recognition of facial and/or emotional expression have been reported in schizophrenia, there are few neuroimaging studies that have examined differential brain activation during facial recognition between patients with schizophrenia and normal controls. To investigate amygdala responses during facial recognition in schizophrenia, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study with 12 right-handed medicated patients with schizophrenia and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The experiment task was a type of emotional intensity judgment task. During the task period, subjects were asked to view happy (or angry/disgusting/sad) and neutral faces simultaneously presented every 3 s and to judge which face was more emotional (positive or negative face discrimination). Imaging data were investigated in voxel-by-voxel basis for single-group analysis and for between-group analysis according to the random effect model using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM). No significant difference in task accuracy was found between the schizophrenic and control groups. Positive face discrimination activated the bilateral amygdalae of both controls and schizophrenics, with more prominent activation of the right amygdala shown in the schizophrenic group. Negative face discrimination activated the bilateral amygdalae in the schizophrenic group whereas the right amygdala alone in the control group, although no significant group difference was found. Exaggerated amygdala activation during emotional intensity judgment found in the schizophrenic patients may reflect impaired gating of sensory input containing emotion. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.

Effectiveness of gratitude disposition promotion program on depression and quality of life of chronic schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Jung, Miran; Han, Kuemsun

2017-01-01

Gratitude intervention is expectedly an effective intervention to reduce depression and improve the quality of life in schizophrenic patients, but there is a lack of literature on it. We attempted to develop and test the effectiveness of the gratitude disposition promotion program for chronic schizophrenic patients in Korea. Nonequivalent control group pre- and post-test design was used in two mental health centers located at Gyeonggi-do in South Korea. This paper was a quasi-experimental study and the participants who took part in the gratitude disposition promotion program were 17 of experimental group and 15 of control group. Gratitude disposition (the short gratitude, resentment, and appreciation test), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), and quality of life (developed by Kook) of chronic schizophrenic patients were measured before and after an intervention, as compared to the control. Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and t -test were performed for prehomogeneity testing for variables related to the general characteristics. Testing for the effectiveness of gratitude disposition promotion program and hypothesis testing for its effect on depression and quality of life were by ANCOVA and t -test, as verified to significance level of P < 0.05. The participants who received the gratitude disposition promotion program showed significant improvements in gratitude disposition ( F = 18.740, P < 0.0001) and in quality of life ( F = 9.800, P = 0.004), but no significant difference in depression ( F = 3.870, P = 0.059). The gratitude disposition promotion program was an effective clinical intervention program for enhancing gratitude disposition and quality of life of chronic schizophrenic patients in community.

Effect of age and disease on bone mass in Japanese patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Sugawara, Norio; Yasui-Furukori, Norio; Umeda, Takashi; Tsuchimine, Shoko; Fujii, Akira; Sato, Yasushi; Saito, Manabu; Furukori, Hanako; Danjo, Kazuma; Matsuzaka, Masashi; Takahashi, Ippei; Kaneko, Sunao

2012-02-20

There have been a limited number of studies comparing bone mass between patients with schizophrenia and the general population. The aim of this study was to compare the bone mass of schizophrenia patients with that of healthy subjects in Japan. We recruited patients (n = 362), aged 48.8 ± 15.4 (mean ± SD) years who were diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). Bone mass was measured using quantitative ultrasound densitometry of the calcaneus. The osteosono-assessment index (OSI) was calculated as a function of the speed of sound and the transmission index. For comparative analysis, OSI data from 832 adults who participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project 2009 was used as representative of the general community. Mean OSI values among male schizophrenic patients were lower than those in the general population in the case of individuals aged 40 and older. In females, mean OSI values among schizophrenic patients were lower than those in the general community in those aged 60 and older. In an analysis using the general linear model, a significant interaction was observed between subject groups and age in males. Older schizophrenic patients exhibit lower bone mass than that observed in the general population. Our data also demonstrate gender and group differences among schizophrenic patients and controls with regard to changes in bone mass associated with aging. These results indicate that intervention programs designed to delay or prevent decreased bone mass in schizophrenic patients might be tailored according to gender.

MicroRNA-132 dysregulation in schizophrenia has implications for both neurodevelopment and adult brain function

PubMed Central

Miller, Brooke H.; Zeier, Zane; Xi, Li; Lanz, Thomas A.; Deng, Shibing; Strathmann, Julia; Willoughby, David; Kenny, Paul J.; Elsworth, John D.; Lawrence, Matthew S.; Roth, Robert H.; Edbauer, Dieter; Kleiman, Robin J.; Wahlestedt, Claes

2012-01-01

Schizophrenia is characterized by affective, cognitive, neuromorphological, and molecular abnormalities that may have a neurodevelopmental origin. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA sequences critical to neurodevelopment and adult neuronal processes by coordinating the activity of multiple genes within biological networks. We examined the expression of 854 miRNAs in prefrontal cortical tissue from 100 control, schizophrenic, and bipolar subjects. The cyclic AMP-responsive element binding- and NMDA-regulated microRNA miR-132 was significantly down-regulated in both the schizophrenic discovery cohort and a second, independent set of schizophrenic subjects. Analysis of miR-132 target gene expression in schizophrenia gene-expression microarrays identified 26 genes up-regulated in schizophrenia subjects. Consistent with NMDA-mediated hypofunction observed in schizophrenic subjects, administration of an NMDA antagonist to adult mice results in miR-132 down-regulation in the prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, miR-132 expression in the murine prefrontal cortex exhibits significant developmental regulation and overlaps with critical neurodevelopmental processes during adolescence. Adult prefrontal expression of miR-132 can be down-regulated by pharmacologic inhibition of NMDA receptor signaling during a brief postnatal period. Several key genes, including DNMT3A, GATA2, and DPYSL3, are regulated by miR-132 and exhibited altered expression either during normal neurodevelopment or in tissue from adult schizophrenic subjects. Our data suggest miR-132 dysregulation and subsequent abnormal expression of miR-132 target genes contribute to the neurodevelopmental and neuromorphological pathologies present in schizophrenia. PMID:22315408

BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) serum levels in schizophrenic patients with cognitive deficits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utami, N.; Effendy, E.; Amin, M. M.

2018-03-01

Schizophrenia is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with cognitive impairment as the main part. BDNF regulates aspects of developmental plasticity in the brain and is involved in cognitive function. Cognitive functions include capabilities such as attention, executive functioning, assessing, monitoring and evaluating. The aim of the study was to know the BDNF levels in schizophrenic patients with cognitive deficits. The study was held in October 2016 - March 2017, and was the first in Indonesia, especially in North Sumatra. The study was approved by the medical ethics committee of the University of North Sumatera. The study is descriptive based on a retrospective method with cross-sectional approach. The subject is 40 male schizophrenia. Cognitive deficits were assessed by MoCA-Ina. BDNF serum levels were analyzed using the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay. The average MoCA-Ina score is 21.03±5.21. This suggests that there is a cognitive function deficit in schizophrenic patients. The mean serum BDNF level was 26629±6762. MoCA-Ina scores in schizophrenic patients <26 who experienced a deficit of 77.5% and serum BDNF levels with normal values ranging from 6.186 to 42.580pg/ml.

Low seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in schizophrenic inpatients in durango, Mexico: a case control study.

PubMed

Alvarado-Esquivel, Cosme; Hernández-Tinoco, Jesús; Sánchez-Anguiano, Luis Francisco; Cisneros-Martínez, Jorge Arturo

2014-12-01

Psychiatric patients have a higher seroprevalence of toxocariasis than general population. However, there is poor knowledge about any specific psychiatric diagnosis associated with toxocariasis. The aim of the study was to determine whether seropositivity to Toxocara was associated with schizophrenia. Through an age and gender-matched case-control seroprevalence study in Durango City, Mexico, 50 schizophrenic inpatients in a public psychiatric hospital and 100 control subjects of the general population were compared for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. One of the 50 (2%) schizophrenic inpatients, and 3 (3%) of the 100 controls were positive for anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. No statistically significant difference in Toxocara seroprevalence among cases and controls was found (P=0.59). The Toxocara positive schizophrenic patient suffered from paranoid schizophrenia (F20.0) and had a number of putative risk factors for Toxocara exposure including contact with cats, dogs and other animals, worked in agriculture, and consumed undercooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and untreated water. Results suggest that seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was low and not associated with schizophrenia in psychiatric inpatients in Durango, Mexico. However, further studies to elucidate the association of toxocariasis with schizophrenia are needed.

Low Seroprevalence of Toxocara Infection in Schizophrenic Inpatients in Durango, Mexico: A Case Control Study

PubMed Central

Alvarado-Esquivel, Cosme; Hernández-Tinoco, Jesús; Sánchez-Anguiano, Luis Francisco; Cisneros-Martínez, Jorge Arturo

2014-01-01

Psychiatric patients have a higher seroprevalence of toxocariasis than general population. However, there is poor knowledge about any specific psychiatric diagnosis associated with toxocariasis. The aim of the study was to determine whether seropositivity to Toxocara was associated with schizophrenia. Through an age and gender-matched case-control seroprevalence study in Durango City, Mexico, 50 schizophrenic inpatients in a public psychiatric hospital and 100 control subjects of the general population were compared for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. One of the 50 (2%) schizophrenic inpatients, and 3 (3%) of the 100 controls were positive for anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. No statistically significant difference in Toxocara seroprevalence among cases and controls was found (P=0.59). The Toxocara positive schizophrenic patient suffered from paranoid schizophrenia (F20.0) and had a number of putative risk factors for Toxocara exposure including contact with cats, dogs and other animals, worked in agriculture, and consumed undercooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and untreated water. Results suggest that seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was low and not associated with schizophrenia in psychiatric inpatients in Durango, Mexico. However, further studies to elucidate the association of toxocariasis with schizophrenia are needed. PMID:25598759

Subverting Space: An Exploration of a Dance Therapy Workshop Apparatus for Schizophrenics.

PubMed

Lippi, Silvia; Petit, Laetitia

2017-04-01

The authors created a dance workshop for schizophrenic patients designed to address their singular experience of space, in which the categories of interior and exterior do not function as limits. The space of the workshop, which, paradoxically, is thought in terms of the psychic space of schizophrenic patients by playing on its borderless quality, creates a continuity between the psychiatric hospital and the external world, and thus helps to prevent the segregation and isolation of such patients. This continuity is established on the basis of both the physical architecture of the workshop setting and the practice of dancing itself. The authors explore the hypothesis that, inside the particular space made possible by the apparatus of the workshop, schizophrenic patients benefit from the experience of movement, beginning with the pulse of rhythm, which establishes a consistency in time. By means of its repetitive character, the beat of music, like movement, accompanies and promotes the experience of continuity, which is the condition for any possible form of symbolizing. Two brief clinical illustrations show how this approach to dance therapy allows a moribund jouissance to be overturned and transformed into the aesthetic jouissance that characterizes the experience of dance.

Performance of the Italian version of the subjective well-being under neuroleptic (SWN) scale in schizophrenic outpatients.

PubMed

Balestrieri, M; Giaroli, G; Mazzi, M; Bellantuono, C

2006-05-01

Several studies indicate that subjective experience toward antipsychotic drugs (APs) in schizophrenic patients is a key factor in ensuring a smooth recovery from the illness. The principal aim of this study was to establish the psychometric performance of the Subjective Well-being Under Neuroleptic (SWN) scale in its Italian version and to assess, through the SWN scale, the subjective experience of stabilized psychotic outpatients in maintenance with APs. The original short version of SWN, consisting of 20 items, was back translated, and a focus group was also conducted to better improve the comprehension of the scale. The results showed a good performance of the Italian version of the SWN as documented by the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha; 0.85). A satisfactory subjective experience was reported in the sample of schizophrenic outpatients interviewed (SWN mean total score: 84.95, SD: 17.5). The performance of the SWN scale in the present study was very similar to that reported by Naber et al. in the original validation study. Large multi-center studies are needed to better establish differences in the subjective experience of schizophrenic patients treated with first- and second-generation APs.

Plasma homovanillic acid levels in schizophrenic patients: correlation with negative symptoms.

PubMed

Dávila, Ricardo; Zumárraga, Mercedes; Basterreche, Nieves; Arrúe, Aurora; Anguiano, Juan B

2007-05-30

The relation between changes in the levels of plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) and clinical evolution during neuroleptic treatment of schizophrenic patients has not been satisfactorily characterized, as a number of conflicting findings have been reported. Significant correlations have generally been found using the assessment of positive symptoms as an index of clinical outcome. Nevertheless, attempts to correlate pHVA concentrations with negative symptoms have yielded contradictory results. With a view to evaluating if different responses in negative symptoms are associated with distinct pHVA profiles, we examined the levels of pHVA in 46 neuroleptic-free schizophrenic patients and in these patients after neuroleptic treatment. Negative and positive symptoms were also addressed before and after treatment. Our results reveal that at least two classes of negative symptoms exist; the clinical evolution of the first class of negative symptoms parallels that of positive symptoms, and clinical improvement correlates with reduced dopaminergic activity. In contrast, in the second class, reduced dopaminergic activity is associated with a further deterioration of negative symptoms. These findings corroborate the heterogeneity of negative symptoms and may contribute to a better definition of endophenotypes in the schizophrenic syndrome.

Intact figure-ground segmentation in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Herzog, Michael H; Kopmann, Sabine; Brand, Andreas

2004-11-30

As revealed by backward masking studies, schizophrenic patients show strong impairments of early visual processing. However, the underlying temporal mechanisms are not yet well understood. To shed light on the exact timing of these deficits, we employed a paradigm in which two masks follow each other. We investigated 16 medicated schizophrenic patients and a matched group of 14 controls with a new backward masking technique, shine-through. In accordance with other masking studies, schizophrenic patients require a dramatically longer processing time to reach a predefined performance level compared with healthy subjects. However, patients are surprisingly sensitive to subtle differences in the timing of the two masks, revealing good temporal resolution. This good temporal resolution indicates intact and fast perceptual grouping and figure-ground segmentation in spite of high susceptibility to masking procedures in schizophrenia.

No significant association between the genetic polymorphisms in the GSK-3 beta gene and schizophrenia in the Chinese population.

PubMed

Meng, Junwei; Shi, Yongyong; Zhao, Xinzhi; Zhou, Jian; Zheng, Yonglan; Tang, Ruqi; Ma, Gang; Zhu, Xuming; He, Zangdong; Wang, Zhe; Xu, Yifeng; Feng, Guoyin; He, Lin

2008-04-01

The GSK-3 beta gene encodes a protein kinase which is abundant in the brain, and its product is involved in signal transduction cascades of neuronal cell development, energy metabolism and body pattern formation. Previous studies have suggested that GSK-3 beta might act as a potential candidate locus for schizophrenia susceptibility. We genotyped six SNPs within the gene and conducted a case-control study involving 329 schizophrenic patients and 288 healthy subjects in the Chinese population. We examined allele and genotype frequencies and haplotype distributions in the subtype of paranoid schizophrenic patients as well as schizophrenic subjects in general. Our results fail to replicate the association of the GSK-3 beta gene with susceptibility to schizophrenia in the Chinese population.

Increments in plasma homovanillic acid concentrations after neuroleptic discontinuation are associated with worsening of schizophrenic symptoms.

PubMed

Khan, R S; Amin, F; Powchik, P; Knott, P; Goldstein, M; Apter, S; Kerman, B; Jaff, S; Davidson, M

1990-01-01

1. Thirty-two male schizophrenic patients participated in this study. 2. Plasma concentrations of the dopamine metabolite, homovanillic acid (pHVA) were assessed once on neuroleptic medication and twice a week for a maximum of six weeks after its discontinuation. 3. Psychiatric symptomatology was assessed once on neuroleptic medication and once a week for a maximum of six weeks after its discontinuation, using the brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS). 4. pHVA and total BPRS score increased significantly after discontinuation of neuroleptic as compared to baseline. 5. The magnitude of pHVA and BPRS increments after discontinuation of neuroleptic correlated significantly. 6. Results of this study suggest that worsening of schizophrenic symptoms after discontinuation of neuroleptic treatment is associated with increased pHVA concentrations.

P300 and LORETA: comparison of normal subjects and schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Winterer, G; Mulert, C; Mientus, S; Gallinat, J; Schlattmann, P; Dorn, H; Herrmann, W M

2001-01-01

It was the aim of the present study 1) to investigate how many cortical activity maxima of scalp-recorded P300 are detected by Low Resolution Electromagentic Tomography (LORETA) when analyses are performed with high time-resolution, 2) to see if the resulting LORETA-solution is in accordance with intracortical recordings as reported by others and 3) to compare the given pattern of cortical activation maxima in the P300-timeframe between schizophrenic patients and normal controls. Current density analysis was performed in 3-D Talairach space with high time resolution i.e. in 6 ms steps. This was done during an auditory choice reaction paradigm separately for normal subjects and schizophrenic patients with subsequent group comparisons. In normal subjects, a sequence of at least seven cortical activation maxima was found between 240-420ms poststimulus: the prefrontal cortex, anterior or medial cingulum, posterior cingulum, parietal cortex, temporal lobe, prefrontal cortex, medial or anterior cingulum. Within the given limits of spatial resolution, this sequential maxima distribution largely met the expectations from reports on intracranial recordings and functional neuroimaging studies. However, localization accuracy was higher near the central midline than at lateral aspects of the brain. Schizophrenic patients less activated their cortex in a widespread area mainly in the left hemisphere including the prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulum and the temporal lobe. From these analyses and comparsions with intracranial recordings as reported by others, it is concluded that LORETA correctly localizes P300-related cortical activity maxima on the basis of 19 electrodes except for lateral cortical aspects which is most likely an edge-phenomenon. The data further suggest that the P300-deficit in schizophrenics involves an extended cortical network of the left hemisphere at several steps in time during the information processing stream.

Association between the blood concentrations of ammonia and carnitine/amino acid of schizophrenic patients treated with valproic acid.

PubMed

Ando, Masazumi; Amayasu, Hideaki; Itai, Takahiro; Yoshida, Hisahiro

2017-01-01

Administration of valproic acid (VPA) is complicated with approximately 0.9% of patients developing hyperammonemia, but the pathogenesis of this adverse effect remains to be clarified. The aim of the present study was to search for mechanisms associated with VPA-induced hyperammonemia in the light of changes in serum amino acids concentrations associated with the urea cycle of schizophrenic patients. Blood samples (10 mL) were obtained from 37 schizophrenic patients receiving VPA for the prevention of violent behaviors in the morning after overnight fast. Blood concentrations of ammonia, VPA, free carnitine, acyl-carnitine, and 40 amino acids including glutamate and citrulline were measured for each patient. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify amino acids or concomitantly administered drugs that were associated with variability in the blood concentrations of ammonia. The blood ammonia level was positively correlated with the serum glutamate concentration ( r  = 0.44, p  < 0.01) but negatively correlated with glutamine ( r  = -0.41, p  = 0.01), citrulline ( r  = -0.42, p  = 0.01), and glycine concentrations ( r  = -0.54, p  < 0.01). It was also revealed that the concomitant administration of the mood stabilizers ( p  = 0.04) risperidone ( p  = 0.03) and blonanserin ( p  < 0.01) was positively associated with the elevation of the blood ammonia level. We hypothisized that VPA would elevate the blood ammonia level of schizophrenic patients. The observed changes in serum amino acids are compatible with urea cycle dysfunction, possibly due to reduced carbamoyl-phosphate synthase 1 (CPS1) activity. We conclude that VPA should be prudently prescribed to schizophrenic patients, particularly those receiving mood stabilizers or certain antipsychotics.

[Evoked potentials N200/P300 disorders and clinical phenotype in Cuban families with paranoid schizophrenia: a family-based association study].

PubMed

Guerra López, Seidel; Martín Reyes, Migdyrai; Pedroso Rodríguez, María de Los Ángeles; Reyes Berazain, Adnelys; Mendoza Quiñones, Raúl; Bravo Collazo, Tania Martha; Días de Villarvilla, Thais; Machado Cano, María Julia; Bobés León, María Antonieta

2015-04-01

N200 and P300 event-related evoked potentials provide sensitive measurements of sensory and cognitive function and have been used to study information processing in patients with schizophrenia and their unaffected first-degree relatives. Reduced amplitude and increased latency of N200 and P300 potentials have been consistently reported in schizophrenia. Thus, event-related evoked potentials abnormalities are promising possible biological markers for genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia. To assess the association of changes in latency, amplitude and topographic distribution of potentials N200 and P300 of patients with paranoid schizophrenia and their healthy first-degree relatives, in families with schizophrenia multiplex. We measured latency and amplitude of the N200 and P300 component of evoked potentials using an auditory odd-ball paradigm in 25 schizophrenic patients (probands) from 60 families multiply affected with paranoid schizophrenia, 23 of their non-schizophrenic first-degree relatives and 25 unrelated healthy controls, through a study of family association. Schizophrenic patients and their relatives showed significant latency prolongation and amplitude reduction of the N200 and P300 waves compared to controls. Left-temporal as compared to right-temporal N200 and P300 were significantly smaller in schizophrenic patients and their non-schizophrenic first-degree relatives than in controls. Our results suggest that event-related evoked potentials abnormalities may serve as markers of genetic vulnerability in schizophrenia. Confirming results of other researchers, this present study suggests that latency prolongation and amplitude reduction of the N200 and P300 waves and an altered topography at temporal sites may be a trait “marker” of paranoid schizophrenia.

Opposite differential risks for autism and schizophrenia based on maternal age, paternal age, and parental age differences

PubMed Central

Boomsma, Jacobus J.

2016-01-01

Abstract Background and objectives: Effects of maternal and paternal age on offspring autism and schizophrenia risks have been studied for over three decades, but inconsistent risks have often been found, precluding well-informed speculation on why these age-related risks might exist. Methodology: To help clarify this situation we analysed a massive single population sample from Denmark including the full spectrum of autistic and schizophrenic disorders (eliminating between-study confounding), used up to 30 follow-up years, controlled for over 20 potentially confounding factors and interpret the ultimate causation of the observed risk patterns using generally accepted principles of parent-offspring conflict and life-history theory. Results: We evaluated the effects of paternal age, maternal age and parental age difference on offspring mental disorders and found consistently similar risk patterns for related disorders and markedly different patterns between autistic and schizophrenic disorders. Older fathers and mothers both conferred increased risk for autistic but not schizophrenic disorders, but autism risk was reduced in younger parents and offspring of younger mothers had increased risk for many schizophrenic disorders. Risk for most disorders also increased when parents were more dissimilarly aged. Monotonically increasing autism risk is consistent with mutation accumulation as fathers’ age, but this explanation is invalid for schizophrenic disorders, which were not related to paternal age and were negatively correlated with maternal age. Conclusions and implications: We propose that the observed maternally induced risk patterns ultimately reflect a shifting ancestral life-history trade-off between current and future reproduction, mediated by an initially high but subsequently decreasing tendency to constrain foetal provisioning as women proceed from first to final pregnancy. PMID:27637201

Further data on the effects of subliminal symbiotic stimulation on schizophrenics.

PubMed

Kaplan, R; Thornton, P; Silverman, L

1985-11-01

This investigation further examined the effects of activating unconscious symbiotic fantasies in schizophrenics. One hundred twenty-eight hospitalized schizophrenic men who qualified as "relatively differentiated" on the Adjective Rating Scale were randomly assigned to four groups. Each group was assessed for pathological thinking, pathological nonverbal behavior, and self-esteem before and after the subliminal exposure of an experimental and control stimulus. The control stimulus for all groups was the message PEOPLE ARE WALKING and the experimental stimuli were the messages MOMMY AND I ARE ONE, MOMMY IS ALWAYS WITH ME, MOMMY FEEDS ME WELL, and I CANNOT HURT MOMMY (one for each group). One half of each group was subliminally exposed to verbal messages only and one half to verbal messages accompanied by congruent pictures. The first stimulus (MOMMY AND I ARE ONE) was intended to activate unconscious symbiotic fantasies that in a number of prior studies reduced pathology in groups of relatively differentiated schizophrenics. The other stimuli were intended to activate reassuring unconscious fantasies about "mommy" that were not specifically symbiosis-related. Only the MOMMY AND I ARE ONE stimulus led to more adaptive behavior and did so on all three dependent variables. This supported the supposition, also borne out in two other studies, that it is specifically symbiosis-related gratifications that are ameliorative for schizophrenics. The above results were considerably stronger for the subgroup that was exposed to a picture accompanying the MOMMY AND I ARE ONE message. This was viewed as probably the result of the pictorial representation serving as a concretization of the more abstract verbal message and as such being more relevant to the relatively primitive mode of thinking in schizophrenia.

Effectiveness of gratitude disposition promotion program on depression and quality of life of chronic schizophrenic patients

PubMed Central

Jung, Miran; Han, Kuemsun

2017-01-01

Context: Gratitude intervention is expectedly an effective intervention to reduce depression and improve the quality of life in schizophrenic patients, but there is a lack of literature on it. Aims: We attempted to develop and test the effectiveness of the gratitude disposition promotion program for chronic schizophrenic patients in Korea. Settings and Design: Nonequivalent control group pre- and post-test design was used in two mental health centers located at Gyeonggi-do in South Korea. Materials and Methods: This paper was a quasi-experimental study and the participants who took part in the gratitude disposition promotion program were 17 of experimental group and 15 of control group. Gratitude disposition (the short gratitude, resentment, and appreciation test), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), and quality of life (developed by Kook) of chronic schizophrenic patients were measured before and after an intervention, as compared to the control. Statistical Analysis: Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and t-test were performed for prehomogeneity testing for variables related to the general characteristics. Testing for the effectiveness of gratitude disposition promotion program and hypothesis testing for its effect on depression and quality of life were by ANCOVA and t-test, as verified to significance level of P < 0.05. Results: The participants who received the gratitude disposition promotion program showed significant improvements in gratitude disposition (F = 18.740, P < 0.0001) and in quality of life (F = 9.800, P = 0.004), but no significant difference in depression (F = 3.870, P = 0.059). Conclusions: The gratitude disposition promotion program was an effective clinical intervention program for enhancing gratitude disposition and quality of life of chronic schizophrenic patients in community. PMID:28827866

Duration of untreated illness (DUI) and schizophrenia sub-types: a collaborative study between the universities of Milan and Moscow.

PubMed

Buoli, Massimiliano; Dell'osso, Bernardo; Zaytseva, Yuliya; Gurovich, Isaac Ya; Movina, Larisa; Dorodnova, Anna; Shmuckler, Alexander; Altamura, A Carlo

2013-12-01

Several studies show an association between a long duration of untreated illness (DUI) and poor outcome in schizophrenic patients. DUI, in turn, may be influenced by different variables including specific illness-related factors as well as access to local psychiatric services. The purposes of the present study were to detect differences in terms of DUI among schizophrenics coming from different geographic areas and to evaluate differences in DUI across diagnostic sub-types. One hundred and twenty-five (125) schizophrenic patients of the Psychiatric Clinic of Milan (n = 51) and Moscow (n = 74) were enrolled. SCID-I was administered to all patients and information about DUI was obtained by consulting clinical charts and health system databases, and by means of clinical interviews with patients and their relatives. DUI was defined as the time between the onset of illness and the administration of the first antipsychotic drug. One-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were performed to find eventual differences in terms of DUI across diagnostic sub-types. Italian patients showed a longer DUI (M = 4.14 years, SD = 4.95) than Russians (M = 1.16 years, SD = 1.43) (F = 24.03, p < .001). DUI was found to be longer in paranoid schizophrenics (M = 3.47 years, SD = 4.19) compared to catatonic patients (M = 0.96 years, SD = 0.94) (F = 3.56, p = .016). The results of the present study suggest that the different schizophrenic sub-types may differ in terms of DUI, likely due to different clinical severity and social functioning. Studies with larger samples are needed to confirm the data of the present study.

[Tolerance of ambiguity, art therapy and psychiatric illness].

PubMed

Grube, Michael

2002-11-01

Tolerance of ambiguity means the ability to tolerate contradictory and incalculable informations. There is the hypothesis that a high degree of tolerance of ambiguity correlates with creativity. It is unclear how various psychiatric illnesses and psychopathological conditions affect tolerance of ambiguity. Therefore we carried out a study concerning the tolerance of ambiguity: 154 persons were systematically investigated with a standardized questionnaire (31 schizophrenic in-patients, 41 neurotic in-patients, 49 members of the staff as control group, 33 artists as control group). In addition we examined the degree of depression in the neurotic group, the anancasm score and the well-being in general. In the schizophrenic group we assessed psychotic symptoms, the positive and negative symptoms, medication, anancasm and depression. Tolerance of ambiguity decreased in the following sequence: artists - members of the staff - neurotic in-patients - schizophrenic in-patients. It became evident that in the schizophrenic group negative symptoms negatively correlates with tolerance of ambiguity. The results seem to confirm the hypothesis that there is a positive correlation between tolerance of ambiguity and creativity. In addition, the higher degree of intolerance of ambiguity in schizophrenic patients may represent a protective mechanism. Intolerance of ambiguity possibly protects from too many contradictory informations. Furthermore the necessity is confirmed that creative therapy methods should be carefully chosen to avoid irritation on the one hand and not to neglect the required training of creative basic functions on the other hand. Although our results weaken the thesis that psychiatric illness is generally associated with an increase of creativity they don't exclude that highly creative performances in some individuals are possible who are especially talented in spite of or even because of their emotional suffering.

Psychopathology of Lived Time: Abnormal Time Experience in Persons With Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Stanghellini, Giovanni; Ballerini, Massimo; Presenza, Simona; Mancini, Milena; Raballo, Andrea; Blasi, Stefano; Cutting, John

2016-01-01

Abnormal time experience (ATE) in schizophrenia is a long-standing theme of phenomenological psychopathology. This is because temporality constitutes the bedrock of any experience and its integrity is fundamental for the sense of coherence and continuity of selfhood and personal identity. To characterize ATE in schizophrenia patients as compared to major depressives we interviewed, in a clinical setting over a period of 15 years, 550 consecutive patients affected by schizophrenic and affective disorders. Clinical files were analyzed by means of Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR), an inductive method suited to research that requires rich descriptions of inner experiences. Of the whole sample, 109 persons affected by schizophrenic (n = 95 acute, n = 14 chronic) and 37 by major depression reported at least 1 ATE. ATE are more represented in acute (N = 109 out of 198; 55%) than in chronic schizophrenic patients (N = 14 out of 103; 13%). The main feature of ATE in people with schizophrenia is the fragmentation of time experience (71 out of 109 patients), an impairment of the automatic and prereflexive synthesis of primal impression-retention-protention. This includes 4 subcategories: disruption of time flowing, déjà vu/vecu, premonitions about oneself and the external world. We contrasted ATE in schizophrenia and in major depression, finding relevant differences: in major depressives there is no disarticulation of time experience, rather timelessness because time lacks duration, not articulation. These core features of the schizophrenic pheno-phenotype may be related to self-disorders and to the manifold of characteristic schizophrenic symptoms, including so called bizarre delusions and verbal-acoustic hallucinations. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Correlates of positive and negative schizophrenic syndromes in Nigerian patients.

PubMed

Gureje, O

1989-11-01

The two-syndrome concept of schizophrenia was investigated in a sample of 70 Nigerian schizophrenic patients. The positive and negative syndromes were studied in relation to demographic, historical, neurological and psychometric measures. The negative syndrome was associated with cognitive impairment, behavioural deterioration and left eye dominance, and also with poor pre-morbid educational achievement and longer length of current stay in hospital. The positive syndrome was unrelated to any of the independent variables. The two syndromes were not significantly related, supporting the view that they represent relatively independent dimensions of pathology. This provides further support for the validity of the Type I-Type II subtyping of schizophrenia in populations of patients from different cultural backgrounds, and suggests that the negative syndrome is related to the presence of neurodevelopmental deficits that possibly antedate the schizophrenic illness.

Vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, serum calcium and phosphorus in patients with schizophrenia and major depression.

PubMed

Jamilian, Hamidreza; Bagherzadeh, Kamran; Nazeri, Zeinab; Hassanijirdehi, Marzieh

2013-02-01

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of depression and schizophrenia. The aim was to compare serum levels of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and parathyroid hormone in schizophrenics, depressed patients and healthy subjects in an Iranian population. In a cross-sectional study, 100 patients with schizophrenia and 100 with major depression were enrolled. A questionnaire was filled by using medical records of patients. After that a serum sample was taken and levels of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and parathyroid hormone were assessed and then compared between the three groups. Post-hoc analysis of Tukey showed that vitamin D level in healthy participants was significantly higher than depressed patients and schizophrenics while there was no significant difference between vitamin D level in depressed and schizophrenic patients. The findings suggest that vitamin D affects the brain independent of hormonal pathways which regulate serum level of calcium. Non-significant difference in the serum level of vitamin D between the schizophrenics and the depressed patients suggests that the independent effect of vitamin D in brain is a general effect and is not specialized to a specific region or pathway in the brain; however, differences between psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients might be resulted from differences in psychosocial backgrounds.

Effects of controlled-release formulations of atypical antipsychotics on functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals.

PubMed

Ruiu, Stefania; Casu, Maria Antonietta; Casu, Gianluca; Piras, Sara; Marchese, Giorgio

2012-08-01

Controlled-release formulations of atypical antipsychotics have recently been introduced into clinical practice. Clinical studies have indicated that these new therapies induce meaningful improvements in the functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals. The present analysis makes an attempt to address the clinical relevance of these studies and their contribution to the understanding of the mechanisms of action of these new drugs. A Medline search was done using the keywords 'antipsychotic', 'plasma level', 'quality of life' and 'functioning'. After reviewing the literature, it seems that symptom control and side effects may play a role in modulating the functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals treated with controlled-release formulations of atypical antipsychotics. The analysis also highlights that these new drugs may possess peculiarities and similarities in regulating patient functioning. However, the low number of clinical analyses that have focused on these aspects of antipsychotic therapy limits the interpretation of the results. Additional comparative clinical trials are needed to evaluate how the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties of antipsychotic drugs may modulate the functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals, as well as to establish whether new clinical benefits may come from the use of these drugs in schizophrenia therapy.

The impact of antipsychotics on psychomotor performance with regards to car driving skills.

PubMed

Brunnauer, Alexander; Laux, Gerd; Geiger, Elisabeth; Möller, Hans-Jürgen

2004-04-01

Cognitive and psychomotor impairments are a core feature of most patients with schizophrenia and may have an important influence on driving ability. The present study investigated the effects of neuroleptic monotherapy on psychomotor functions related to car driving skills in schizophrenic patients. Consecutively admitted schizophrenic inpatients (n = 120) were tested under steady state plasma level conditions before discharge to outpatient treatment. Patients met the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision criteria for schizophrenia. The study followed a naturalistic nonrandomized design. Data were collected with the computerized Act & React Testsystem and were analyzed according to medication, severity of illness, and age. Only 32.5% of the schizophrenic inpatients passed the tests without major impairments. Patients treated with atypical neuroleptics or clozapine showed a better test performance on skills related to driving ability when compared with patients on typical neuroleptics. Differences were most pronounced in measures of divided attention, stress tolerance, and attention. Data also suggest that treatment with clozapine had an overall positive impact on measures of reactivity and stress tolerance. These results show that even under steady state pharmacologic conditions psychomotor functions of most schizophrenic patients partly remitted must be considered as impaired. To evaluate these effects, a systematic neuropsychologic examination is recommended.

Further association study on dopamine D2 receptor variant S311C in Schizophrenia and affective disorders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arinami, Tadao; Hamaguchi, Hideo; Itokawa, Masanari

The dopamine D2 receptor gene is a candidate gene for schizophrenia because the potency of certain neuroleptics correlates with their affinity for this receptor. Case-control studies in 291 schizophrenics, 78 patients with affective disorders, and 579 controls on an association of a molecular variant of S311C of the dopamine D2 receptor with psychiatric disorders were conducted. The frequency of individuals with S311C was significantly higher in schizophrenics with the absence of negative symptoms (17.1%, P < 0.00001), but similar in schizophrenics with the presence of negative symptoms (5.7%, P = 0.46) when compared with the controls (4.1%). The frequency ofmore » S311C was significantly higher in familiar schizophrenics from one local area but not in those from other areas. It was significant that S311C was frequently present in patients with mood-incongruent psychotic affective disorders (33.3%, P < 0.0001), but not in those with other affective disorders. These data suggest that S311C might be one of the genetic factors for symptomatic dimensions of delusions and hallucinations and might be involved in underlying clinical heterogeneity in schizophrenia and affective disorders. 48 refs., 3 tabs.« less

Constitutive heterochromatin of chromosome 1 and Duffy blood group alleles in schizophrenia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kosower, N.S.; Gerad, L.; Goldstein, M.

1995-04-24

Cytogenetic analysis was carried out in unrelated schizophrenic patients, unrelated controls and patients and family members in multiplex families. The size-distribution of chromosome 1 heterochromatic region (1qH, C-band variants) among 21 unrelated schizophrenic patients was different from that found in a group of 46 controls. The patient group had 1qH variants of smaller size than the control group (P < 0.01). Incubation of phytohemagglutinin-treated blood lymphocytes with 5-azacytidine (which causes decondensation and extension of the heterochromatin) led to a lesser degree of heterochromatin decondensation in a group of patients than in the controls (7 schizophrenic, 9 controls, P < 0.01).more » The distribution of phenotypes of Duffy blood group system (whose locus is linked to the 1qH region) among 28 schizophrenic patients was also different from that in the general population. Cosegregation of schizophrenia with a 1qH (C-band) variant and Duffy blood group allele was observed in one of six multiplex families. The overall results suggest that alterations within the Duffy/1qH region are involved in schizophrenia in some cases. This region contains the locus of D5 dopamine receptor pseudogene 2 (1q21.1), which is transcribed in normal lymphocytes. 33 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.« less

Abnormal Sense of Agency in Patients with Schizophrenia: Evidence from Bimanual Coupling Paradigm

PubMed Central

Garbarini, Francesca; Mastropasqua, Angela; Sigaudo, Monica; Rabuffetti, Marco; Piedimonte, Alessandro; Pia, Lorenzo; Rocca, Paola

2016-01-01

A fruitful approach to the understanding the human awareness of action is the study of those pathologies in which some aspects of it are altered. Previous evidences showed that patients with schizophrenia tend to attribute someone else’ actions to their own, as internally, rather than externally, generated. Here, we asked whether schizophrenics have an “excessive” sense of agency, while observing others’ movements. We took advantage from the circles-lines task, known to show bimanual interferences. Twenty schizophrenics and 20 age-matched healthy controls were administered: (a) the bimanual version of the task: drawing lines with one hand and circles with the other; and (b) a modified version: drawing lines while observing the examiner drawing circles. In the bimanual version, patients and controls showed a comparable interference effect. In the observation version, schizophrenics, compared to controls, showed a significantly greater interference effect of the examiners’ hand drawing circles on the own hand drawing lines. This effect was significantly correlated to the strength of the positive symptoms (hallucinations and delusions) and to the alteration of the sense of agency, reported during the task. These findings suggest that an altered sense of agency, as shown by schizophrenics, can induce objective consequences on the motor system. PMID:27014005

Spatial working memory function in twins with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Pirkola, Tiia; Tuulio-Henriksson, Annamari; Glahn, David; Kieseppä, Tuula; Haukka, Jari; Kaprio, Jaakko; Lönnqvist, Jouko; Cannon, Tyrone D

2005-12-15

Family studies are in conflict as to whether schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have independent genetic etiologies. Given the relatively low prevalence (approximately 1%) of these disorders, the use of quantitative endophenotypic markers of genetic liability might provide a more sensitive strategy for evaluating their genetic overlap. We have previously demonstrated that spatial working memory deficits increase in a dose-dependent fashion with increasing genetic proximity to a proband among the unaffected co-twins of schizophrenic patients. Here, we evaluated whether such deficits might also mark genetic susceptibility to bipolar disorder. The Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised Visual Memory Span and Digit Span subtests were administered to 46 schizophrenic patients, 32 of their unaffected co-twins, 22 bipolar patients, 16 of their unaffected co-twins, and 100 control twins, representing unselectively nationwide twin samples. Schizophrenic patients and their unaffected co-twins performed significantly worse than control subjects on the spatial working memory task, whereas only the schizophrenic patients performed significantly below the control subjects on the verbal working memory task. Neither bipolar patients nor their unaffected co-twins differed from control subjects on these measures. Our findings support the hypothesis that impairment in spatial working memory might effectively reflect an expression of genetic liability to schizophrenia but less clearly to bipolar disorder.

[Face recognition in patients with schizophrenia].

PubMed

Doi, Hirokazu; Shinohara, Kazuyuki

2012-07-01

It is well known that patients with schizophrenia show severe deficiencies in social communication skills. These deficiencies are believed to be partly derived from abnormalities in face recognition. However, the exact nature of these abnormalities exhibited by schizophrenic patients with respect to face recognition has yet to be clarified. In the present paper, we review the main findings on face recognition deficiencies in patients with schizophrenia, particularly focusing on abnormalities in the recognition of facial expression and gaze direction, which are the primary sources of information of others' mental states. The existing studies reveal that the abnormal recognition of facial expression and gaze direction in schizophrenic patients is attributable to impairments in both perceptual processing of visual stimuli, and cognitive-emotional responses to social information. Furthermore, schizophrenic patients show malfunctions in distributed neural regions, ranging from the fusiform gyrus recruited in the structural encoding of facial stimuli, to the amygdala which plays a primary role in the detection of the emotional significance of stimuli. These findings were obtained from research in patient groups with heterogeneous characteristics. Because previous studies have indicated that impairments in face recognition in schizophrenic patients might vary according to the types of symptoms, it is of primary importance to compare the nature of face recognition deficiencies and the impairments of underlying neural functions across sub-groups of patients.

Thiol Disulfide Homeostasis in Schizophrenic Patients Using Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs

PubMed Central

Ersan, Etem Erdal; Aydin, Hüseyin; Erdoğan, Serpil; Erşan, Serpil; Alişik, Murat; Bakir, Sevtap; Erel, Özcan; Koç, Derya

2018-01-01

Objective Schizophrenia is a severe, debilitating mental disorder characterized by behavioral abnormalities. Although several studies have investigated the role of oxidative stress and the effects of antipsychotic drugs on oxidative markers in schizophrenia, adequate information is not available on these issues. The aim of this study is to determine the changes in oxidative status and thiol disulfide homeostasis in schizophrenic patients using atypical antipsychotic drugs. Methods Thirteen schizophrenic patients using atypical antipsychotic drugs and 30 healthy controls were included this study. The concentrations of total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), native thiol, total thiol, and disulfide levels were determined in the study population. Results The TAS (p=0.001), total thiol, and native thiol levels (p<0.001) were higher in the patients compared to the controls, whereas the TOS and disulfide levels were lower in the patients than in the controls (p<0.001). Conclusion These results may suggest that atypical antipsychotic drugs have a useful therapeutic effect by reducing oxidative stress via the inhibition of the formation of disulfide bonds. The study population number was one of the limitations of this study. Therefore, further studies are needed to establish the association between thiol disulfide homeostasis in schizophrenic patients using atypical antipsychotic drugs. PMID:29397665

Plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol and homovanillic acid measurements in deficit and nondeficit forms of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Thibaut, F; Ribeyre, J M; Dourmap, N; Ménard, J F; Dollfus, S; Petit, M

1998-01-01

Discrepancies in the biochemical research on negative symptoms in schizophrenia may be ascribed to the lack of differentiation into primary and secondary negative symptoms. We have used Carpenter's criteria to define the deficit syndrome of schizophrenia as the presence of enduring and primary negative symptoms and measured catecholaminergic parameters in deficit as compared with nondeficit schizophrenics. We have investigated plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (pMHPG) concentrations in 34 DSM-III-R neuroleptic-treated schizophrenic patients who were classified into deficit (n = 14) and nondeficit (n = 20) forms of schizophrenia. All these patients were in a stable clinical and therapeutic status for the preceding 12 months. The 14 deficit schizophrenic patients had lower plasma levels of pHVA and higher plasma concentrations of pMHPG from 9 AM to 12 AM as compared with the 20 nondeficit schizophrenic patients. The two groups did not differ on any demographic, therapeutic, or clinical variable considered. Our data are consistent with the postulated distinct pathophysiological basis for the deficit syndrome of schizophrenia and suggest that opposite alterations in the pHVA or pMHPG levels may reflect specific changes in noradrenergic and dopaminergic functions in these deficit patients.

A differential neural response to threatening and non-threatening negative facial expressions in paranoid and non-paranoid schizophrenics.

PubMed

Phillips, M L; Williams, L; Senior, C; Bullmore, E T; Brammer, M J; Andrew, C; Williams, S C; David, A S

1999-11-08

Several studies have demonstrated impaired facial expression recognition in schizophrenia. Few have examined the neural basis for this; none have compared the neural correlates of facial expression perception in different schizophrenic patient subgroups. We compared neural responses to facial expressions in 10 right-handed schizophrenic patients (five paranoid and five non-paranoid) and five normal volunteers using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). In three 5-min experiments, subjects viewed alternating 30-s blocks of black-and-white facial expressions of either fear, anger or disgust contrasted with expressions of mild happiness. After scanning, subjects categorised each expression. All patients were less accurate in identifying expressions, and showed less activation to these stimuli than normals. Non-paranoids performed poorly in the identification task and failed to activate neural regions that are normally linked with perception of these stimuli. They categorised disgust as either anger or fear more frequently than paranoids, and demonstrated in response to disgust expressions activation in the amygdala, a region associated with perception of fearful faces. Paranoids were more accurate in recognising expressions, and demonstrated greater activation than non-paranoids to most stimuli. We provide the first evidence for a distinction between two schizophrenic patient subgroups on the basis of recognition of and neural response to different negative facial expressions.

[Efficacy and tolerance of PDE-5 in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in schizophrenic patients: A literature review].

PubMed

Bacconi, L; Gressier, F

2017-02-01

Sexual dysfunction is an important public health problem in men and is associated with reduced quality of life. It is more common in patients with schizophrenia. It is well-established that antipsychotic drugs cause sexual dysfunction with consequences on the quality of life of patients, adherence to treatment, and public health costs. Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5 inhibitors) are indicated for the management of erectile dysfunction. However, there is little information on such treatment in schizophrenic patients. This literature review aimed to summarize the current data on the efficacy and tolerability of PDE-5 inhibitors in the erectile dysfunction in schizophrenic patients. PubMed, PsycInfo and Cochrane databases were searched for studies published until August 2014. Only 6 studies met the inclusion criteria. Three were randomized, double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled trials and three were open studies. Various scales were used to measure erectile and orgasmic function, desire, satisfaction during intercourse, overall satisfaction, quality of life and intensity of schizophrenic symptoms. In the 3 randomized studies (one with sildenafil 25-50 mg, one with lodenafil carbonate 80 mg/j and the last one with tadalafil 10 mg), the rate of participants who completed the trial was high (around 95 %). All three included patients with schizophrenia or schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Patients reported significant improvement on sexual dysfunction. However, no statistical difference was reported between lodenafil and placebo, on different scales, suggesting a very important placebo effect in patients with schizophrenia. All three found a good tolerance of PDE-5 inhibitors. Side effects were rare and were mainly nasal congestion, headaches, nausea and dizziness. There were no major side effects or drug interactions. Considering the 3 open studies, 2 involved sildenafil and one tadalafil. All concluded in improved erectile and orgasmic function, desire, satisfaction during intercourse, overall satisfaction, and even the quality of life when it was studied. However, very few patients were included. Little data are available on the use of PDE5 inhibitors in schizophrenic patients. The 6 studies included few patients which reduces the power and the scope of their conclusions. There is also an important bias due to the use of self-questionnaires. The methodologies of the studies differ in many aspects which limits the comparability. Inclusion and exclusion criteria, drugs used and scales varied among the studies. However, the management of erectile disorder seems to be a consistent target in an integrative approach for the overall well-being of schizophrenic patients. PDE-5 inhibitors appear to be safe and could improve erectile function in schizophrenic patients. In total, the current data suggest efficiency and good tolerance of the use of PDE-5 inhibitors in schizophrenic patients with erectile dysfunction. However, further studies focusing on PDE-5 inhibitors are needed to more deeply assess their efficacy and safety in patients with schizophrenia. Copyright © 2016 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

EFFICACY OF PROPRANOLOL ON SCHIZOPHRENIC THOUGHT DISORDER

PubMed Central

Sethi, B. B.; Dube, Sanjay

1981-01-01

SUMMARY 15 schizophrenic patients were treated with dl-propranolol in a 4 week open study. Dosage was gradually increased over a period of 17 days to 1920 mg/day. Improvements were rated on Thought Disorder Scores (A & B) of the MBPRS and GPRS subscale for schizophrenia. Majority of the patients showed a 50% improvement in terms of their residual scores by the 4th week of treatment and the side effects experienced were minimal. PMID:22064778

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in clozapine-treated schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Ertugrul, Aygun; Anil Yagcioglu, A Elif; Eni, Nurhayat; Yazici, Kâzim M

2005-04-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the occurrence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) in schizophrenic patients treated with clozapine, and to examine the relationship between OCS and other clinical variables. The results support earlier findings which suggest that clozapine produces or unmasks OCS. In addition, the severity of OCS was not related to other dimensions of psychopathology, severity of illness, clinical improvement or dose and duration of clozapine treatment.

[Schizophrenia and cannabis consumption: epidemiology and clinical symptoms].

PubMed

Jockers-Scherübl, Maria C

2006-01-01

More and more young people consume cannabis in sometimes high dosage at an age when their brain is not yet fully developed and reacts particularly sensitive to toxic influences. Cannabis can induce and exacerbate psychotic symptoms and it can deteriorate the disease process in schizophrenic patients. First-episode schizophrenic patients with long-term cannabis consumption were significantly younger at disease-onset, mostly male and suffered more often from paranoid schizophrenia (with a better prognosis) than those without cannabis consumption in our investigation. The significance of higher serum neurotrophin levels in cannabis consuming schizophrenics as compared to those without cannabis consumption remains equivocal so far. The cognitive functions of this patient group are at least not worse than in those with schizophrenia alone. Taken together, the effect of cannabis on the brain vulnerable to schizophrenia is not yet completely understood; besides the undoubtedly deleterious effects, there may also be some neuroprotective effects.

Predisposing factors for early retirement in patients with schizophrenia in Germany.

PubMed

Schnabel, Reinhard; Friedel, Heiko; Erfurth, Andreas; Angermayer, Matthias; Clouth, Johannes; Eichmann, Florian

2008-08-01

Although early retirement causes major changes in the life of schizophrenic patients and is among the major cost factors to be covered by payers, the causes leading to early retirement of schizophrenic patients have not been investigated in detail. Therefore, the objective of this retrospective non-interventional case-control study was to generate hypotheses on predisposing factors for early retirement in schizophrenia. Logistic regression was used to explore potential predisposing parameters with regard to their effect on the outcome early retirement. As the study results indicate, schizophrenia severity, assistance or care in the patient's everyday life, age and antipsychotic treatment with typical antipsychotics are linked to the occurrence of early retirement. Further research should be planned to confirm or refute the hypotheses determined in this retrospective analysis and to determine whether atypical antipsychotics could help to avoid early retirement and to improve the situation of schizophrenic patients.

A combined cICA-EEMD analysis of EEG recordings from depressed or schizophrenic patients during olfactory stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Götz, Th; Stadler, L.; Fraunhofer, G.; Tomé, A. M.; Hausner, H.; Lang, E. W.

2017-02-01

Objective. We propose a combination of a constrained independent component analysis (cICA) with an ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) to analyze electroencephalographic recordings from depressed or schizophrenic subjects during olfactory stimulation. Approach. EEMD serves to extract intrinsic modes (IMFs) underlying the recorded EEG time. The latter then serve as reference signals to extract the most similar underlying independent component within a constrained ICA. The extracted modes are further analyzed considering their power spectra. Main results. The analysis of the extracted modes reveals clear differences in the related power spectra between the disease characteristics of depressed and schizophrenic patients. Such differences appear in the high frequency γ-band in the intrinsic modes, but also in much more detail in the low frequency range in the α-, θ- and δ-bands. Significance. The proposed method provides various means to discriminate both disease pictures in a clinical environment.

Lack of effect of laboratory-provoked anxiety on plasma homovanillic acid concentration in normal subjects.

PubMed

Zemishlany, Z; Davidson, M

1996-08-15

The present study was undertaken to investigate if acute anxiety can affect plasma concentrations of homovanillic acid (pHVA). Since elevated pHVA levels have been associated with severity of schizophrenic symptoms, the results of this study will help determine if the pHVA elevations are directly related to psychosis or if anxiety is also a contributory factor. Anxiety was provoked in 10 young normal subjects by a combined paradigm of mental arithmetic task and threat of electrical shock. A significant increase in self-ratings of anxiety, blood pressure, and plasma levels of norepinephrine, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol and growth hormone indicated that the paradigm used was effective in provoking anxiety; however, anxiety did not affect pHVA concentrations. The results may support the notion that increased pHVA levels in severely ill schizophrenic patients are related to the schizophrenic pathophysiology rather than to anxiety.

Abnormal visual scan paths: a psychophysiological marker of delusions in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Phillips, M L; David, A S

1998-02-09

The role of the visual scan path as a psychophysiological marker of visual attention has been highlighted previously (Phillips and David, 1994). We investigated information processing in schizophrenic patients with severe delusions and again when the delusions were subsiding using visual scan path measurements. We aimed to demonstrate a specific deficit in processing human faces in deluded subjects by relating this to abnormal viewing strategies. Scan paths were measured in six deluded and five non-deluded schizophrenics (matched for medication and negative symptoms), and nine age-matched normal controls. Deluded subjects had abnormal scan paths in a recognition task, fixating non-feature areas significantly more than controls, but were equally accurate. Re-testing after improvement in delusional conviction revealed fewer group differences. The results suggest state-dependent abnormal information processing in schizophrenics when deluded, with reliance on less-salient visual information for decision-making.

Taking cognizance of mental illness in schizophrenics and its association with crime and substance-related diagnoses.

PubMed

Munkner, R; Haastrup, S; Jørgensen, T; Andreasen, A H; Kramp, P

2003-02-01

To analyse how committed crimes and substance-related diagnoses are associated with the age on the first contact with the psychiatric hospital system and the age at diagnosing of schizophrenia among schizophrenics. In a register-based study including all Danes diagnosed with schizophrenia born after November 1, 1963, data on criminality, substance-related diagnoses and contacts with the psychiatric hospital system were analysed. Compared with the non-convicted schizophrenics the convicted were older on first contact with the psychiatric hospital system and older when the diagnosis of schizophrenia was first given. In contrast, having a substance-related diagnosis was associated with a younger age on first contact but did not influence the age at which the diagnosis of schizophrenia was given. It is important that both psychiatrists and the judicial system are aware of possible psychotic symptoms in criminal and abusing individuals to enable earlier detection and treatment.

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE SYMPTOMS IN CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA: A NEW IDEA OR AN OLD BELIEF?

PubMed Central

Jaydeokar, Sujeet; Gore, Yogita; Diwan, Pradnya; Deshpande, Prasad; Desai, Neena

1997-01-01

Obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms during the course of schizophrenia have been reported, yet the incidence and significance of this finding is still unclear. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of OC symptoms among chronic schizophrenic patients and to systematically identify them. 101 patients satisfying DSM-IV diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia were assessed for OC symptoms. All patients were also rated on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for the severity of their symptoms. The study revealed that 26.7% of the chronic schizophrenic patients had significant OC symptoms with a high prevalence in the age group below 35 years. OC symptoms were more severe in patients with duration of illness more than 5 years. The OC symptoms were more prevalent among paranoid schizophrenics with the frequent obsessions being that of contamination, sexual and aggressive thoughts and frequent compulsion was need to ask or confess. PMID:21584101

Symptom development in childhood onset schizophrenia.

PubMed

Watkins, J M; Asarnow, R F; Tanguay, P E

1988-11-01

Symptom development from birth to 12 years of age was examined in 18 children who met DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia with onset before 10 years of age. Using a follow-back design, symptom development was rated at each of four age levels using a DSM-III Symptom Rating Scale and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. Results revealed a gradual developmental unfolding of a broad spectrum of symptoms affecting social, cognitive, sensory and motor functioning and beginning many years before the appearance of schizophrenic symptoms--usually in early infancy. Prior to 6 years of age, severe language deficits and motor development problems were each found in 72% of the sample and symptoms of infantile autism were found in 39% of the sample. Onset of schizophrenia occurred at an earlier age for children with a history of autistic symptoms during infancy than for other children in the sample. Schizophrenia as defined by DSM-III was entirely absent before 6 years of age.

[Homicide, schizophrenia and substance abuse: a complex interaction].

PubMed

Richard-Devantoy, S; Bouyer-Richard, A I; Jollant, F; Mondoloni, A; Voyer, M; Senon, J-L

2013-08-01

The prevalence of homicide perpetrators with a diagnosis of schizophrenia is 6% in Western countries populations. The relationship between schizophrenia and homicide is complex and cannot be reduced to a simple causal link. The aim of this systematic review was to clarify the role of substance abuse in the commission of murder in people suffering from schizophrenia. A systematic English-French Medline and EMBASE literature search of cohort studies, case-control studies and transversal studies published between January 2001 and December 2011 was performed, combining the MeSH terms "schizophrenia", "psychotic disorders", "homicide", "violence", "substance use disorder", and the TIAB term "alcohol". Abstract selection was based on the STROBE and PRISMA checklist for observational studies and systematic and meta-analysis studies, respectively. Of the 471 selected studies, eight prospective studies and six systematic reviews and meta-analysis studies met the selection criteria and were included in the final analysis. Homicide committed by a schizophrenic person is associated with socio-demographic (young age, male gender, low socioeconomic status), historical (history of violence against others), contextual (a stressful event in the year prior to the homicide), and clinical risk factors (severe psychotic symptoms, long duration of untreated psychosis, poor adherence to medication). In comparison to the general population, the risk of homicide is increased 8-fold in schizophrenics with a substance abuse disorder (mainly alcohol abuse) and 2-fold in schizophrenics without any comorbidities. A co-diagnosis of substance abuse allows us to divide the violent schizophrenics into "early-starters" and "late-starters" according to the age of onset of their antisocial and violent behavior. The violence of the "early-starters" is unplanned, usually affects an acquaintance and is not necessarily associated with the schizophrenic symptoms. Substance abuse is frequent and plays an important role in the homicide commission. In addition, the risk of reoffending is high. In the "late-starters", the violence is linked to the psychotic symptoms and is directed to a member of the family. The reoffence risk is low and it depends on the pursuit of care or not. Defining subgroups of violent schizophrenic patients would avoid stigmatization and would help to prevent the risk of homicide by offering a multidisciplinary care which would take into account any substance abuse. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

[Neurophysiology and neuropsychology of recognition confabulation in hospitalized schizophrenic patients].

PubMed

Salazar Fraile, J; Tabarés Seisdedos, R; Selva Vera, G; Balanzá Martínez, V; Leal Cercós, C; Vilela Soler, C; Vallet Mas, M

1998-01-01

Recognition confabulation was studied in 16 schizoprhenic patients and 16 normal controls. Half of the schizophrenics presented recognition confabulation, while the remaining 8 and 16 controls did not. This type of confabulation was associated to attentional deficiency, difficulties in perceptual follow-up and perceptive changes. These test satisfactorily discriminated confabulating schizoprhenics and both ill and healthy non-confabulating subjects. The possible mechanisms underlying this type of confabulation are discussed, in relation to the deficiences observed.

Schizophrenia and neurotrophin-3 alleles.

PubMed

Jŏnsson, E; Brené, S; Zhang, X R; Nimgaonkar, V L; Tylec, A; Schalling, M; Sedvall, G

1997-05-01

Studies of brain anatomy and premorbid functioning indicate that schizophrenia may be of neurodevelopmental origin. In the neurotrophic factor neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) gene, the A3/147-bp allele in a dinucleotide repeat polymorphism located in the promoter region was found to be associated with schizophrenia in a Japanese study. Another NT-3 polymorphism (Glu63Gly) indicated an association with schizophrenic patients with a putative neurodevelopmental form of the disease. We examined Swedish schizophrenic patients (n = 109) and control subjects (n = 78) for the same two NT-3 polymorphisms, as well as a third silent exonic polymorphism (at Pro55). No significant difference was found between the two groups. However, in a meta-analysis including the present and previous studies of Caucasian subjects, the A3/147-bp allele frequency was found to be significantly higher in the schizophrenic patients. In the present study, carriers of the A3/147 bp allele tended to have an earlier age of onset and to display more extrapyramidal symptoms. In the silent exonic polymorphism (at Pro55), female schizophrenic patients had higher adenine and lower guanine allele frequencies than control female subjects. Together with previous studies, the results provide some support for an association between the NT-3 gene and certain forms of schizophrenia. This warrants further investigation of NT-3 and other neurotrophic factors with additional polymorphisms and larger patient samples.

[Comparison of Criminal Characteristics in Depression Patients and Schizophrenics with Homicide Behavior].

PubMed

Wang, J; Fu, P X; Gao, Y L; Zhu, M X; Shi, T T

2017-06-01

To explore the criminal characteristics of forensic psychiatry expertise in depression patients and schizophrenics with homicide behavior. A total of 40 depression （depressive episode） patients and 50 schizophrenics with homicide behavior were randomly assigned into the study group and control group, respectively. Data of demographic and criminal characteristic of the two groups were collected by a self-designed questionnaire, and then were compared. There were no statistical differences in age, education level and career between study and control groups （ P >0.05）. Compared with the control group, the victims in the study group were mainly the patient's children and parents, and most offenders had suicidal behavior after homicide （70%）. In study group, the motives of crime were mainly extended suicide and indirect suicide, and most offenders had attempted suicide （85%） and diminished capacity of criminal responsibility （70%）, which in control group had no capacity of criminal responsibility （56%）. Except for criminal site, there were statistical differences in other criminal characteristics between two groups （ P <0.05）. There are different criminal characteristics between depression patients and schizophrenics with homicide behavior in forensic psychiatry, and these characteristics should be considered when these two diagnoses are distinguished in forensic psychiatry expertise. Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine

Pimozide versus fluphenazine in ambulatory schizophrenics: A 12-month comparison study.

PubMed

Donlon, P T; Swaback, D O; Osborne, M L

1977-02-01

In this study, chronic schizophrenic outpatients who had been maintained on various neuroleptics for an average of about 4 years had their previous medications (approximately equivalent to 695 mg of chlorpromazine per day) changed abruptly to either pimozide or fluphenazine given in single daily oral doses on a double-blind basis for a period of 52 weeks. Average daily doses were pimozide 9.6 mg and fluphenazine 12.5 mg. Measurements of the therapeutic effects of the two drugs were made immediately prior to starting the study, at the end of the 2nd and 4th weeks, and thereafter every 4th week to the end of the study. Three psychometric scales were used for evaluation: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS); Evaluation of Social Functioning (ESFR); and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI). In addition, patients participated in a Social Adjustment Inventory (SAI) evaluation. Statistical analysis with the use of several statistical techniques for between- and within-drug group comparisons revealed that pimozide and fluphenazine were equally effective in maintaining control of symptomatology of chronic schizophrenics at a level commensurate with or better than that provided by their previous medication. Side effects were characteristic of marketed neuroleptics, similar in severity and occurrence between study-drug groups, mainly extrapyramidal symptoms, and readily controlled with antiparkinsonian medication. Pimozide, slightly more potent than fluphenazine, proved to be equally effective for the long-term management of chronic schizophrenic patients.

[Efficacy of family intervention in management of schizophrenic patients in China: a meta-analysis].

PubMed

Chen, Nan; An, Jing-huan; Yang, Min; Liu, Yuan-yuan

2015-11-01

To assess the efficacy of family intervention in management of schizophrenic patients in China. Chinese databases CNKI, VIP, WANFANG, CBM and English databases OVID Medline, Science Direct, Web of science, EBSCO were searched systematically from inception to January 2015. Quantitative and empirical studies on the outcomes of social disability screening scale (SDSS), brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) and positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) of family intervention for Chinese schizophrenic patients were selected. The effect size was derived from the standardized mean difference (SMD), and meta-analysis was conducted to compare effects of family intervention by intervention types, time of intervention, durations of illness and severity of schizophrenia. The study included 57 articles that met inclusion criteria. SDSS and PANSS scores revealed that the effect was positively associated with the length of intervention time (P<0.0001, P=0.0025); the effect of single family intervention was better than that of combined single and multiple family intervention (P<0.0001, P=0.0131); the effect was better for patients with severe conditions than those with less severe conditions (P<0.0001, P=0.0280). The SDSS showed that the effect was better for patients with shorter disease duration (P<0.0001). The results suggest that the long single family intervention would benefit to schizophrenic patients, particularly for severe patients with short disease duration.

Elevation of D4 dopamine receptor mRNA in postmortem schizophrenic brain.

PubMed

Stefanis, N C; Bresnick, J N; Kerwin, R W; Schofield, W N; McAllister, G

1998-01-01

The D4 dopamine (DA) receptor has been proposed to be a target for the development of a novel antipsychotic drug based on its pharmacological and distribution profile. There is much interest in whether D4 DA receptor levels are altered in schizophrenia, but the lack of an available receptor subtype-specific radioligand made this difficult to quantitate. In this study, we examined whether D4 mRNA levels are altered in different brain regions of schizophrenics compared to controls. Ribonuclease protection assays were carried out on total RNA samples isolated postmortem from frontal cortex and caudate brain regions of schizophrenics and matched controls. 32P-labelled RNA probes to the D4 DA receptor and to the housekeeping gene, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), were hybridised with the RNA samples, digested with ribonucleases to remove unhybridised probe, and separated on 6% sequencing gels. Densitometer analysis on the subsequent autoradiogams was used to calculate the relative optical density of D4 mRNA compared to G3PDH mRNA. Statistical analysis of the data revealed a 3-fold higher level (P<0.011) of D4 mRNA in the frontal cortex of schizophrenics compared to controls. No increase was seen in caudate. D4 receptors could play a role in mediating dopaminergic activity in frontal cortex, an activity which may be malfunctioning in schizophrenia.

Reduced event-related current density in the anterior cingulate cortex in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Mulert, C; Gallinat, J; Pascual-Marqui, R; Dorn, H; Frick, K; Schlattmann, P; Mientus, S; Herrmann, W M; Winterer, G

2001-04-01

There is good evidence from neuroanatomic postmortem and functional imaging studies that dysfunction of the anterior cingulate cortex plays a prominent role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. So far, no electrophysiological localization study has been performed to investigate this deficit. We investigated 18 drug-free schizophrenic patients and 25 normal subjects with an auditory choice reaction task and measured event-related activity with 19 electrodes. Estimation of the current source density distribution in Talairach space was performed with low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA). In normals, we could differentiate between an early event-related potential peak of the N1 (90-100 ms) and a later N1 peak (120-130 ms). Subsequent current-density LORETA analysis in Talairach space showed increased activity in the auditory cortex area during the first N1 peak and increased activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus during the second N1 peak. No activation difference was observed in the auditory cortex between normals and patients with schizophrenia. However, schizophrenics showed significantly less anterior cingulate gyrus activation and slowed reaction times. Our results confirm previous findings of an electrical source in the anterior cingulate and an anterior cingulate dysfunction in schizophrenics. Our data also suggest that anterior cingulate function in schizophrenics is disturbed at a relatively early time point in the information-processing stream (100-140 ms poststimulus). Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

The neuropathological study of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein in the temporal lobe of schizophrenia patients.

PubMed

Marui, Tomoyasu; Torii, Youta; Iritani, Shuji; Sekiguchi, Hirotaka; Habuchi, Chikako; Fujishiro, Hiroshige; Oshima, Kenichi; Niizato, Kazuhiro; Hayashida, Shotaro; Masaki, Katsuhisa; Kira, Junichi; Ozaki, Norio

2018-03-22

Recent studies based on the neuroimaging analysis, genomic analysis and transcriptome analysis of the postmortem brain suggest that the pathogenesis of schizophrenia is related to myelin-oligodendrocyte abnormalities. However, no serious neuropathological investigation of this protein in the schizophrenic brain has yet been performed. In this study, to confirm the change in neuropathological findings due to the pathogenesis of this disease, we observed the expression of myelin-oligodendrocyte directly in the brain tissue of schizophrenia patients. Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) was evaluated in the cortex of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and the hippocampus in 10 schizophrenic and nine age- and sex-matched normal control postmortem brains. The expression of MOG was significantly lower in the middle layer of the neocortex of the STG and stratum lucidum of CA3 in the hippocampus in the long-term schizophrenic brains (patients with ≥30 years of illness duration) than in the age-matched controls. Furthermore, the thickness of MOG-positive fibre-like structures was significantly lower in both regions of the long-term schizophrenic brains than in the age-matched controls. These findings suggest that a long duration of illness has a marked effect on the expression of MOG in these regions, and that myelin-oligodendrocyte abnormalities in these regions may be related to the progressive pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Frequency and severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms/disorders, violence and suicidal in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Hosseini, S H; Zarghami, M; Moudi, S; Mohammadpour, A R

2012-06-01

This study determined the prevalence and severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms/disorder (OCS/OCD), aggression and suicidal in schizophrenic patients. Also we compared the prevalence and severity of aggression and suicidal in schizophrenic patients with and without OCS/OCD considering anxiety, depression and substance abuse as confounding factors. During 2007 and 2008, 100 schizophrenic patients were evaluated with Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Spilberger State/Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Scale for suicide Ideation, and Overt Aggression Scale. OCS/OCD and suicidal attempts were seen in 33%, 10% and 12% of patients respectively. The most common form of aggression was against others (55%), and aggressive obsessions were seen in 10% of the patients. Comparing patients with and without OCS/OCD, there were no significant differences in the severity of schizophrenia, suicidal and overt aggression. The severity of overt aggression was related to the patients' age and education reversely. Also, there was a relationship between their suicidal thoughts and residence in the cities. High rate of aggressive obsessions and lack of relationship between severity of aggression and presence of OCD indicated that these patients did not act on these thoughts. The risk of suicide was more serious in patients living in the cities, and risk of violence was more serious in younger and less educated patients.

Suicide risk in schizophrenia: learning from the past to change the future.

PubMed

Pompili, Maurizio; Amador, Xavier F; Girardi, Paolo; Harkavy-Friedman, Jill; Harrow, Martin; Kaplan, Kalman; Krausz, Michael; Lester, David; Meltzer, Herbert Y; Modestin, Jiri; Montross, Lori P; Mortensen, Preben Bo; Munk-Jørgensen, Povl; Nielsen, Jimmi; Nordentoft, Merete; Saarinen, Pirjo Irmeli; Zisook, Sidney; Wilson, Scott T; Tatarelli, Roberto

2007-03-16

Suicide is a major cause of death among patients with schizophrenia. Research indicates that at least 5-13% of schizophrenic patients die by suicide, and it is likely that the higher end of range is the most accurate estimate. There is almost total agreement that the schizophrenic patient who is more likely to commit suicide is young, male, white and never married, with good premorbid function, post-psychotic depression and a history of substance abuse and suicide attempts. Hopelessness, social isolation, hospitalization, deteriorating health after a high level of premorbid functioning, recent loss or rejection, limited external support, and family stress or instability are risk factors for suicide in patients with schizophrenia. Suicidal schizophrenics usually fear further mental deterioration, and they experience either excessive treatment dependence or loss of faith in treatment. Awareness of illness has been reported as a major issue among suicidal schizophrenic patients, yet some researchers argue that insight into the illness does not increase suicide risk. Protective factors play also an important role in assessing suicide risk and should also be carefully evaluated. The neurobiological perspective offers a new approach for understanding self-destructive behavior among patients with schizophrenia and may improve the accuracy of screening schizophrenics for suicide. Although, there is general consensus on the risk factors, accurate knowledge as well as early recognition of patients at risk is still lacking in everyday clinical practice. Better knowledge may help clinicians and caretakers to implement preventive measures. This review paper is the result of a joint effort between researchers in the field of suicide in schizophrenia. Each expert provided a brief essay on one specific aspect of the problem. This is the first attempt to present a consensus report as well as the development of a set of guidelines for reducing suicide risk among schizophrenia patients.

Effects of weight loss diet therapy on anthropometric measurements and biochemical variables in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Urhan, Murat; Ergün, Can; Aksoy, Meral; Ayer, Ahmet

2015-07-01

Prevalence of obesity in schizophrenic patients is two to three times higher than in the general population and unhealthy dietary patterns, a sedentary lifestyle and antipsychotic medication use may contribute to the higher levels of obesity among schizophrenic patients. We evaluated the effects of diet therapy on weight loss, anthropometric and biochemical variables in overweight or obese (body mass index, BMI ≥ 27 kg/m(2)) female schizophrenic patients who use antipsychotic medications and in healthy volunteers. Primary demographic variables were collected via questionnaire; blood samples and anthropometric measurements were obtained. Personalized diet recipes were prepared and nutritional education was shared. We logged the physical activity of the patients and maintained food consumption records at 3-day intervals. Participants were weighed every week; anthropometric measurements and blood samples were collected at the end of the first and second months. At the end of the study, reductions in body weight and other anthropometric measurements were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Reductions in body weight and BMI values for patient group were - 4.05 ± 1.73 kg and - 1.62 ± 0.73 kg/m(2) and for the control group were - 6.79 ± 1.80 kg and - 2.55 ± 0.64 kg/m(2), respectively. When compared with the patient group, reductions in the anthropometric variables of the control group were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Fasting glucose, blood lipids, albumin and leptin levels were decreased; insulin and homeostatic model assessment-measured insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels were increased insignificantly. Increases in the blood ghrelin levels for both groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Improvements to the diets of schizophrenic patient led to improvements in anthropometric measurements and biochemical variables and reduced the health risks caused by antipsychotic medications. Furthermore, we hypothesize that antipsychotic medications do not have any direct effect on leptin and ghrelin metabolism, and that changes in hormone metabolism may be attributable to changes in body weight.

[Evaluating work-personality insufficiency of schizophrenic patients; an assessment of employability in psychiatric rehabilitation].

PubMed

Nozu, M

1995-01-01

Work-Personality means a person's motivation, values and attitude toward labor, general abilities which make his/her work performance efficient, which can be grasped through observation of behavior patterns in working situations. Problems connected with Work-Personality may cause schizophrenics some vocational difficulties. The author made out a "Work-Personality Insufficiency (WPI) Rating Scale" with 15 items, in order to estimate the employability of schizophrenics, and examined its inter-rater reliability by means of ANOVA-ICC and the results were sufficient enough. Then, WPI was applied to 71 schizophrenic outpatients of Tokyo Metropolitan Chubu Comprehensive Mental Health Center (Occupational Training Unit). Also positive and negative symptoms were estimated at admission, and some indicies of historical data were collected. These data were examined statistically as shown below. (1) Construct validity was verified through factor analysis of scores at admission. (2) By comparison of admission scores between two groups of employed and unemployed at discharge, the average score of employed was significantly low (p < 0.01), and the correlation between the discharge state and the total WPI score was significantly high (r = 0.472, p < 0.01), which proved predict validity. (3) The total score of negative symptoms correlated to WPI scores. Also the total score of positive symptoms correlated to some components of WPI scores. (4) By comparison of WPI scores between at admission and at discharge, reduction of disability was seen mainly in interpersonal area, which meant the improvement of patients' adaptability to work situation. Work performance in the narrow sense, however, seemed to make little development, which meant the limited effect of prevocational training with limited time. (5) Indicies of historical data had no relations to outcome and WPI, which showed the difficulty of predicting vocational prognosis from these variables directly. From above, the author concluded that WPI could be utilized to the vocational issues of prolonged schizophrenic patients, and discussed the predictors of vocational prognosis.

[Expressed Emotions, Burden and Family Functioning in Schizophrenic and Bipolar I Patients of a Multimodal Intervention Program: PRISMA].

PubMed

Ramírez, Alexandra; Palacio, Juan David; Vargas, Cristian; Díaz-Zuluaga, Ana María; Duica, Kelly; Agudelo Berruecos, Yuli; Ospina, Sigifredo; López-Jaramillo, Carlos

Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are causes of major suffering in patients. Nevertheless, they also affect family and caregiver functioning. This is important because the participation and involvement of families and caregivers is essential to achieve an optimal treatment. To describe the level of expressed emotions, burden, and family functioning of bipolar and schizophrenic patients and, to evaluate the efficacy of the multimodal intervention (MI) versus traditional intervention (TI) in family functioning and its perception by patients and caregivers. A prospective, longitudinal, therapeutic-comparative study was conducted with 302 patients (104 schizophrenic and 198 bipolar patients) who were randomly assigned to a MI or TI groups of a multimodal intervention program PRISMA. MI group received care from psychiatry, general medicine, neuropsychology, family therapy, and occupational therapy. TI group received care from psychiatry and general medicine. Hamilton, Young and SANS, SAPS scales were applied to bipolar and schizophrenic patients, respectively. The EEAG, FEICS, FACES III and ECF were also applied at the initial and final time. There were statistically significant differences in socio- demographic and clinical variables in schizophrenia vs bipolar group: 83% vs 32.2% were male, 37 vs 43 mean age, 96% vs 59% were single, 50% vs 20% unemployed, and 20% vs 40% had college studies. In addition, 2 vs 2.5 numbers of hospitalisations, 18 vs 16 mean age of substance abuse onset and, 55 vs 80 points in EEAG. There were no statistically significant differences in family scales after conducting a multivariate analysis on thr initial and final time in both groups. This study did not show changes in variables of burden and family functioning between bipolar and schizophrenic groups that were under TI vs MI. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

[Impact of a Multimodal Intervention on the Psychological Profile of Schizophrenic and Bipolar I Patients: A Study of PRISMA Program].

PubMed

Díaz-Zuluaga, Ana María; Vargas, Cristian; Duica, Kelly; Richard, Shanel; Palacio, Juan David; Agudelo Berruecos, Yuli; Ospina, Sigifredo; López-Jaramillo, Carlos

Bipolar Disorder (BD) and schizophrenia are included in the group of severe mental illness and are main causes of disability and morbidity in the local population due to the bio-psycho-social implications in patients. In the last 20 years or so, adjunctive psychological interventions been studied with the purpose of decreasing recurrences, stabilising the course of the disease, and improving the functionality in these patients. To analyse the psychological effect of a multimodal intervention (MI) vs a traditional intervention (TI) program in BD I and schizophrenic patients. A prospective, longitudinal, therapeutic-comparative study was conducted with 302 patients (104 schizophrenic and 198 bipolar patients) who were randomly assigned to the MI or TI groups of a multimodal intervention program PRISMA. The MI group received care from psychiatry, general medicine, neuropsychology, family therapy, and occupational therapy. The TI group received care from psychiatry and general medicine. The Hamilton and Young scales, and the Scales for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and Postive Symptoms (SAPS) were used on bipolar and schizophrenic patients, respectively. The scales AQ-12, TEMPS-A, FAST, Zuckerman sensation seeking scale, BIS-11, SAI-E and EEAG were applied to measure the psychological variables. The scales were performed before and after the interventions. The psychotherapy used in this study was cognitive behavioural therapy. There were statistically significant differences in socio-demographic and clinical variables in the schizophrenia and bipolar disorder group. There were no statistically significant differences in the psychological scales after conducting a multivariate analysis between the intervention groups and for both times (initial and final). This study did not show any changes in variables of psychological functioning variables between bipolar and schizophrenic groups, who were subjected to TI vs MI (who received cognitive behavioural therapy). Further studies are needed with other psychological interventions or other psychometric scales. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

QLiS--development of a schizophrenia-specific quality-of-life scale.

PubMed

Franz, Michael; Fritz, Michael; Gallhofer, Bernd; Meyer, Thorsten

2012-06-07

The aim of the project was to develop an instrument for the assessment of subjective quality of life specific to schizophrenic persons on the basis of patients' views on their own life and on sound psychometric principles. The project applied a six-step multiphase development process with six distinct studies. (1) The elicitation of schizophrenic persons' views on their quality of life was based on open-ended interviews with interviewees from different settings (acute ward inpatients, long-term care patients, community care patients; n = 268). (2) A cross-sectional study with schizophrenic and healthy persons was conducted to quantify the relative importance of the various aspect of quality of life that emerged from the qualitative study (n = 143). (3) We conducted an empirical comparison of response formats with schizophrenic persons (n = 32). (4) A scale construction- and reliability-testing study was performed (n = 203) as well as (5) a test-retest reliability study (n = 49). (6) The final questionnaire (QLiS, quality of life in schizophrenia) was tested in an additional study on convergent and discriminant validity (n = 135). The QLiS comprises 52 items (plus 2 optional items related to work) in 12 subscales: social contacts, appreciation by others, relationship to family, appraisal of pharmacotherapy, appraisal of psychopathological symptoms, cognitive functioning, abilities to manage daily living, appraisal of accommodation/housing, financial situation, leading a 'normal' life, confidence, general life-satisfaction. An item response format with four response categories was preferred by the schizophrenic persons. The mean values of the subscales clustered around the theoretical mean of the subscales and only minimal ceiling effects were found. The reliability (test-retest-reliability and internal consistency) was with one exception > .70 for all subscales. Taking the low numbers of items per subscale into account, the QLiS can be regarded as an accurate assessment instrument of subjective quality of life in schizophrenia with good content validity.

Suicide risk in schizophrenia: learning from the past to change the future

PubMed Central

Pompili, Maurizio; Amador, Xavier F; Girardi, Paolo; Harkavy-Friedman, Jill; Harrow, Martin; Kaplan, Kalman; Krausz, Michael; Lester, David; Meltzer, Herbert Y; Modestin, Jiri; Montross, Lori P; Bo Mortensen, Preben; Munk-Jørgensen, Povl; Nielsen, Jimmi; Nordentoft, Merete; Saarinen, Pirjo Irmeli; Zisook, Sidney; Wilson, Scott T; Tatarelli, Roberto

2007-01-01

Suicide is a major cause of death among patients with schizophrenia. Research indicates that at least 5–13% of schizophrenic patients die by suicide, and it is likely that the higher end of range is the most accurate estimate. There is almost total agreement that the schizophrenic patient who is more likely to commit suicide is young, male, white and never married, with good premorbid function, post-psychotic depression and a history of substance abuse and suicide attempts. Hopelessness, social isolation, hospitalization, deteriorating health after a high level of premorbid functioning, recent loss or rejection, limited external support, and family stress or instability are risk factors for suicide in patients with schizophrenia. Suicidal schizophrenics usually fear further mental deterioration, and they experience either excessive treatment dependence or loss of faith in treatment. Awareness of illness has been reported as a major issue among suicidal schizophrenic patients, yet some researchers argue that insight into the illness does not increase suicide risk. Protective factors play also an important role in assessing suicide risk and should also be carefully evaluated. The neurobiological perspective offers a new approach for understanding self-destructive behavior among patients with schizophrenia and may improve the accuracy of screening schizophrenics for suicide. Although, there is general consensus on the risk factors, accurate knowledge as well as early recognition of patients at risk is still lacking in everyday clinical practice. Better knowledge may help clinicians and caretakers to implement preventive measures. This review paper is the results of a joint effort between researchers in the field of suicide in schizophrenia. Each expert provided a brief essay on one specific aspect of the problem. This is the first attempt to present a consensus report as well as the development of a set of guidelines for reducing suicide risk among schizophenia patients. PMID:17367524

[Machinery and mechanical eroticism. A study on the phenomenology of schizophrenia in two painters' artworks in the Reuter Collection (Pecs)].

PubMed

Simon, Mária

2010-01-01

In this essay, I introduce two schizophrenic artists from the Reuter's Psychopathological Art Collection (Pecs, Hungary), who had been treated in the 1920es.One artist drew a number of sketches of machines; the other created a serial of mechanically erotic pictures. Pictures are analyzed from an intersubjective-phenomenological perspective. Schizophrenic patients' subjective experiences i.e. the experience of reification as well as the intrusivity and uncontrollability of sexuality are particularly emphasized.

Cytomegalovirus Antibody in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Schizophrenic Patients Detected by Enzyme Immunoassay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuller Torrey, E.; Yolken, Robert H.; Winfrey, C. Jack

1982-05-01

By means of enzyme immunoassay techniques to detect the presence of antibody to cytomegalovirus, the cerebrospinal fluid of 178 patients with schizophrenia, 17 patients with bipolar disorders, and 11 other psychiatric patients was compared with that of 79 neurological patients and 41 normal control subjects. The cerebrospinal fluid of 20 of the schizophrenic patients and 3 of the patients with bipolar disorders showed significant increases in immunoglobulin M antibody to cytomegalovirus; no difference was found in patients on or off psychotropic medications.

Effects of debrisoquin and haloperidol on plasma homovanillic acid concentration in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Davidson, M; Losonczy, M F; Mohs, R C; Lesser, J C; Powchik, P; Freed, L B; Davis, B M; Mykytyn, V V; Davis, K L

1987-12-01

Plasma levels of the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (pHVA) may potentially reflect upon central dopamine activity. This study examines the effects of debrisoquin, haloperidol, and the two drugs combined on pHVA concentrations of schizophrenic patients. Debrisoquin is a drug that suppresses the peripheral formation of homovanillic acid without affecting the central formation. Acute haloperidol administration consistently increased pHVA concentrations in patients pretreated or not pretreated with debrisoquin, suggesting that this increment reflects haloperidol's central and not peripheral effects.

Suggested posthypnotic amnesia in psychiatric patients and normals.

PubMed

Frischholz, Edward J; Lipman, Laurie S; Braun, Bennett G; Sachs, Roberta

2015-01-01

The present study examined both quantitative and qualitative hypnotizability differences among four psychiatric patient groups (dissociative disorder (n = 17), schizophrenic (n = 13), mood disorder (n = 14), and anxiety disorder (n = 14) patients), and normals (college students (n = 63)). Dissociative disorder patients earned significantly higher corrected total scores on the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (mean = 7.94), than all other groups. Likewise, dissociative disorder patients initially recalled significantly fewer items when the posthypnotic amnesia suggestion was in effect (mean = .41) and reversed significantly more items when the suggestion was canceled (mean = 3.82) than all other groups. In contrast, schizophrenic patients recalled significantly fewer items when the amnesia suggestion was in effect (mean = 1.85) and reversed significantly fewer items when it was canceled (mean = .77) than the remaining groups. This qualitative difference between schizophrenic patients and the other groups on the suggested posthypnotic amnesia item was observed even though there were no significant quantitative differences between groups in overall hypnotic responsivity.

Plasma HVA in psychiatric patients: longitudinal studies.

PubMed

Javaid, J I; Sharma, R P; Janicak, P G; Davis, J M

1990-01-01

Plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) was measured in 40 inpatients (25 schizophrenic and 15 nonschizophrenic patients) who underwent up to 3 weeks of drug washout. Schizophrenic patients were then treated with trifluoperazine for 4 weeks, and weekly behavioral and pHVA measures were obtained. The baseline pHVA had no relationship to age, sex, washout period, diagnosis, or behavioral rating scores. In schizophrenic patients, the baseline pHVA did not differ significantly from any value obtained during 4 weeks of treatment. Although there was significant improvement in clinical symptoms, this was not related to changes in pHVA. Further, changes in any of the four Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) factors (i.e., positive symptoms, negative symptoms, hostility/suspicion, or anxiety/depression) were not correlated with changes in pHVA. Although other studies have reported a positive correlation between pHVA and psychotic symptoms, results of this study suggest that any observed relationship between pHVA and psychosis must be carefully interpreted.

[Visual and motor functions in schizophrenic patients].

PubMed

Del Vecchio, S; Gargiulo, P A

1992-12-01

In the present work, visual and motor functions have been explored in 26 chronic schizophrenic patients, and 7 acute schizophrenic patients, compared with 26 normal controls, by means of the Bender-Gestalt Test. Parameters under consideration were: Form distortion, rotation, integration, perseveration, use of space, subtle motricity, score (global parameter), and time employed. As regards distortion and rotation there have been highly significant differences between chronic patients and control group. Among acute patients, it was observed that perseveration was also highly significant. Conversely, integration and use of space did not differ significantly among the three groups involved. The global score, resulting from all the above mentioned parameters showed important differences between both patient groups on the one hand, and control group on the other hand. Taking into account that patients were being administered neuroleptic drugs, it can safely be said, however, that the Bender-Gestalt Test allows to recognize alteration in perceptual closure consistent with a loss of the objective structure of perceived phenomena, in both chronic and acute patients.

Associations of oxidative stress status parameters with traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors in patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Vidović, Bojana; Stefanović, Aleksandra; Milovanović, Srđan; Ðorđević, Brižita; Kotur-Stevuljević, Jelena; Ivanišević, Jasmina; Miljković, Milica; Spasić, Slavica

2014-04-01

The purpose of this study was to assess oxidative stress status parameters and their possible associations with traditional cardiovascular risk factors in patients with schizophrenia, as well as their potential for patient-control discrimination. Fasting glucose, lipid profile and oxidative stress status parameters were assessed in 30 schizophrenic patients with atypical antipsychotic therapy and 60 control subjects. Malondialdehyde (MDA), pro-oxidant/antioxidant balance (PAB) and total anti-oxidant status (TAS) were significantly higher whereas total sulfhydryl (SH) groups were significantly lower in schizophrenic patients vs. control group. Higher serum PAB values showed an independent association with schizophrenia. The addition of PAB to conventional risk factors improved discrimination between healthy control subjects and patients. Increased oxidative stress and changed lipid profile parameters are associated in schizophrenic patients and may indicate risk for atherosclerosis. The serum PAB level may reflect the levels of oxidative stress in schizophrenia and improve discrimination of patients from controls.

Saccadic abnormalities in psychotic patients. I. Neuroleptic-free psychotic patients.

PubMed

Crawford, T J; Haeger, B; Kennard, C; Reveley, M A; Henderson, L

1995-05-01

Most of the previous research reporting abnormalities of rapid re-fixation eye movements (saccades) in patients with schizophrenia has used patients receiving neuroleptic medication. In this study non-neuroleptically medicated schizophrenics were compared with other psychiatric patients using a variety of saccadic paradigms to determine the specificity of saccadic dysfunction. The patient groups consisted of schizophrenics (N = 18), bipolar affectives (N = 18), anxiety neurotics (N = 10) and normal controls (N = 31), none of whom had received neuroleptic medication for the preceding 6 months. Four behavioural paradigms, reflexive, predictive, remembered and ANTI were used to elicit saccades. The primary abnormality in the schizophrenic group was a significantly increased rate of distractibility in the ANTI (saccades made towards the target rather than in an opposite direction) and REM (saccades made prior to the imperative cue) paradigms. The major neuropsychological variable predictive of these errors was Wisconsin card sort perseverative errors. These data, in conjunction with findings from previous neurological research, would seem to provide converging evidence towards dysfunction of prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia.

Decreased cytochrome-c oxidase activity and lack of age-related accumulation of mitochondrial DNA deletions in the brains of schizophrenics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cavelier, L.; Jazin, E.E.; Eriksson, I.

1995-09-01

Defects in mitochondrial energy production have been implicated in several neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To study the contribution of mitochondrial defects to Alzheimer disease and schizophrenia, cytochrome-c oxidase (COX) activity and levels of the mtDNA{sup 4977} deletion in postmortem brain tissue specimens of patients were compared with those of asymptomatic age-matched controls. No difference in COX activity was observed between Alzheimer patients and controls in any of five brain regions investigated. In contrast, schizophrenic patients had a 63% reduction of the COX activity in the nucleus caudatus (P<0.0001) and a 43% reduction in themore » cortex gyrus frontalis (P<0.05) as compared to controls. The average levels of the mtDNA{sup 4977} deletion did not differ significantly between Alzheimer patients and controls, and the deletion followed similar modes of accumulation with age in the two groups. In contrast, no age-related accumulation of mtDNA deletions was found in schizophrenic patients. The reduction in COX activity in schizophrenic patients did not correlate with changes in the total amount of mtDNA or levels of the mtDNA{sup 4977} deletion. The lack of age-related accumulation of the mtDNA{sup 4977} deletion and reduction in COX activity suggest that a mitochondrial dysfunction may be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. 41 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.« less

Anterior cingulate dysfunction during choice anticipation in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Quintana, Javier; Wong, Tiffany; Ortiz-Portillo, Elena; Marder, Stephen R; Mazziotta, John C

2004-12-15

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACGC) participates in selective attention, working memory (WM), anticipation, and behavioral monitoring. Subjects with schizophrenia exhibit deficits in these mechanisms during selective attention and WM tasks. However, ACGC dysfunctions have not been specifically investigated during behavioral anticipation, whose deficits may relate to salient schizophrenic features such as foresight abnormalities and impaired social functioning and behavior. We thus studied ACGC function in relation to two aspects of WM, remembering information and anticipating responses, in control and schizophrenic subjects. We measured brain activation in eight subjects with schizophrenia and eight healthy volunteers using functional magnetic resonance imaging. All subjects performed stimulus-response delay tasks with color dots or facial expression diagrams as cues and either 50% or 100% response predictability, which emphasized demands on remembering the cues or anticipating the response for correct performance, respectively. We found a double dissociation of ACGC activation between subject groups and task type. In controls, the ACGC became intensely activated during response anticipation (more extensively and bilaterally when the cues were colors than when they were facial diagrams) but remained at resting activity levels during remembering. In schizophrenic patients, significant ACGC activation was seen only when remembering a percept (more extensively and bilaterally when it was a facial diagram than when it was a color) but not when anticipating a response. These results reveal an ACGC dysfunction during choice anticipation in schizophrenia and suggest that it might underlie the foresight deficits seen in schizophrenic patients.

Performance of a neuro-fuzzy model in predicting weight changes of chronic schizophrenic patients exposed to antipsychotics.

PubMed

Lan, T H; Loh, E W; Wu, M S; Hu, T M; Chou, P; Lan, T Y; Chiu, H-J

2008-12-01

Artificial intelligence has become a possible solution to resolve the problem of loss of information when complexity of a disease increases. Obesity phenotypes are observable clinical features of drug-naive schizophrenic patients. In addition, atypical antipsychotic medications may cause these unwanted effects. Here we examined the performance of neuro-fuzzy modeling (NFM) in predicting weight changes in chronic schizophrenic patients exposed to antipsychotics. Two hundred and twenty inpatients meeting DSMIV diagnosis of schizophrenia, treated with antipsychotics, either typical or atypical, for more than 2 years, were recruited. All subjects were assessed in the same study period between mid-November 2003 and mid-April 2004. The baseline and first visit's physical data including weight, height and circumference were used in this study. Clinical information (Clinical Global Impression and Life Style Survey) and genotype data of five single nucleotide polymorphisms were also included as predictors. The subjects were randomly assigned into the first group (105 subjects) and second group (115 subjects), and NFM was performed by using the FuzzyTECH 5.54 software package, with a network-type structure constructed in the rule block. A complete learned model trained from merged data of the first and second groups demonstrates that, at a prediction error of 5, 93% subjects with weight gain were identified. Our study suggests that NFM is a feasible prediction tool for obesity in schizophrenic patients exposed to antipsychotics, with further improvements required.

Neural changes associated with appetite information processing in schizophrenic patients after 16 weeks of olanzapine treatment

PubMed Central

Stip, E; Lungu, O V; Anselmo, K; Letourneau, G; Mendrek, A; Stip, B; Lipp, O; Lalonde, P; Bentaleb, L A

2012-01-01

There is evidence that some atypical antipsychotics, including olanzapine, can produce unwanted metabolic side effects, weight gain and diabetes. However, neuronal correlates of change related to food information processing have not been investigated with these medications. We studied the effect of a pharmacological manipulation with an antipsychotic known to cause weight gain on metabolites, cognitive tasks and neural correlates related to food regulation. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging in conjunction with a task requiring visual processing of appetitive stimuli in schizophrenic patients and healthy controls before and after 16 weeks of antipsychotic medication with olanzapine. In patients, the psychological and neuronal changes associated following the treatment correlated with appetite control measures and metabolite levels in fasting blood samples. After 16 weeks of olanzapine treatment, the patients gained weight, increased their waist circumference, had fewer positive schizophrenia symptoms, a reduced ghrelin plasma concentration and an increased concentration of triglycerides, insulin and leptin. In premotor area, somatosensory cortices as well as bilaterally in the fusiform gyri, the olanzapine treatment increased the neural activity related to appetitive information in schizophrenic patients to similar levels relative to healthy individuals. However, a higher increase in sensitivity to appetitive stimuli after the treatment was observed in insular cortices, amygdala and cerebellum in schizophrenic patients as compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, these changes in neuronal activity correlated with changes in some metabolites and cognitive measurements related to appetite regulation. PMID:22714121

Which community care for patients with schizophrenic disorders? Packages of care provided by Departments of Mental Health in Lombardy (Italy).

PubMed

Lora, Antonio; Cosentino, Ugo; Gandini, Anna; Zocchetti, Carlo

2007-01-01

The treatment of schizophrenic disorders is the most important challenge for community care. The analysis focuses on packages of care provided to 23.602 patients with a ICD-10 diagnosis of schizophrenic disorder and treated in 2001 by the Departments of Mental Health in Lombardy, Italy. Packages of care refer to a mix of treatments provided to each patient during the year by different settings. Direct costs of the packages were calculated. Linear Discriminant Analysis has been used to link socio-demographic and diagnostic sub-groups of the patients to packages of care. People with schizophrenic disorders received relatively few care packages: only four packages involved more than 5%. Two thirds of the patients received only care provided by Community Mental Health Centres. In the other two packages with a percentage over 5%, the activity was provided by CMHCs, jointly with General Hospitals or Day Care Facilities. Complex care packages were rare (only 6%). As well as the intensity, also the variety of care provided by CMHCs increased with the complexity of care packages. In Lombardy more than half of the resources were spent for schizophrenia. The range of the costs per package was very wide. LDA failed to link characteristics of the patients to packages of care. Care packages are useful tools to understand better how mental health system works, how resources have been spent and to point out problems in the quality of care.

Neural bases of different cognitive strategies for facial affect processing in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Fakra, Eric; Salgado-Pineda, Pilar; Delaveau, Pauline; Hariri, Ahmad R; Blin, Olivier

2008-03-01

To examine the neural basis and dynamics of facial affect processing in schizophrenic patients as compared to healthy controls. Fourteen schizophrenic patients and fourteen matched controls performed a facial affect identification task during fMRI acquisition. The emotional task included an intuitive emotional condition (matching emotional faces) and a more cognitively demanding condition (labeling emotional faces). Individual analysis for each emotional condition, and second-level t-tests examining both within-, and between-group differences, were carried out using a random effects approach. Psychophysiological interactions (PPI) were tested for variations in functional connectivity between amygdala and other brain regions as a function of changes in experimental conditions (labeling versus matching). During the labeling condition, both groups engaged similar networks. During the matching condition, schizophrenics failed to activate regions of the limbic system implicated in the automatic processing of emotions. PPI revealed an inverse functional connectivity between prefrontal regions and the left amygdala in healthy volunteers but there was no such change in patients. Furthermore, during the matching condition, and compared to controls, patients showed decreased activation of regions involved in holistic face processing (fusiform gyrus) and increased activation of regions associated with feature analysis (inferior parietal cortex, left middle temporal lobe, right precuneus). Our findings suggest that schizophrenic patients invariably adopt a cognitive approach when identifying facial affect. The distributed neocortical network observed during the intuitive condition indicates that patients may resort to feature-based, rather than configuration-based, processing and may constitute a compensatory strategy for limbic dysfunction.

Attentional network task in schizophrenic patients and theirs unaffected first degree relatives: a potential endofenotype.

PubMed

López, S Guerra; Fuster, J Iglesias; Reyes, M Martín; Collazo, T M Bravo; Quiñones, R Mendoza; Berazain, A Reyes; Rodríguez, M A Pedroso; Días de Villarvilla, T; Bobés, M Antonieta; Valdés-Sosa, M

2011-01-01

In recent years, reports of attentional deficits in schizophrenic patients and in their biological relatives have rapidly increased, including an important effort to search for the endophenotypes in order to link specific genes to this illness. Posner et al. developed a test, the Attention Network Test (ANT), to study the neural networks. This test provides a separate measure for each one of the three anatomically-defined attention networks (alerting, orienting and executive control). In this paper, we investigate the attentional performance in 32 schizophrenic patients, 29 unaffected first degree relatives and 29 healthy controls using the ANT through a study of family association. We have studied the efficiency of the segregated executive control, alerting and orienting networks by measuring how response latencies (reaction time) were modified by the cue position and the flanking stimuli. We also studied the familial association of these attentional alterations. The ANOVA revealed main effects of flanker and cue condition and a significant interaction effect between flanker and groups studied. The schizophrenic patients and their relatives had a longer median reaction time than the control group. The probands and their relatives significantly differed from the healthy controls in terms of their conflict resolution; however, the alerting network appeared to be conserved. Our results support the thesis of a specific attentional deficit in schizophrenia and show the segregation of the three attentional networks. The family association of these reported alterations supports the idea of a potential endophenotype in schizophrenia.

[Structuralistic and meta-psychological approaches to ambivalence in schizophrenia].

PubMed

Sumida, Kyoko; Tsuda, Hitoshi

2003-01-01

The word "ambivalence" generally signifies a psychic state in which a subject holds a contradictory or conflicted attitude towards an object. The literal meaning of the word is that two valences occur simultaneously, and this connotes the epistemological and ethical problem of where and how the valences arise. The concept of ambivalence implies that the relationship between the subject and the world is ambivalent, that the subject has free will in the alternative evaluation, and that the meanings of the two valences derive from the meta-level outside the world. These reflections lead us to the supposition that ambivalence is closely associated with the function of language. The ambivalent attitude of the subject divides the significance of the object; the appearance of the given ambivalent meanings is the moment of the subject's choice. This phenomenon of division, choice, and given meanings is more than analogous to F. de Saussure's conception of language in terms of sign, différenciation, and l'arbitraire de langue. A view of ambivalence as a fundamental phenomenon concerning subject, world, and language affords insight specifically into ambivalence in schizophrenia. For people with schizophrenia, ambivalent conflict often takes the form of a dichotomy between "good and bad". The more severe the ambivalent symptom, the more similar it seems to a philosophical question about the nature of existence in the world. When schizophrenic people raise philosophical questions directly such as "Is my existence good or bad?" or "To be or not to be?", they seek approval for their existence, assaying to live with "good" intentions. Unfortunately they come to be blamed for harbouring "bad" intentions. When they have an interrogative attitude even to everyday matters, they cannot resolve such questions as "Is the red cup good or bad?", or "Is the green cup good or bad?", and hence "Which cup should I use?". If the projection of the self into the world is essentially the choice of a daily behavior as its own praxis, such indecisiveness thus entails existential conflict. The alternatives of choice appear before them as a tollgate to the world. Wishing admission to the world, they choose the thing that they think "good", but which later turns out to be "bad". These consequences sometimes occur in their inner conflicts and sometimes in their paranoidhallucinatory experiences. We have observed that in these processes, there is an inversion between "good and bad", and "bad" predominates, driving patients to despair. Rethinking E. Bleuler's conception of the ambivalence of schizophrenia, we have found that it is accessible to structuralistic and meta-psychological interpretations. From the viewpoint of linguistic semiology, ambivalence can be considered as a disorder of exclusive differentiation in the associative system resulting from the appearance of antithetical meanings, a phenomenon that is also common in primal words and children's thinking. In the context of psycho-analysis, it is suggested that the dominance of the negative side in ambivalence may be caused by death instinct. These interpretations are consistent with both the philosophical considerations and the clinical observations introduced above, but the problem of schizophrenic specificity is still opened beside the affinity between philosophical conflict and schizophrenic ambivalence. References to ethical and philosophical thinking shed light on the sources of the dichotomous existential conflict and the characteristic inversion between "good and bad" that schizophrenic patients experience. Descriptions of the root of ambivalence can be traced back to ancient times. In the Ecclesiastes of the Apocrypha, Jesus, son of Sirach, elucidates the fundamental ambivalence of will, teaching that the subject has the power of its own choice: at its most extreme, the choice between life and death. In the modern age, L. Wittgenstein offers a strict description of this ambivalence in his "Notebooks 1914-1916". Wittgenstein doubted the possibility of pure subjectivity without individual will and furthermore argued that the will is either good or evil, that is, the bearer of good and evil. In his view, good and evil are somehow connected with the meaning of the world, and meaning ("Sinn" in German) is discerned from significance ("Bedeutung" in German). He went on to write that the meaning does not lie in the world but outside it. As K. Shingu has noted, Wittgenstein's conception is essentially consistent with psycho-analysis. The subject recognizes the world with ambivalent will, the world appears with ambivalent significance, but its ambivalent meaning is given from outside the world, that is, from the meta-level. For E. Husserl's concept of intentionality, it is said that the fundamental disorder of schizophrenia is a preverbal or pre-predicative problem that is connected with intentionality. Yet one wonders whether or not pure, neutral intentionality is really possible. Presumably, intentionality has an intrinsic ambivalence, since the fundamental relationship between the subject and the world may itself be ambivalent. When one becomes conscious of a thing, the potential exists to divide one's intentionality between "good and bad", and the thing thus appears as "good" or "bad". In the healthy psyche, this intrinsic ambivalence emerges only in ethical or philosophical thinking. In schizophrenia, however, the ambivalence of intentionality is explicitly engaged in diverse situations. The inversion of "good and bad" observed in the clinical context signifies that the will of the patient shifts from "good" to "bad", alluding to a contradiction between the subject and the world that is logically inevitable due to the structure of their relationship. The subject objectivfies the world positively, yet is contained by the world passively. That the subject simultaneously announces and is announced in the language system also reflects this paradoxical relationship. Thus, ambivalence of dichotomy between "good and bad" is the very basic phenomenon of consciousness, and the inversion of "good and bad" is a reflection of the structure of the relationship of the subject and the world. If the schizophrenic specificity exists, it may involve the exposure of this intrinsic ambivalence and this paradoxical structure in confrontations with the tellgate into the world under the dominance of the negative side.

[Creativity and antipsychotic drugs].

PubMed

Murry, P; Torrecuadrada, J L

1997-09-01

For the authors, the creative abilities of a schizophrenic patient are indicators of the therapeutic efficacy of an antipsychotic treatment and the incidence of adverse effects. The new antipsychotic drugs available, unlike conventional neuroleptics, show enhanced efficacy and do not exacerbate the negative symptoms. They may even alleviate them. With regard to clozapine, the authors illustrate the foregoing by two examples of a favorable course in two patients. Clozapine induced an indisputable clinical improvement and hence the opportunity for undeniable artistic activity. Lastly, the new antipsychotics contribute to changing the image that we have of schizophrenic patients.

Nasal cycle dominance and hallucinations in an adult schizophrenic female.

PubMed

Shannahoff-Khalsa, David; Golshan, Shahrokh

2015-03-30

Nasal dominance, at the onset of hallucinations, was studied as a marker of both the lateralized ultradian rhythm of the autonomic nervous system and the tightly coupled ultradian rhythm of alternating cerebral hemispheric dominance in a single case study of a schizophrenic female. Over 1086 days, 145 hallucination episodes occurred with left nostril dominance significantly greater than the right nostril dominant phase of the nasal cycle. A right nostril breathing exercise, that primarily stimulates the left hemisphere, reduces symptoms more quickly for hallucinations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

REJECTION OF CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS : SOME PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS FROM KERALA

PubMed Central

Manickam, L. Sam S.; Chandran, Satheesh R.

1998-01-01

A study was conducted on 57 relatives (34 male and 23 female) of 57 (32 male and 25 female) schizophrenic patients in Kerala. The rejection response was found to be related to gender of patients and relatives, being significantly higher in males. The test reliability alpha of the Patient Rejection Scale was found to be 0.93 and it is higher than English and German version of the scale. Compared to the German and New York sample, the present sample tend to have high rejection feeling. PMID:21494484

Doxycycline prevents and reverses schizophrenic-like behaviors induced by ketamine in mice via modulation of oxidative, nitrergic and cholinergic pathways.

PubMed

Ben-Azu, Benneth; Omogbiya, Itivere Adrian; Aderibigbe, Adegbuyi Oladele; Umukoro, Solomon; Ajayi, Abayomi Mayowa; Iwalewa, Ezekiel O

2018-05-01

The involvement of oxidative, nitrergic, cholinergic and inflammatory alterations have been reported to contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder. Our previous studies have shown that doxycycline (DOX), a notable member of tetracyclines with proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, attenuated psychotic-like behaviors induced by apomophine and ketamine (KET) in mice. This present study was designed to further evaluate in detail the ability of DOX and its combination with risperidone (RIS) to prevent and reverse KET-induced schizophrenic-like behaviors and the role of oxidative/nitrergic and cholinergic pathways in mice. In the prevention protocol, mice were treated orally with DOX (25, 50 or 100 mg/kg), RIS (0.5 mg/kg), DOX (50 mg/kg) in combination with RIS, or vehicle for 14 consecutive days. In addition, the animals received intraperitoneal injection of KET (20 mg/kg/day) from the 8th to the 14th day. In the reversal protocol, the animals received KET or vehicle for 14 days prior to DOX, RIS, DOX in-combination with RIS or vehicle treatments. Schizophrenic-like behaviors consisting of positive, negative and cognitive symptoms were evaluated using open field, social interaction, Y-maze and novel object recognition tests. Thereafter, the brain levels of biomarkers of oxidative stress, nitrite and acetylcholinesterase activity were determined. DOX given alone or in combination with RIS attenuated schizophrenic-like behaviors induced by chronic injection of KET in both preventive and reversal treatment protocols. DOX significantly increased glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase levels in the brain of chronic KET-treated mice. However, it decreased malonyladehyde, nitrite levels and acetylcholinesterase activity when given alone or in-combination with RIS in both protocols. Taken together, these findings showed that doxycycline ameliorated schizophrenic-like behaviors induced by ketamine in both preventive and reversal treatment protocols in mice via inhibition of oxidative and nitrergic alterations, and acetylcholinesterase activity. Our data further suggests that adjunctive oral administration of doxycycline may augment the therapeutic efficacy of risperidone particularly for the treatment of negative and cognitive symptoms associated with schizophrenia. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of hormones on cognition in schizophrenic male patients--preliminary results.

PubMed

Bratek, Agnieszka; Koźmin-Burzyńska, Agnieszka; Krysta, Krzysztof; Cierpka-Wiszniewska, Katarzyna; Krupka-Matuszczyk, Irena

2015-09-01

Schizophrenia is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder of an unknown etiology and a variable phenotypic expression. In the recent years, the impact of hormones on the course of schizophrenia has been investigated. This study is aimed at assessing the level of correlating serum levels of hormones in schizophrenic male patients with their cognitive functioning measured with neuropsychological tests. In the index group there were 15 medicated male schizophrenic patients. In the control group there were 15 age and education matched healthy men. All subjects underwent analysis of serum hormones level (TSH, testosterone, estradiol, FSH, LH, progesterone and prolactin) and a battery of tests (Trail Making Test A and B, Stroop Test, Verbal and Semantic Fluency Test). The mean serum levels of the following hormones were higher in the index group than in the control group: TSH (1.76 mIU/L vs 1.58 mIU/L; p=0.66), progesterone (0.85 ng/ml vs 0.69 ng/ml; p=0.22) and prolactin (558.71 uIU/ml vs 181 uIU/ml; p=0.025). The mean levels of estradiol (24.36 pg/ml vs 25.40 ng/ml; p=0.64), FSH (3.17 mIU/ml vs 5.72 mIU/ml; p=0.019), LH (3.85 mIU/ml vs 5.77 mIU/ml; p=0.056) and testosterone (2.90 ng/ml vs 5.38 ng/ml; p=0.003) were higher in the control group. In the index group there were significant negative correlations between FSH and semantic fluency (ρ=-0.678606), progesterone and: TMT B (ρ=-0.586763), Stroop 1 (ρ=-0.701880) and Stroop 2 (ρ=-0.601074) and prolactin and TMT A (ρ=-0.579607). The preliminary results of our study show that serum levels of FSH and testosterone are significantly lower, whereas the level of prolactin is markedly higher, in schizophrenic male patients than in healthy men. There is an inverse correlation between serum levels of progesterone, FSH and prolactin and the results of certain cognitive functioning tests in schizophrenic men.

Use of general medical services among Medicaid patients with severe and persistent mental illness.

PubMed

Salsberry, Pamela J; Chipps, Esther; Kennedy, Carol

2005-04-01

The aim of this study was to examine patterns of use of general medical services among persons with a severe and persistent mental illness enrolled in Medicaid from 1996 to 1998. A total of 669 persons with a severe and persistent mental illness were identified by using statewide clinical criteria. A three-year database of Medicaid claims was developed to examine service use. The main outcome measures were use of outpatient services for a general medical problem, use of dental and vision services, and use of screening tests for women. Service use was examined by primary psychiatric diagnosis (schizophrenic, affective, paranoid, and anxiety disorders), and analyses controlled for the presence of a chronic medical condition, age, race, and sex. This study found high levels of service use for outpatient services but very low levels for primary and preventive services. Although 78 percent of persons with a schizophrenic disorder had an office-based visit during the three-year period, all persons with an anxiety disorder had such a visit. Sixty-nine percent of persons with a schizophrenic disorder had at least one emergency department visit, whereas 83 percent of those with an anxiety disorder had such a visit. Dental and vision visits and the use of mammograms and pap tests followed the same pattern; persons with a schizophrenic disorder had fewer visits and had less overall use than the other diagnostic groups. The use patterns across the four groups were significantly different in outpatient service use, dental and vision service use, and screening tests for women. Compared with persons with a schizophrenic disorder, those with an anxiety disorder were more likely to have had an office-based visit and to have received vision services, those with a paranoid disorder were more likely to have used dental services or received a mammogram, and those with an affective disorder were more likely to have had a pap test. Although this group of Medicaid patients with severe and persistent mental illness had access to providers, they received an unacceptably low level of preventive care. Use of health services for general medical problems differed somewhat by primary psychiatric illness.

Posttraumatic growth and its correlates in primary caregivers of schizophrenic patients

PubMed Central

Balaban, Ozlem Devrim; Yazar, Menekse Sila; Aydin, Erkan; Agachanli, Ruken; Yumrukcal, Huseyin

2017-01-01

Context: The concept of posttraumatic growth (PTG) is important to focus on positive outcomes of a challenging process like caregiving. Aims: The aim of the present study is to investigate the factors inclusively considered to be related to PTG in primary caregivers of schizophrenic patients. Settings and Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted with caregivers of patients with schizophrenia between January 2013 and February 2014 at a mental health hospital. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on 109 schizophrenic patients followed up at Bakirkoy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, and 109 family members who are the primary caregivers of the patients. All caregivers were evaluated with Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Ways of Coping Inventory, and the Basic Personality Traits Inventory and Religious Orientation Scale. Statistical Analysis: Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U-test were used in quantitative analysis of data. Spearman's correlation analysis was used in the determination of correlation between variables. Linear regression analysis was used in the determination of predictors of PTG. Results: Optimistic and problem-focused coping, perceived social support (total and all three - family, friends, significant others - domains), personality traits such as extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience, and religiousness were found to be related with PTG. Religiousness, perceived social support, and openness to experience were independent predictors of PTG. Conclusions: Interventions to caregivers of schizophrenic patients on the domains of social support and coping strategies may contribute to caring process in a positive change. PMID:29497186

The cross-sectional GRAS sample: A comprehensive phenotypical data collection of schizophrenic patients

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Schizophrenia is the collective term for an exclusively clinically diagnosed, heterogeneous group of mental disorders with still obscure biological roots. Based on the assumption that valuable information about relevant genetic and environmental disease mechanisms can be obtained by association studies on patient cohorts of ≥ 1000 patients, if performed on detailed clinical datasets and quantifiable biological readouts, we generated a new schizophrenia data base, the GRAS (Göttingen Research Association for Schizophrenia) data collection. GRAS is the necessary ground to study genetic causes of the schizophrenic phenotype in a 'phenotype-based genetic association study' (PGAS). This approach is different from and complementary to the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on schizophrenia. Methods For this purpose, 1085 patients were recruited between 2005 and 2010 by an invariable team of traveling investigators in a cross-sectional field study that comprised 23 German psychiatric hospitals. Additionally, chart records and discharge letters of all patients were collected. Results The corresponding dataset extracted and presented in form of an overview here, comprises biographic information, disease history, medication including side effects, and results of comprehensive cross-sectional psychopathological, neuropsychological, and neurological examinations. With >3000 data points per schizophrenic subject, this data base of living patients, who are also accessible for follow-up studies, provides a wide-ranging and standardized phenotype characterization of as yet unprecedented detail. Conclusions The GRAS data base will serve as prerequisite for PGAS, a novel approach to better understanding 'the schizophrenias' through exploring the contribution of genetic variation to the schizophrenic phenotypes. PMID:21067598

Dopamine D2 receptor levels in striatum, thalamus, substantia nigra, limbic regions, and cortex in schizophrenic subjects.

PubMed

Kessler, Robert M; Woodward, Neil D; Riccardi, Patrizia; Li, Rui; Ansari, M Sib; Anderson, Sharlett; Dawant, Benoit; Zald, David; Meltzer, Herbert Y

2009-06-15

Studies in schizophrenic patients have reported dopaminergic abnormalities in striatum, substantia nigra, thalamus, anterior cingulate, hippocampus, and cortex that have been related to positive symptoms and cognitive impairments. [(18)F]fallypride positron emission tomography studies were performed in off-medication or never-medicated schizophrenic subjects (n = 11, 6 men, 5 women; mean age of 30.5 +/- 8.0 [SD] years; 4 drug-naive) and age-matched healthy subjects (n = 11, 5 men, 6 women, mean age of 31.6 +/- 9.2 [SD]) to examine dopamine D(2) receptor (DA D(2)r) levels in the caudate, putamen, ventral striatum, medial thalamus, posterior thalamus, substantia nigra, amygdala, temporal cortex, anterior cingulate, and hippocampus. In schizophrenic subjects, increased DA D(2)r levels were seen in the substantia nigra bilaterally; decreased levels were seen in the left medial thalamus. Correlations of symptoms with ROI data demonstrated a significant correlation of disorganized thinking/nonparanoid delusions with the right temporal cortex ROI (r = .94, p = .0001), which remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons (p < .03). Correlations of symptoms with parametric images of DA D(2)r levels revealed no significant clusters of correlations with negative symptoms but significant clusters of positive correlations of total positive symptoms, delusions and bizarre behavior with the lateral and anterior temporal cortex, and hallucinations with the left ventral striatum. The results of this study demonstrate abnormal DA D(2)r-mediated neurotransmission in the substantia nigra consistent with nigral dysfunction in schizophrenia and suggest that both temporal cortical and ventral striatal DA D(2)r mediate positive symptoms.

Depressive symptoms in schizophrenia and dopamine and serotonin gene polymorphisms.

PubMed

Peitl, Vjekoslav; Štefanović, Mario; Karlović, Dalibor

2017-07-03

Although depressive symptoms seem to be frequent in schizophrenia they have received significantly less attention than other symptom domains. As impaired serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission is implicated in the pathogenesis of depression and schizophrenia this study sought to investigate the putative association between several functional gene polymorphisms (SERT 5-HTTLPR, MAO-A VNTR, COMT Val158Met and DAT VNTR) and schizophrenia. Other objectives of this study were to closely examine schizophrenia symptom domains by performing factor analysis of the two most used instruments in this setting (Positive and negative syndrome scale - PANSS and Calgary depression rating scale - CDSS) and to examine the influence of investigated gene polymorphisms on the schizophrenia symptom domains, focusing on depressive scores. A total of 591 participants were included in the study (300 schizophrenic patients and 291 healthy volunteers). 192 (64%) of schizophrenic patients had significant depressive symptoms. Genotype distribution revealed no significant differences regarding all investigated polymorphisms except the separate gender analysis for MAO-A gene polymorphism which revealed significantly more allele 3 carriers in schizophrenic males. Factor analysis of the PANSS scale revealed the existence of five separate factors (symptom domains), while the CDSS scale revealed two distinct factors. Several investigated gene polymorphisms (mostly SERT and MAO-A, but also COMT) significantly influenced two factors from the PANSS (aggressive/impulsive and negative symptoms) and one from the CDSS scale (suicidality), respectively. Depressive symptoms in schizophrenic patients may be influenced by functional gene polymorphisms, especially those implicated in serotonergic neurotransmission. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) polymorphisms on serum triglyceride levels in schizophrenic patients under long-term atypical antipsychotic treatment.

PubMed

Hong, Chen-Jee; Chen, Tzu-Ting; Bai, Ya Mei; Liou, Ying-Jay; Tsai, Shih-Jen

2012-01-01

Schizophrenic patients treated with clozapine or olanzapine often develop hypertriglyceridemia. The apolipoprotein A5 gene (APOA5), which affects VLDL production and lipolysis, has been implicated in the triglyceride (TG) metabolism. This study examined the association of common APOA5 genetic variants and TG levels in chronically institutionalized schizophrenic patients, on a stable dose of atypical antipsychotic (clozapine, olanzapine or risperidone. The TG levels in 466 schizophrenic patients treated with clozapine (n = 182), olanzapine (n = 89) or risperidone (n = 195) were measured. Patients were genotyped for the three APOA5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs662799 (-1131T > C), rs651821 (3A > G) and rs2266788 (1891T > C). A gene × drug interaction with TG levels was observed. In single-marker-based analysis, the minor alleles of the two polymorphisms (-1131C and -3G) were observed to be associated with increased TGs in patients treated with risperidone, but not with clozapine or olanzapine. Haplotype analysis further revealed that carriers of the haplotype constructed with the three minor alleles had higher TG levels than those who did not carry this haplotype in patients taking risperidone (CGC((+/+)) vs. = 125.4 ± 59.1 vs. 82.2 ± 65.8, P = 0.015; CGC((-/+ )) vs. CGC((-/-)) = 113.7 ± 80.4 vs. 82.2 ± 65.8, P = 0.012). Our findings extend and add new information to the existing data regarding the association between APOA5 and TG regulation during long-term atypical antipsychotic treatment.

Speech graphs provide a quantitative measure of thought disorder in psychosis.

PubMed

Mota, Natalia B; Vasconcelos, Nivaldo A P; Lemos, Nathalia; Pieretti, Ana C; Kinouchi, Osame; Cecchi, Guillermo A; Copelli, Mauro; Ribeiro, Sidarta

2012-01-01

Psychosis has various causes, including mania and schizophrenia. Since the differential diagnosis of psychosis is exclusively based on subjective assessments of oral interviews with patients, an objective quantification of the speech disturbances that characterize mania and schizophrenia is in order. In principle, such quantification could be achieved by the analysis of speech graphs. A graph represents a network with nodes connected by edges; in speech graphs, nodes correspond to words and edges correspond to semantic and grammatical relationships. To quantify speech differences related to psychosis, interviews with schizophrenics, manics and normal subjects were recorded and represented as graphs. Manics scored significantly higher than schizophrenics in ten graph measures. Psychopathological symptoms such as logorrhea, poor speech, and flight of thoughts were grasped by the analysis even when verbosity differences were discounted. Binary classifiers based on speech graph measures sorted schizophrenics from manics with up to 93.8% of sensitivity and 93.7% of specificity. In contrast, sorting based on the scores of two standard psychiatric scales (BPRS and PANSS) reached only 62.5% of sensitivity and specificity. The results demonstrate that alterations of the thought process manifested in the speech of psychotic patients can be objectively measured using graph-theoretical tools, developed to capture specific features of the normal and dysfunctional flow of thought, such as divergence and recurrence. The quantitative analysis of speech graphs is not redundant with standard psychometric scales but rather complementary, as it yields a very accurate sorting of schizophrenics and manics. Overall, the results point to automated psychiatric diagnosis based not on what is said, but on how it is said.

The Dream as a Model for Psychosis: An Experimental Approach Using Bizarreness as a Cognitive Marker

PubMed Central

Scarone, Silvio; Manzone, Maria Laura; Gambini, Orsola; Kantzas, Ilde; Limosani, Ivan; D'Agostino, Armando; Hobson, J. Allan

2008-01-01

Many previous observers have reported some qualitative similarities between the normal mental state of dreaming and the abnormal mental state of psychosis. Recent psychological, tomographic, electrophysiological, and neurochemical data appear to confirm the functional similarities between these 2 states. In this study, the hypothesis of the dreaming brain as a neurobiological model for psychosis was tested by focusing on cognitive bizarreness, a distinctive property of the dreaming mental state defined by discontinuities and incongruities in the dream plot, thoughts, and feelings. Cognitive bizarreness was measured in written reports of dreams and in verbal reports of waking fantasies in 30 schizophrenics and 30 normal controls. Seven pictures of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) were administered as a stimulus to elicit waking fantasies, and all participating subjects were asked to record their dreams upon awakening. A total of 420 waking fantasies plus 244 dream reports were collected to quantify the bizarreness features in the dream and waking state of both subject groups. Two-way analysis of covariance for repeated measures showed that cognitive bizarreness was significantly lower in the TAT stories of normal subjects than in those of schizophrenics and in the dream reports of both groups. The differences between the 2 groups indicated that, under experimental conditions, the waking cognition of schizophrenic subjects shares a common degree of formal cognitive bizarreness with the dream reports of both normal controls and schizophrenics. Though very preliminary, these results support the hypothesis that the dreaming brain could be a useful experimental model for psychosis. PMID:17942480

An Investigation of Factors Increasing the Risk of Aggressive Behavior among Schizophrenic Inpatients

PubMed Central

Lejoyeux, Michel; Nivoli, Fabrizia; Basquin, Anne; Petit, Aymeric; Chalvin, Florence; Embouazza, Houcine

2013-01-01

Aim of the study: This study tried to identify risk factors of aggressive behavior in a population of schizophrenic inpatients. We tested the association between aggressive behavior and socio-demographic characteristics, addictive disorders, history of suicide attempt, and sexual violence, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. Methods: All consecutive schizophrenic inpatients (100) were assessed during 6 months. Aggressive behavior was quantified with a standardized scale, the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS). We studied socio-demographic characteristics and the history of suicide attempt and sexual violence with a specific standardized questionnaire. Addictive disorders were identified with the Fagerström and CAGE questionnaires and with the DSM-IV-R diagnostic criteria for nicotine, alcohol, cannabis opiates, and cocaine abuse and dependence disorders. Lastly, we studied sensation seeking with the Zuckerman scale and impulsivity with the Barratt scale. Results: Linear regression identified four factors associated with aggressive behavior: male gender (odd ratio = 12.8), history of sexual violence (odd ratio = 3.6), Fagerström score (odd ratio = 1.3), number of cigarettes smoked each day (odd ratio = 1.16). Patients with nicotine use or dependence had significantly higher levels of OAS scores. This difference was not observed between patients with or without alcohol dependence. OAS scores were correlated to the number of cigarettes smoked each day and to Fagerström scores. Patients with a higher level of sensation seeking and impulsivity also had higher OAS scores. Conclusion: A typical schizophrenic patient at risk of showing aggressive behavior is a man, who smokes and presents a history of sexual violence. PMID:24027539

No association of dopamine D2 receptor molecular variant Cys311 and schizophrenia in Chinese patients

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chia-Hsiang Chen; Shih-Hsiang Chien; Hai-Gwo Hwu

A serine-to-cysteine mutation of dopamine D2 receptor at codon 311 (Cys311) was found to have higher frequency in schizophrenic patients than in normal controls in Japanese by Arinami et al. The Cys311 allele was found to be associated with patients with younger age-of-onset, positive family history, and more positive symptoms. To investigate the possible involvement of Cys311 in schizophrenia in the Chinese population, 114 unrelated Taiwanese Chinese schizophrenic patients with positive family history and 88 normal controls were genotyped for Cys311. Four patients and 5 normal controls were heterozygotes of Ser311/Cys311; no homozygotes of Cys311 were identified in either group.more » The allele frequencies of Cys311 in Chinese schizophrenic patients and normal controls were 2% and 3%, respectively. No significant difference was detected between the two groups. Our results do not support the argument that the Cys311 allele of DRD2 poses a genetic risk for certain types of schizophrenia in Chinese populations. 18 refs.« less

Association study between schizophrenia and dopamine D3 receptor gene polymorphism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Toshihisa; Takahashi, Makoto; Maeda, Masaya

Crocq et al. reported the existence of an association between schizophrenia and homozygosity of a BalI polymorphism in the first exon of the dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) gene. In response to this report, further studies were conducted; however, these studies yielded conflicting results. In the present study, we examined 100 unrelated Japanese schizophrenics and 100 normal controls to determine any association between this polymorphism and schizophrenia. Results suggest that neither allele nor genotype frequencies of the DRD3 gene in the schizophrenics as a whole are significantly different from those of the controls. Further, we found no association between any allelemore » or genotype and any clinical subtype based on family history of schizophrenia and age-at-onset. A significantly high frequency of homozygosity of a dopamine D3 receptor gene allele was not observed in the schizophrenics as a whole, or in clinical subtypes. Our results suggest that an association between the dopamine D3 receptor gene and schizophrenia is unlikely to exist. 26 refs., 1 tab.« less

[Negative symptoms in patients with non schizophrenic psychiatric disorders].

PubMed

Donnoli, Vicente F; Moroni, María V; Cohen, Diego; Chisari Rocha, Liliana; Marleta, María; Sepich Dalmeida, Tomás; Bonani, Matías; D'Alessio, Luciana

2011-01-01

The presence of negative symptoms (NS) in different clinical entities other than schizophrenia, with a dimensional approach of negative symptoms, was considered in this work. Determine the presence and distribution of NS, in a population of patients with non schizophrenic psychiatric disorders attending ambulatory treatment at public hospitals. Patients with define DSM IV diagnosis criteria for different disorders; affective, alimentary, substance abuse, anxiety, personality disorders and patients with ILAE diagnoses criteria for temporal lobe epilepsy were included. All patients underwent the subscale PANNS for negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Student T test was calculated to determine the differences of frequency for NS among psychiatric disorders. 106 patients were included; 60 women, 46 men, 38 years +/- 12.1. The 90% of patients have a low score of NS. Media 11.6, Max/min 9.38 -14.29. Emotional withdrawal and passive social withdrawal were more frequent in alimentary disorders than in affective disorder and than in epilepsy. Emotional withdrawal was more frequent in substance disorders than epilepsy. According this study, negative symptoms are present in a low to moderate intensity in non schizophrenic psychiatry entities and in the temporal lobe epilepsy.

Familial transmission of risk factors in the first-degree relatives of schizophrenic people.

PubMed

Waldo, M C; Adler, L E; Leonard, S; Olincy, A; Ross, R G; Harris, J G; Freedman, R

2000-02-01

Schizophrenia is a complex illness with multiple pathophysiologic factors that contribute to its psychopathology. One strategy to identify these factors is to observe them in isolation from each other, by characterizing their expression in the relatives of schizophrenic probands. By Mendel's second law, each genetic factor should be independently distributed in a sibship, so that each can be observed by itself, uncomplicated by the general problems of the illness. Such independently distributed phenotypes are obviously useful for genetic analyses; however, they can also be considered together, to model how various brain dysfunctions may combine to produce psychoses. In addition to a sensory gating deficit linked to the alpha 7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor locus, schizophrenics and their families have a number of other deficits, including decreased hippocampal volume on magnetic resonance images and increased plasma levels of the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid. Although such research is far from complete, a heuristic model combining a sensory gating deficit, decreased hippocampal neuron capacity, and increased dopaminergic neurotransmission is consonant with current understanding of the neuropsychology of schizophrenia.

Visual scan paths are abnormal in deluded schizophrenics.

PubMed

Phillips, M L; David, A S

1997-01-01

One explanation for delusion formation is that they result from distorted appreciation of complex stimuli. The study investigated delusions in schizophrenia using a physiological marker of visual attention and information processing, the visual scan path-a map tracing the direction and duration of gaze when an individual views a stimulus. The aim was to demonstrate the presence of a specific deficit in processing meaningful stimuli (e.g. human faces) in deluded schizophrenics (DS) by relating this to abnormal viewing strategies. Visual scan paths were measured in acutely-deluded (n = 7) and non-deluded (n = 7) schizophrenics matched for medication, illness duration and negative symptoms, plus 10 age-matched normal controls. DS employed abnormal strategies for viewing single faces and face pairs in a recognition task, staring at fewer points and fixating non-feature areas to a significantly greater extent than both control groups (P < 0.05). The results indicate that DS direct their attention to less salient visual information when viewing faces. Future paradigms employing more complex stimuli and testing DS when less-deluded will allow further clarification of the relationship between viewing strategies and delusions.

Effects of social cognitive impairment on speech disorder in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Docherty, Nancy M; McCleery, Amanda; Divilbiss, Marielle; Schumann, Emily B; Moe, Aubrey; Shakeel, Mohammed K

2013-05-01

Disordered speech in schizophrenia impairs social functioning because it impedes communication with others. Treatment approaches targeting this symptom have been limited by an incomplete understanding of its causes. This study examined the process underpinnings of speech disorder, assessed in terms of communication failure. Contributions of impairments in 2 social cognitive abilities, emotion perception and theory of mind (ToM), to speech disorder were assessed in 63 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 21 nonpsychiatric participants, after controlling for the effects of verbal intelligence and impairments in basic language-related neurocognitive abilities. After removal of the effects of the neurocognitive variables, impairments in emotion perception and ToM each explained additional variance in speech disorder in the patients but not the controls. The neurocognitive and social cognitive variables, taken together, explained 51% of the variance in speech disorder in the patients. Schizophrenic disordered speech may be less a concomitant of "positive" psychotic process than of illness-related limitations in neurocognitive and social cognitive functioning.

Association between antipsychotics and cardiovascular adverse events: A systematic review.

PubMed

Silva, Ana Amancio Santos Da; Ribeiro, Marina Viegas Moura Rezende; Sousa-Rodrigues, Célio Fernando de; Barbosa, Fabiano Timbó

2017-03-01

Determine whether there is an association between the risk of cardiovascular adverse events and the use of antipsychotic agents. Analysis of original articles retrieved from the following databases: LILACS, PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Trials Clinical Data Bank (CENTRAL) and PsycINFO, without language restriction, dated until November 2015. After screening of 2,812 studies, three cohort original articles were selected for quality analysis. 403,083 patients with schizophrenia and 119,015 participants in the control group data were analyzed. The occurrence of cardiovascular events observed in the articles was: 63.5% (article 1), 13.1% (article 2) and 24.95% (article 3) in the group of treated schizophrenic patients, and 46.2%, 86.9% and 24.9%, respectively, in the control groups. Clinical heterogeneity among the studies led to a provisional response and made it impossible to perform the meta-analysis, although the articles demonstrate an association between cardiovascular adverse events and the use of antipsychotics. More quality clinical trials are needed to support this evidence.

A psychosocial orientation to schizophrenic disorders.

PubMed Central

Lidz, T.

1985-01-01

The address considers the regression that has taken place in American psychiatry during the second half of this century, one which has resulted from attempts to locate the origins of many psychiatric disorders in the brain, and particularly from the misguided attempt to revitalize the nineteenth-century conviction that schizophrenia is a clear-cut disease entity that is chronic and incurable. The orientation has again become self-fulfilling because of the relative neglect of psychosocial therapies. A basic reason for the regression lies in a misunderstanding of the nature of human adaptation that rests greatly on the capacities for language, which has led to the need for children to acquire a culture in order to survive and become integrated individuals-an acquisition that depends largely on the parental persons, and inevitably creates some emotional conflicts and adaptive shortcomings; and, when extreme, leads to the escape into a fantasy life and a breaking through confines imposed by the meaning system and logic of the culture that we term schizophrenia. PMID:4049903

A unified explanation for the diverse structural deviations reported for adult schizophrenics with disrupted speech.

PubMed

Chaika, E

1982-06-01

This paper attempts a unified explanation for the diverse manifestations of deviant speech considered pathognomic for schizophrenia. Examination of the structure of such speech shows that what appear to be diverse errors are really manifestations of two problems: apparently random or erroneous triggering of sounds and words coupled with inappropriate perseverations. These are shown to be different manifestations of the same problem, possibly a schizophrenic dysfunction in neurotransmitters in the brain.. Studies of hemispheric asymetry in schizophrenia, involuntary eyetracking, and the probable action of antipsychotic medication confirm the linguistic data.

[Autogenic training within the therapeutic scope of schizophrenic patients].

PubMed

Starke, H

1976-06-01

The author calls the reader's attention to the rather strange fact that autogenic training, in spite of worldwide recognition and extensive uses of the method in various disciplines of medicine and spheres of live, has not so far been finding wide application in the medical specialty dealing with mental disorders. After discussing some possible causes of this situation and commenting on first signs of a necessary change in attitude toward autogenic training, he reports his own experience in the treatment of schizophrenic patients with this psychotherapeutic method, emphasizing the need for including psychotherapy in a complex concept of the treatment of psychoses.

Decreased energy demanding processes in the frontal lobes of schizophrenics due to neuroleptics? A 31P-magneto-resonance spectroscopic study.

PubMed

Volz, H P; Rzanny, R; Rössger, G; Hübner, G; Kreitschmann-Andermahr, I; Kaiser, W A; Sauer, H

1997-12-30

In the present investigation on 31P-magneto-resonance spectroscopic parameters in the frontal lobe, we found phosphocreatine levels and the ratio phosphocreatine/adenosine triphosphate to be increased (12.62 +/- 1.98% resp. 0.31 +/- 0.06) in 50 neuroleptic-treated schizophrenics, whereas no differences were detected in 10 neuroleptic-free patients (11.66 +/- 2.57% resp. 0.29 +/- 0.08) compared to 36 controls (11.37 +/- 1.45 resp. 0.29 +/- 0.04). This result points to a major role of neuroleptics in the metabolism of high-energy phosphates.

Validation of the Persian version of the brief assessment of cognition in schizophrenia in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls.

PubMed

Mazhari, Shahrzad; Parvaresh, Nooshin; Eslami Shahrbabaki, Mahin; Sadeghi, Mohammad M; Nakhaee, Nouzar; Keefe, Richard S E

2014-02-01

The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) is designed for assessment of cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. Versions of the BACS in English and other languages have been shown to be as sensitive to cognitive dysfunction as a standard test battery, with the advantage of brief administration and scoring time. The present study aimed to test the concurrent validity of the Persian version of the BACS (Persian-BACS). A group of 50 patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and a group of 50 healthy controls received the Persian-BACS in a first session, and in a second session a standard neurocognitive battery. Cronbach's alpha for the Persian-BACS was 0.74. All the Persian-BACS subscales were significantly correlated with the corresponding standard neurocognitive subscales and the Pearson correlation of the composite scores from the two instruments was 0.71. Moreover, a one-factor solution was found that accounted for 67.9% of the variance. Finally, the Persian-BACS demonstrated high ability to discriminate patients with schizophrenia from healthy controls. Good psychometric properties of the Persian-BACS suggest that it is a useful tool for assessing cognition in schizophrenic patients with Persian as their primary language. © 2013 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2013 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

[On the improvement of everyday life behavior of chronic schizophrenic patients; from the viewpoint of "play-like behavior"].

PubMed

Maruta, N

2000-01-01

In this study, the author examined the behavioral patterns of chronic schizophrenic inpatients to follow the process of the amelioration of abulic symptoms such as loss of interest, poverty of thought, lack of sociality, and poor communication. In everyday life in the ward, abulic patients had difficulties in accomplishing not only the basic habitual acts such as getting up or going to bed regularly, exchanging greetings, cleaning teeth, bathing, and washing clothes, but also their assigned duties on the ward. Furthermore, they were unable to behave according to the rules for inpatients, express their emotions appropriately, or build normal interpersonal relationship. The author found that five inpatients achieved some spontaneous behaviors of their own choices in the process of improvement in the above-mentioned habitual acts. As these spontaneous behaviors proceeded through several phases, obvious improvements in their behavioral patterns in everyday life were also observed. The initial phase of transient spontaneous behavior was followed by the second phase of continual spontaneous behavior. Finally, in the interview sessions, the patients became to express pleasurable emotions and physical feelings when they performed their own acts of continual spontaneous behavior. This phenomenon seemed valuable in the therapeutic context because schizophrenic patients are considered seldom capable of having positive feelings toward their own experiences. Therefore, these pleasurable continual spontaneous behaviors may be called "play-like behavior", as confirmed by comparison with the properties of "play" as defined by Caillois. In considering schizophrenic autism, Minkowski described "activité autiste" as an intrinsic quality of the way of life in schizophrenic patients. The manifestation of such quality in spontaneous behaviors can be regarded as having two meanings; an aspect of pathological acting out and a sign of recovery to realistic behaviors. Therapists should consider both aspects when conducting therapies. Although the patients regained the habits and norms of everyday life during hospitalization, the rules involved in "play-like" behavior seemed to contradict some rules in the habitual acts or assigned duties in their daily lives because within "play-like" behavior, freedom predominates over rules. The rules in "play-like" behavior are acquired mostly by mimicking other people. These rules are not fixed laws with penalties but are changeable rules depending on the circumstances of the behavioral process. From this viewpoint, "play-like" behavior allows the patients to acquire practical rules and to understand the relative nature of the rules. Most of the "play-like" behaviors originate from the preferences of the individual patients, which may be something that they have already experienced, something that they have longed for, or something that gives them self-fulfillment. These qualities contribute to the acquisition of experiences that they find pleasurable. For the patients, recalling each "play-like" behavior in the interview sessions enables them to grasp the whole picture of their behaviors, to reinforce their attachment to these behaviors as their own experiences, and to promote the dynamic process between behavior and thought. In this sense, psychotherapy incorporating the aspect of "play-like" behavior seems to prepare the schizophrenic patients to improve their way of thinking. To nurture "play-like" behavior helps the chronic schizophrenic patients to recover will power, independence and sociality, and contributes to the improvement of clinical symptoms and of daily life activities.

The Effect of Yoga on Functional Recovery Level in Schizophrenic Patients.

PubMed

Kavak, Funda; Ekinci, Mine

2016-12-01

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of yoga on functional recovery level in schizophrenic patients. The study was conducted in quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group. The population of the study consisted of schizophrenic patients with registered in Malatya and Elazığ Community Mental Health Centers and regularly going to these centers. The sample group of the study consisted of totally 100 patients including 50 patients in the experimental group and 50 patients in the control group who were specified through power analysis and chosen by using random sampling method from this population. The data were collected between April 2015 and August 2015. 'Patient Description Form' and 'FROGS' were used to collect the data. Yoga was applied to patients in the experimental group. Any intervention was not made to patients in the control group. Percentage distribution, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, chi-square, independent samples t test, and paired t test were used to assess the data. Patients in the control and experimental group pretest subscale and the total means scores of FROGS was found to be low. In the posttest subscale and total means scores of FROGS in the experimental group were higher than in the control group and the differences between them were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). In the experimental group pretest and posttest subscale and total means scores of FR0GS was determined to be statistically significant (p<0.05). Yoga that applied to schizophrenic patients it was determined to increased the level of functional recovery. It can be suggested that yoga should be used as an complementary method in nursing practise in order to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Objective and quantitative equilibriometric evaluation of individual locomotor behaviour in schizophrenia: Translational and clinical implications.

PubMed

Haralanov, Svetlozar; Haralanova, Evelina; Milushev, Emil; Shkodrova, Diana; Claussen, Claus-Frenz

2018-04-17

Psychiatry is the only medical specialty that lacks clinically applicable biomarkers for objective evaluation of the existing pathology at a single-patient level. On the basis of an original translational equilibriometric method for evaluation of movement patterns, we have introduced in the everyday clinical practice of psychiatry an easy-to-perform computerized objective quantification of the individual locomotor behaviour during execution of the Unterberger stepping test. For the last 20 years, we have gradually collected a large database of more than 1000 schizophrenic patients, their relatives, and matched psychiatric, neurological, and healthy controls via cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations. Comparative analyses revealed transdiagnostic locomotor similarities among schizophrenic patients, high-risk schizotaxic individuals, and neurological patients with multiple sclerosis and cerebellar ataxia, thus suggesting common underlying brain mechanisms. In parallel, intradiagnostic dissimilarities were revealed, which allow to separate out subclinical locomotor subgroups within the diagnostic categories. Prototypical qualitative (dysmetric and ataxic) locomotor abnormalities in schizophrenic patients were differentiated from 2 atypical quantitative ones, manifested as either hypolocomotion or hyperlocomotion. Theoretical analyses suggested that these 3 subtypes of locomotor abnormalities could be conceived as objectively measurable biomarkers of 3 schizophrenic subgroups with dissimilar brain mechanisms, which require different treatment strategies. Analogies with the prominent role of locomotor measures in some well-known animal models of mental disorders advocate for a promising objective translational research in the so far over-subjective field of psychiatry. Distinctions among prototypical, atypical, and diagnostic biomarkers, as well as between neuromotor and psychomotor locomotor abnormalities, are discussed. Conclusions are drawn about the translational and clinical implications of the new approach and its future perspectives. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

F45. THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF BLONASERIN AFTER SWITCHING FROM OTHER ATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTICS IN SCHIZOPHRENIC INPATIENTS: AN OPEN-LABEL, MULTI-CENTER TRIAL

PubMed Central

Yoon, Bo-Hyun; Bahk, Won-Myong; Kwon, Young Joon; Lee, Sang-Yeol; Lee, Kwanghun; Kim, Moon Doo; Park, Sung-Yong; Song, Min-Kyu

2018-01-01

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of blonanserin treatment after switching from other atypical antipsychotics in schizophrenic inpatients who showed inadequate efficacy and poor tolerability. Methods A total of 63 schizophrenic inpatients (inadequate response group=45 and poor tolerability group=18) were included in this study. They were already treated with atypical antipsychotics except blonanserin and not favored due to inadequate responses or intolerable adverse effects. Blonanserin was administered during 12 weeks after switching from their previous antispsychotics. Treatment response was evaluated with Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and CGI-S, and safety profile were measured with Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), Simpson-Angus Extrapyramidal Side effects Scale (SAR)S and Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS). Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10) and Subjective Well-being Under Neuroleptic Treatment (SWN) were used for subjective estimates. Assessments were done at baseline, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks after blonanserin treatment. Repeated measures of ANOVA were done to analyze the group (inadequate vs. intolerable group) and time effects. Results CGI and BPRS were showed significant treatment responses after switching to Blonaserin. Time effects were significant at 2, 4, 8, 12 weeks after switching and group by time effect were also significant at that time. Mean changes of AIMS, SARS and BARS scores were not significant throughout test trial. Although SWN was significantly improved after switching to Blonaserin, it was not found significant group by time effect. Discussion The results suggest that blonanserin may be effective and well tolerable in schizophrenic patients who showed inadequate treatment response or poor tolerability.

Dopamine D2 Receptor Levels in Striatum, Thalamus, Substantia Nigra, Limbic Regions, and Cortex in Schizophrenic Subjects

PubMed Central

Kessler, Robert M; Woodward, Neil D; Riccardi, Patrizia; Li, Rui; Ansari, M Sib; Anderson, Sharlett; Dawant, Benoit; Zald, David; Meltzer, Herbert Y

2009-01-01

Background Studies in schizophrenics have reported dopaminergic abnormalities in striatum, substantia nigra, thalamus, anterior cingulate, hippocampus and cortex which have been related to positive symptoms and cognitive impairments. Methods [18F]fallypride PET studies were performed in off medication or never medicated schizophrenic subjects [N = 11, 6 M, 5 F; mean age of 30.5 ± 8.0 (S.D.); 4 drug naive] and age matched healthy subjects [N = 11, 5M, 6F, mean age of 31.6 ± 9.2 (S.D.)] to examine dopamine D2 receptor (DA D2r) levels in the caudate, putamen, ventral striatum, medial thalamus, posterior thalamus, substantia nigra, amygdala, temporal cortex, anterior cingulate, and hippocampus. Results In schizophrenic subjects increased DA D2r levels were seen in the substantia nigra bilaterally; decreased levels were seen in the left medial thalamus. Correlations of symptoms with region of interest data demonstrated a significant correlation of disorganized thinking/nonparanoid delusions with the right temporal cortex region of interest (r = 0.94, P = 0.0001) which remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons (P<0.03). Correlations of symptoms with parametric images of DA D2r levels revealed no significant clusters of correlations with negative symptoms, but significant clusters of positive correlations of total positive symptoms, delusions and bizarre behavior with the lateral and anterior temporal cortex, and hallucinations with the left ventral striatum. Conclusions The results of this study demonstrate abnormal DA D2r mediated neurotransmission in the substantia nigra consistent with nigral dysfunction in schizophrenia and suggest that both temporal cortical and ventral striatal DA D2r mediate positive symptoms. PMID:19251247

The Dynamics of a Periodically Forced Cortical Microcircuit, With an Application to Schizophrenia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vierling-Claassen, Dorea; Kopell, Nancy

2009-01-01

Synchronous neural activity in the brain in the gamma and beta frequency bands (50-70 Hz)is thought to be important for sensory processing and is altered in schizophrenia. In a previous study, gamma/beta click-train auditory stimuli were used to probe cortical oscillatory activity in control and schizophrenic subjects. We found that control subjects exhibited preferential 40 Hz responses to both 20 and 40 Hz stimulations, while schizophrenic subjects had enhanced 20 Hz responses to the same stimuli [D. Vierling-Claassen, P. Siekmeier, S. Stufflebeam, and N. Kopell, J. Neurophysiol., 99 (2008), p. 2656]. High-dimensional computational network models constructed previously, which were based on evidence of altered inhibition in schizophrenia, numerically generated the entrainment behaviors observed experimentally. However, questions regarding the dynamic origin of model behaviors remained. It was not clear that the 20 Hz response to 40 Hz drive in the schizophrenic network was robust to parameter changes, which would be necessary for the predicted mechanism to explain data from a heterogeneous subject population. In the schizophrenic network we observed 30 Hz drive responses with a frequency component below 30 Hz, for which no analogue appeared in experimental data, and wondered if these were dynamically distinct from the modeled 20 Hz response to 40 Hz drive. We also wished to explore the role of background noise in model behavior. To address these questions, we consider a system of two mutually coupled oscillators representative of neural cells, driven periodically in the gamma/beta frequency band. We show that there is a one-parameter family of discontinuous discrete maps, whose dynamics clarifies issues of robustness, classifies entrainment patterns, and provides insight into the role of excitatory noise.

Finger patterns and age of onset for the determination of the parent-of-origin in the transmission of schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Ponnudurai, R.; Jayakar, J.

2015-01-01

Summary: Dermatoglyphic traits which are reported to be largely determined by genes could be considered as phenotypic characterestics and if the same are expressed through generations in schizophrenic families it can be speculated to serve as genetic markers for schizophrenia. Another factor that might be influenced by genes is the age of onset of the illness in the offspring and the parent of origin. Objective: This study was aimed to elucidate the occurrence of identical finger patterns in the schizophrenic patients and their affected parents. The other objective was to assess the age of onset of the illness in them. Methods: Forty six schizophrenic patients in whom one of the parents was also affected with schizophrenia or related disorders were recruited. Of these pairs 29 were taken up for finger patterns analysis, with an equal number of control group pairs. 35 proband and parent pairs were investigated for the age of onset of the illness. Results: The frequency of occurrence of identical patterns in the right thumbs of proband and their affected mother pairs was significantly more than between the proband and their affected father pairs. Additionally, the number of identical patterns was also more in the right thumbs of proband and their affected mother pairs compared with the control group. The difference between the mean age of onset of the illness in the probands and their affected fathers was more than between the probands and their affected mothers. Conclusion: The genetic association of schizophrenic patients with the affected maternal side appear to be more stronger than with the paternal side. PMID:25657454

Self psychology conceptualization of postpsychotic depression and recovery among paranoid schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Potik, David

2014-01-01

Many psychoanalysts have offered innovative ideas on the treatment of schizophrenic patients, but none on postpsychotic depression. The author presents a psychoanalytic conceptualization of postpsychotic depression based on Kohut's ideas regarding the development of normal and pathological grandiosity. The main premise is that postpsychotic depression stems from the loss of psychotic grandiosity, and that it is the psychological reaction to the loss of omnipotent identity whose role it is to provide an alternative reality. Through near-experience connectedness, clinicians and practitioners in the psychiatric rehabilitation field can facilitate an empathic milieu in which new mental constructs can be established and new behavioral skills can be learned.

[Functionality as a goal in the treatment of schizophrenia].

PubMed

García, Bousoño

2002-01-01

Rational use of new atypical antipsychotics have allowed clinicians to have a more optimistic view, on functional outcome in Schizophrenia. Functional outcome is revised here as an essential concept to be kept in mind in the treatment and control of schizophrenic symptoms. This view allows for a better evaluation of the clinical meaning of symptoms and signs, and the impact on daily functioning of unwelcome side effects of some antipsychotics; and finally the impact of all these upon social functioning and may allow the clinician to implement some interventions in the clinical setting taking into account the ultimate and realistic goal in the treatment of schizophrenic patients: their functional outcome.

ALE Meta-Analysis of Schizophrenics Performing the N-Back Task

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrell, Zachary

2010-10-01

MRI/fMRI has already proven itself as a valuable tool in the diagnosis and treatment of many illnesses of the brain, including cognitive problems. By exploiting the differences in magnetic susceptibility between oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin, fMRI can measure blood flow in various regions of interest within the brain. This can determine the level of brain activity in relation to motor or cognitive functions and provide a metric for tissue damage or illness symptoms. Structural imaging techniques have shown lesions or deficiencies in tissue volumes in schizophrenics corresponding to areas primarily in the frontal and temporal lobes. These areas are currently known to be involved in working memory and attention, which many schizophrenics have trouble with. The ALE (Activation Likelihood Estimation) Meta-Analysis is able to statistically determine the significance of brain area activations based on the post-hoc combination of multiple studies. This process is useful for giving a general model of brain function in relation to a particular task designed to engage the affected areas (such as working memory for the n-back task). The advantages of the ALE Meta-Analysis include elimination of single subject anomalies, elimination of false/extremely weak activations, and verification of function/location hypotheses.

Nicotine effects on brain function and functional connectivity in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Jacobsen, Leslie K; D'Souza, D Cyril; Mencl, W Einar; Pugh, Kenneth R; Skudlarski, Pawel; Krystal, John H

2004-04-15

Nicotine in tobacco smoke can improve functioning in multiple cognitive domains. High rates of smoking among schizophrenic patients may reflect an effort to remediate cognitive dysfunction. Our primary aim was to determine whether nicotine improves cognitive function by facilitating activation of brain regions mediating task performance or by facilitating functional connectivity. Thirteen smokers with schizophrenia and 13 smokers with no mental illness were withdrawn from tobacco and underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning twice, once after placement of a placebo patch and once after placement of a nicotine patch. During scanning, subjects performed an n-back task with two levels of working memory load and of selective attention load. During the most difficult (dichotic 2-back) task condition, nicotine improved performance of schizophrenic subjects and worsened performance of control subjects. Nicotine also enhanced activation of a network of regions, including anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral thalamus, and modulated thalamocortical functional connectivity to a greater degree in schizophrenic than in control subjects during dichotic 2-back task performance. In tasks that tax working memory and selective attention, nicotine may improve performance in schizophrenia patients by enhancing activation of and functional connectivity between brain regions that mediate task performance.

Impaired P600 in neuroleptic naive patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

PubMed

Papageorgiou, C; Kontaxakis, V P; Havaki-Kontaxaki, B J; Stamouli, S; Vasios, C; Asvestas, P; Matsopoulos, G K; Kontopantelis, E; Rabavilas, A; Uzunoglu, N; Christodoulou, G N

2001-09-17

Deficits of working memory (WM) are recognized as an important pathological feature in schizophrenia. Since the P600 component of event related potentials has been hypothesized that represents aspects of second-pass parsing processes of information processing, and is related to WM, the present study focuses on P600 elicited during a WM test in drug-naive first-episode schizophrenics (FES) compared to healthy controls. We examined 16 drug-naive first-episode schizophrenic patients and 23 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Compared with controls schizophrenic patients showed reduced P600 amplitude on left temporoparietal region and increased P600 amplitude on left occipital region. With regard to the latency, the patients exhibited significantly prolongation on right temporoparietal region. The obtained pattern of differences classified correctly 89.20% of patients. Memory performance of patients was also significantly impaired relative to controls. Our results suggest that second-pass parsing process of information processing, as indexed by P600, elicited during a WM test, is impaired in FES. Moreover, these findings lend support to the view that the auditory WM in schizophrenia involves or affects a circuitry including temporoparietal and occipital brain areas.

The role of serotonin in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Iqbal, N; van Praag, H M

1995-01-01

The hypothesis that the LSD psychosis and by inference schizophrenic psychoses are related to dysfunctions in central serotonergic systems, formulated by Woolley and Shaw in the early 1950s was the first testable theory of modern biological psychiatry. Initially, it did not get the scientific attention it deserved. First, because LSD fell into disrepute and was to all intents and purposes banned from human experimentation. Secondly, the antipsychotics were discovered in the same period, and it became clear that these compounds block dopaminergic transmission and hence for many years thereafter the dopaminergic system occupied center stage in biological schizophrenia research. Presently, interest in the relation between serotonin and schizophrenia has been revived, due to the development of serotonin-blocking agents that appear to exert therapeutic effects in schizophrenia. In this paper the evidence for and against a link between serotonergic defects and schizophrenia psychopathology is critically discussed. The conclusion to be reached is threefold. (1) Interruption of certain serotonergic circuits represents an antipsychotic principle. (2) Tentative evidence suggests the involvement of serotonergic dysfunctions in the pathogenesis of schizophrenic psychoses. (3) It is not yet known whether serotonergic lesions contribute directly to the occurrence of schizophrenic psychopathology or via alterations in the dopaminergic system.

[The Influence of Threatening Stimuli on the Component P200 in Patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia].

PubMed

Strelets, V B; Arkhipov, A Yu

2015-01-01

We studied schizophrenic patients with the dominance of pseudohallucinations. As is well known, pseudohallucinations are the main syndrome of schizophrenia, the so-called first rank syndrome. Pseudohallucinations are defined as a disorder of sense (affective) perception. This disorder is mainly diagnosed from the clinical picture or by pathopsychologichal observations. We investigated the evoked potentials (EP) of brain after neutral and emotionally meaningful (threatening) visual stimuli in order to specify the neurophysiological disorders of affective perception in schizophrenic patients with severe paranoid-hallucinatory syndrome who did not receive neuroleptic therapy. The analysis of P200 component in healthy subjects showed an increase in the amplitude and shortening of the latency of this wave in response to thretaning stimuli, as compared to neutral stimuli. In the group of patients with schizophrenia, the analysis showed the same increase in the level of excitation in response to emotionally threatening stimuli. However, in schizophrenic patients there were also found certain areas where the amplitude and latency decreased or increased at the same time. The results show that patients with schizophrenia have the pathological effect of having parameters typical of the processes of both excitation and inhibition.

ZNF804A Variation May Affect Hippocampal-Prefrontal Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Schizophrenic and Healthy Individuals.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuyanan; Yan, Hao; Liao, Jinmin; Yu, Hao; Jiang, Sisi; Liu, Qi; Zhang, Dai; Yue, Weihua

2018-06-01

The ZNF804A variant rs1344706 has consistently been associated with schizophrenia and plays a role in hippocampal-prefrontal functional connectivity during working memory. Whether the effect exists in the resting state and in patients with schizophrenia remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the ZNF804A polymorphism at rs1344706 in 92 schizophrenic patients and 99 healthy controls of Han Chinese descent, and used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the functional connectivity in the participants. We found a significant main effect of genotype on the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the hippocampus and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in both schizophrenic patients and healthy controls. The homozygous ZNF804A rs1344706 genotype (AA) conferred a high risk of schizophrenia, and also exhibited significantly decreased resting functional coupling between the left hippocampus and right DLPFC (F(2,165) = 13.43, P < 0.001). The RSFC strength was also correlated with cognitive performance and the severity of psychosis in schizophrenia. The current findings identified the neural impact of the ZNF804A rs1344706 on hippocampal-prefrontal RSFC associated with schizophrenia.

Functional abnormalities in the cortical processing of sound complexity and musical consonance in schizophrenia: evidence from an evoked potential study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Previous studies have demonstrated functional and structural temporal lobe abnormalities located close to the auditory cortical regions in schizophrenia. The goal of this study was to determine whether functional abnormalities exist in the cortical processing of musical sound in schizophrenia. Methods Twelve schizophrenic patients and twelve age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited, and participants listened to a random sequence of two kinds of sonic entities, intervals (tritones and perfect fifths) and chords (atonal chords, diminished chords, and major triads), of varying degrees of complexity and consonance. The perception of musical sound was investigated by the auditory evoked potentials technique. Results Our results showed that schizophrenic patients exhibited significant reductions in the amplitudes of the N1 and P2 components elicited by musical stimuli, to which consonant sounds contributed more significantly than dissonant sounds. Schizophrenic patients could not perceive the dissimilarity between interval and chord stimuli based on the evoked potentials responses as compared with the healthy controls. Conclusion This study provided electrophysiological evidence of functional abnormalities in the cortical processing of sound complexity and music consonance in schizophrenia. The preliminary findings warrant further investigations for the underlying mechanisms. PMID:23721126

Impaired preparatory re-mapping of stimulus-response associations and rule-implementation in schizophrenic patients--the role for differences in early processing.

PubMed

Finke, Mareike; Barceló, Francisco; Garolera, Maite; Cortiñas, Miriam; Garrido, Gemma; Pajares, Marta; Escera, Carles

2011-07-01

An accurate representation of task-set information is needed for successful goal directed behavior. Recent studies point to disturbances in the early processing stages as plausible causes for task-switching deficits in schizophrenia. A task-cueing protocol was administered to a group of schizophrenic patients and compared with a sample of age-matched healthy controls. Patients responded slower and less accurate compared with controls in all conditions. The concurrent recording of event-related brain potentials to contextual cues and target events revealed abnormalities in the early processing of both cue-locked and target-locked N1 potentials. Abnormally enhanced target-locked P2 amplitudes were observed in schizophrenic patients for task-switch trials only, suggesting disrupted stimulus evaluation and memory retrieval processes. The endogenous P3 potentials discriminated between task conditions but without further differences between groups. These results suggest that the observed impairments in task-switching behavior were not specifically related to anticipatory set-shifting, but derived from a deficit in the implementation of task-set representations at target onset in the presence of irrelevant and conflicting information. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

FT-IR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis as an auxiliary tool for diagnosis of mental disorders: Bipolar and schizophrenia cases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogruc Ildiz, G.; Arslan, M.; Unsalan, O.; Araujo-Andrade, C.; Kurt, E.; Karatepe, H. T.; Yilmaz, A.; Yalcinkaya, O. B.; Herken, H.

2016-01-01

In this study, a methodology based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and principal component analysis and partial least square methods is proposed for the analysis of blood plasma samples in order to identify spectral changes correlated with some biomarkers associated with schizophrenia and bipolarity. Our main goal was to use the spectral information for the calibration of statistical models to discriminate and classify blood plasma samples belonging to bipolar and schizophrenic patients. IR spectra of 30 samples of blood plasma obtained from each, bipolar and schizophrenic patients and healthy control group were collected. The results obtained from principal component analysis (PCA) show a clear discrimination between the bipolar (BP), schizophrenic (SZ) and control group' (CG) blood samples that also give possibility to identify three main regions that show the major differences correlated with both mental disorders (biomarkers). Furthermore, a model for the classification of the blood samples was calibrated using partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), allowing the correct classification of BP, SZ and CG samples. The results obtained applying this methodology suggest that it can be used as a complimentary diagnostic tool for the detection and discrimination of these mental diseases.

Three-year recovery outcomes for long-term patients with co-occurring schizophrenic and substance use disorders.

PubMed

Xie, Haiyi; McHugo, Gregory J; Helmstetter, Barbara S; Drake, Robert E

2005-06-15

Little is known about the expected treatment outcomes of patients with co-occurring schizophrenic and substance use disorders. This paper reports 3-year outcomes for 152 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and substance use disorders, all of whom received integrated dual disorders treatments in the New Hampshire Dual Diagnosis Study. Outcomes are defined as positive coping behaviors identified by consumers as indicators of recovery. Participants improved steadily in terms of controlling symptoms of schizophrenia, actively attaining remissions from substance abuse, increasing competitive employment, increasing social contacts with non-substance abusers, and improving life satisfaction. Though successful in reducing hospitalization and homelessness, they did not increase time in independent living situations. Outcomes were only weakly interrelated, suggesting that recovery is a multidimensional concept. Neither psychotic diagnosis (schizophrenia vs. schizoaffective disorder) nor substance abuse diagnosis (alcohol vs. other drug disorder vs. both) was related to outcomes. However, these patients with co-occurring schizophrenic and substance use disorders did significantly less well than patients with co-occurring bipolar and substance use disorders in terms of hospitalization, independent living, and quality of life. Overall, the findings provide a hopeful long-term perspective for dual diagnosis patients.

Metabolomic profiling to identify potential serum biomarkers for schizophrenia and risperidone action.

PubMed

Xuan, Jiekun; Pan, Guihua; Qiu, Yunping; Yang, Lun; Su, Mingming; Liu, Yumin; Chen, Jian; Feng, Guoyin; Fang, Yiru; Jia, Wei; Xing, Qinghe; He, Lin

2011-12-02

Despite recent advances in understanding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the mechanisms of antipsychotic drug action, the development of biomarkers for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in schizophrenia remains challenging. Metabolomics provides a powerful approach to discover diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers by analyzing global changes in an individual's metabolic profile in response to pathophysiological stimuli or drug intervention. In this study, we performed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry based metabolomic profiling in serum of unmedicated schizophrenic patients before and after an 8-week risperidone monotherapy, to detect potential biomarkers associated with schizophrenia and risperidone treatment. Twenty-two marker metabolites contributing to the complete separation of schizophrenic patients from matched healthy controls were identified, with citrate, palmitic acid, myo-inositol, and allantoin exhibiting the best combined classification performance. Twenty marker metabolites contributing to the complete separation between posttreatment and pretreatment patients were identified, with myo-inositol, uric acid, and tryptophan showing the maximum combined classification performance. Metabolic pathways including energy metabolism, antioxidant defense systems, neurotransmitter metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and phospholipid metabolism were found to be disturbed in schizophrenic patients and partially normalized following risperidone therapy. Further study of these metabolites may facilitate the development of noninvasive biomarkers and more efficient therapeutic strategies for schizophrenia.

Heritability and Familiality of Temperament and Character Dimensions in Korean Families with Schizophrenic Linkage Disequilibrium.

PubMed

Lee, Byung Dae; Park, Je Min; Lee, Young Min; Moon, Eunsoo; Jeong, Hee Jeong; Chung, Young In; Yi, Young Mi

2016-05-31

Categorical syndromes such as schizophrenia may represent complexes of many continuous psychological structural phenotypes along several dimensions of personality development/degeneration. The present study investigated the heritability and familiality of personality dimensions in Korean families with schizophrenic linkage disequilibrium (LD). We recruited 179 probands (with schizophrenia) as well as, whenever possible, their parents and siblings. We used the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to measure personality and symptomatic dimensions. The heritability of personality dimensions in a total of 472 family members was estimated using Sequential Oligogenic Linkage Analysis Routines (SOLAR). To measure familiality, we compared the personality dimensions of family members with those of 336 healthy unrelated controls using analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis. Three of the seven TCI variables were significantly heritable and were included in subsequent analyses. The three groups (control, unaffected first-degree relative, case) were found to significantly differ from one another, with the expected order of average group scores, for all heritable dimensions. Despite several study limitations with respect to family recruitment and phenotyping, our results show that aberrations in several personality dimensions related to genetic-environment coactions or interactions may underlie the complexity of the schizophrenic syndrome.

The vulnerability to schizophrenia mainstream research paradigms and phenomenological directions.

PubMed

Stanghellini, Giovanni; Fusar-Poli, Paolo

2012-01-01

Early psychopathological attempts to characterize the vulnerability to schizophrenia were based on the phenomenological method. From the beginning, phenomenologically-oriented psychopathologists have searched the basic vulnerability underlying schizophrenic phenomena in two main domains: depersonalization and derealisation/desocialization. Schizophrenic persons undergo a special kind of depersonalisation: the living body becomes a functioning body, a thing-like mechanism in which feelings, perceptions, and actions take place as if they happened in an outer space. They also endure a special kind of derealisation/de-socialization: the interpersonal scene becomes like a theatre stage, pervaded with a sense of unreality, on which the main actor is unaware of the plot, out of touch with the role he is acting and unable to make sense of the objects he encounters and of what the other people are doing. Many years later, the mainstream research paradigms employed to investigate the vulnerability concept in schizophrenic psychosis have included genetic studies, birth cohort studies, psychosis proneness, and clinical high risk. We will review these studies and conclude with an outline of future research directions focusing on three main features of the psychopathology of early schizophrenia: anomalies of the pre-reflexive self and of the social self (intersubjectivity), and existential re-orientation.

Plasma homovanillic acid levels and therapeutic outcome in schizophrenics: comparisons of neuroleptic-naive first-episode patients and patients with disease exacerbation due to neuroleptic discontinuance.

PubMed

Akiyama, K; Tsuchida, K; Kanzaki, A; Ujike, H; Hamamura, T; Kondo, K; Mutoh, S; Miyanagi, K; Kuroda, S; Otsuki, S

1995-11-15

Plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) levels were measured and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores were evaluated in 26 schizophrenic patients who had either never been medicated (neuroleptic-naive, first-episode subjects) or whose condition had become exacerbated following neuroleptic discontinuance (exacerbated subjects). All the subjects received medication with a fixed dose of a neuroleptic (haloperidol or fluphenazine, both 9 mg/day) for the first week and variable doses for the subsequent 4 weeks. In the neuroleptic-naive subjects, pHVA levels increased significantly 1 week after starting the protocol; this increase correlated significantly with clinical improvement of the BPRS positive symptom scores at week 5. In the neuroleptic-naive subjects, pHVA levels had declined to the baseline level by week 5. In the exacerbated subjects, there were no significant correlations between pHVA level changes at week 1 and later improvements of the BPRS positive symptom scores. These results suggest that the rise in pHVA levels occurring within 1 week after starting a fixed neuroleptic dose may predict a favorable clinical response in neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients.

Drama therapy as a means of rehabilitation for schizophrenic patients: our impressions.

PubMed

Bielańska, A; Cechnicki, A; Budzyna-Dawidowski, P

1991-10-01

The authors describe the development of drama therapy and its place in the system of psychosocial treatment of schizophrenic patients. Organizational and therapeutic elements are illustrated with the help of work done by a group of 12 patients on an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The aim of this form of outpatient treatment is to use the acting technique in order to make it easier for patients to improve their understanding of themselves--their feelings, motivations and behaviors--and also of other people. The participation of a professional director and the general attractiveness of this type of therapy are considered to play an important role in motivating those patients who would not benefit from traditional psychotherapy. In this form of group psychotherapy verbalization of feelings and problems are structured by the role; thus creating a safe atmosphere and greater motivation to participate. The purpose of our work is to make the roles and the play a constructive aspect of the patient's functioning. This is only possible by uniting what for a schizophrenic patient is characteristically separate, namely, internal experience with external expression. Clinical effects are documented by two case vignettes.

The nonlinear, complex sequential organization of behavior in schizophrenic patients: neurocognitive strategies and clinical correlations.

PubMed

Paulus, M P; Perry, W; Braff, D L

1999-09-01

Thought disorder is a hallmark of schizophrenia and can be inferred from disorganized behavior. Measures of the sequential organization of behavior are important because they reflect the cognitive processes of the selection and sequencing of behavioral elements, which generate observable and analyzable behavioral patterns. In this context, sequences of choices generated by schizophrenic patients in a two-choice guessing task fluctuate significantly, which reflects an "oscillating dysregulation" between highly predictable and highly unpredictable subsequences within a single test session. In this study, we aimed to clarify the significance of dysregulation by seeing whether demographic, clinical, neuropsychological, and psychological measures predict the degree of dysregulation observed on this two-choice task. Thirty schizophrenic patients repeatedly performed a LEFT or RIGHT key press that was followed by a stimulus, which occurred randomly on the left or right side of the computer screen. Thus, the stimulus location had nothing to do with the key press behavior. The range of key press sequence predictabilities as measured by the dynamical entropy was used to quantify the dysregulation of response sequences and reflects the range of fixity and randomness of the responses. A factor analysis was performed and step-wise multiple regression analyses were used to relate the factor scores to demographic, clinical, symptomatic, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and Rorschach variables. The LEFT/RIGHT key press sequences were determined by three factors: 1) the degree of win-stay/lose-shift strategy; 2) the degree of contextual influence on the current choice; and 3) the degree of dysregulation on the choice task. Demographic and clinical variables did not predict any of the three response patterns on the choice task. In contrast, the WCST and Rorschach test predicted performance on various factors of choice task response patterns. Schizophrenic patients employ several rules, i.e., "win-stay/lose-shift" and "decide according to the previous choice," that fluctuate significantly when generating sequences on this task, confirming that a basic behavioral dysregulation occurs in a single schizophrenic subject across a single test session. The organization or the "temporal architecture" of the behavioral sequences is not related to symptoms per se, but is related to deficits in executive functioning, problem solving, and perceptual organizational abilities.

[Communicate instead of stigmatizing - does social contact with a depressed person change attitudes of medical students towards psychiatric disorders? A study of attitudes of medical students to psychiatric patients].

PubMed

Schenner, Manuela; Kohlbauer, Daniela; Günther, Verena

2011-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate how attitudes to psychiatric patients of medical students change, when given an opportunity to have social contact with a depressed individual, during their usual psychiatric practical. In the course of their compulsory practical at the University Clinic for General and Social Psychiatry, 127 students additionally participated in an information session in which a person suffering from depression reported on his/her life, illness and experiences with the illness. The control group comprised 98 students who did only the psychiatry practical. Both at the beginning and end of the practical, students filled in a questionnaire, among others, on cognitive and affective dimensions and social distance. The questionnaire was preceded by 4 different case vignettes describing a fictional person (a man/woman suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a man/woman suffering from unipolar depression). The results of our study show that before students took their practical, female students felt more pro-social and socially closer, but at the same time more fearful, in relation to mentally ill persons than male students. Females also considered psychiatric illnesses as better treatable than males. Basically, students felt socially closer towards depressed persons than towards schizophrenic patients who were also perceived to be more severely ill, more dangerous and more unpredictable. Students with personal contact with a female depressed patient during their practical demonstrated significant reduction of social distance and fear in relation to depressed persons, and in the sense of a generalization effect, there was also a significant reduction in their assessment of the danger and unpredictability of schizophrenic patients. As against this, students who did only their compulsory practical developed an even stronger stereotype of schizophrenic patients as being dangerous and unpredictable. Additionally, contact with a depressed person during practical resulted in a better assessment of the treatability of this illness. Students who participated in the compulsory practical alone reduced their fear towards depressed persons and increased prosocial feelings towards schizophrenic patients. Compared to students who did only the psychiatry practical, additional contact with a depressed person resulted in major changes in attitude, in particular, in relation to the stereotype of schizophrenic patients being "dangerous". Thus, enabling direct contact with patients during psychiatry practical represents a meaningful and effective anti-stigma intervention.

The neurosociology of schizophrenia: vulnerability and functional disability.

PubMed

Carter, M; Flesher, S

1995-08-01

It has been maintained that becoming a schizophrenic is essentially "a social and interpersonal process, not an inevitable consequence of primary symptoms and neurochemical abnormality" (Estroff 1989). It is the intent of this paper to elaborate on this theme by exploring how the neuropsychological deficits of schizophrenia relate to the observed social handicaps of people who carry the diagnosis. We argue that a better understanding of schizophrenia requires inquiry into the handicaps as well as the process whereby schizophrenic and preschizophrenic men and women try and fail to negotiate socially mandated roles. Of necessity, such an inquiry will require mixing levels of explanation (Meehl 1990) and will draw upon insights from the disciplines of psychiatry, neuropsychology, and sociology.

Expected incidence of tardive dyskinesia associated with atypical antipsychotics.

PubMed

Glazer, W M

2000-01-01

Given the problematic nature of tardive dyskinesia in persons taking conventional antipsychotics, evaluation of newer atypical antipsychotic agents should include a systematic assessment of tardive dyskinesia liability. Results of a prospective double-blind, randomized study of schizophrenic patients who participated in 3 preclinical olanzapine studies and were treated with 5 to 20 mg/day of olanzapine (N = 1192) or haloperidol (N = 522) recently indicated a significantly lower risk of development of tardive dyskinesia with olanzapine treatment than haloperidol treatment. This article discusses the known effects of atypical antipsychotic medications on tardive dyskinesia movements (both withdrawal and persistent) and the incidence rate of tardive dyskinesia among schizophrenic patients undergoing long-term treatment with olanzapine or haloperidol.

Self-mutilation of the nose in a schizophrenic patient with Cotard syndrome.

PubMed

Ghaffari-Nejad, Alireza; Kerdegari, Mohammad; Reihani-Kermani, Hamed

2007-10-01

Cotard syndrome is a rare condition, which its main symptom is nihilistic delusion. Self-mutilation of the nose is also a rare condition, which has not been seen in schizophrenic patients with Cotard syndrome. A single case is presented here. A 32-year-old woman who was diagnosed as having schizophrenia and believed that she was dead, cut the tip of her nose. She had no guilt feeling and described her act as a cosmetic surgery. We try to explain how various symptoms that seem to be very far from each other could exist side by side. Misinterpretation of her face is suggested to be the starting point in her complex symptoms.

Interrater reliability levels of multiple clinical examiners in the evaluation of a schizophrenic patient: quality of life, level of functioning, and neuropsychological symptomatology.

PubMed

Cicchetti, D V; Rosenheck, R; Showalter, D; Charney, D; Cramer, J

1999-05-01

Sir Ronald Fisher used a single-subject design to derive the concepts of appropriate research design, randomization, sensitivity, and tests of statistical significance. The seminal work of Broca demonstrated that valid and generalizable findings can and have emerged from studies of a single patient in neuropsychology. In order to assess the reliability and/or validity of any clinical phenomena that derive from single subject research, it becomes necessary to apply appropriate biostatistical methodology. The authors develop just such an approach and apply it successfully to the evaluation of the functioning, quality of life, and neuropsychological symptomatology of a single schizophrenic patient.

[Ambivalence and diachrony].

PubMed

Zoila, A F

1977-04-01

The temporal analysis of ambivalence is based on an account given by two schizophrenic patients and the study of Samuel Becket's "The Nameless One". The narrative process corresponds to a creative expression in which discordance is part of the differences between verbalisation and sensitive phenomenous. Splitting of personality is linked with temporal ambivalence: the immediate past encroaches on the near future, giving an impression of synchronization in the simultaneous interplay of similarity and dissimilarity. The passing of time, disturbed in its accumulative cursus in the schizophrenic patient, results in a conflict between contradictory phenomenous in the same moment. This synchronization of dissimilar perceptions brings together disjunctive and conjunctive categories dominated by such coordinate conjunctions as "and... and", in the living diachronic discordance.

[Evaluation of mimetic expression of schizophrenic and depressed patients by the psychiatrist].

PubMed

Schneider, F; Mattes, R; Adam, B; Heimann, H

1992-01-01

Facial videos of schizophrenic and depressive patients and of healthy controls when watching both funny and horror films and during emotionally positive or negative interviews were rated by psychiatrists (experts) and students (novices). The observers' task was to rate joy, fear, sadness, and expressivity on a 7-point unipolar intensity scale. The soundless facial videos were presented to each observer for exactly 2.5 min. The observer groups did not differ significantly in their ratings except for sadness. Psychiatrists consistently rated expressed sadness as less intense than students. Facial expressivity and joy were rated as less intense in both patient groups in comparison with healthy controls. Depressives expressed significantly more sadness.

Functional and structural abnormalities associated with empathy in patients with schizophrenia: An fMRI and VBM study

PubMed Central

Singh, Sadhana; Modi, Shilpi; Goyal, Satnam; Kaur, Prabhjot; Singh, Namita; Bhatia, Triptish; Deshpande, Smita N; Khushu, Subash

2016-01-01

Empathy deficit is a core feature of schizophrenia which may lead to social dysfunction. The present study was carried out to investigate functional and structural abnormalities associated with empathy in patients with schizophrenia using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). A sample of 14 schizophrenia patients and 14 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex and education were examined with structural high-resolution T1-weighted MRI; fMRI images were obtained during empathy task in the same session. The analysis was carried out using SPM8 software. On behavioural assessment, schizophrenic patients (83.00±29.04) showed less scores for sadness compared to healthy controls (128.70±22.26) (p<0.001). fMRI results also showed reduced clusters of activation in the bilateral fusiform gyrus, left lingual gyrus, left middle and inferior occipital gyrus in schizophrenic subjects as compared to controls during empathy task. In the same brain areas, VBM results also showed reduced grey and white matter volumes. The present study provides an evidence for an association between structural alterations and disturbed functional brain activation during empathy task in persons affected with schizophrenia. These findings suggest a biological basis for social cognition deficits in schizophrenics. PMID:25963262

Functional and structural abnormalities associated with empathy in patients with schizophrenia: An fMRI and VBM study.

PubMed

Singh, Sadhana; Modi, Shilpi; Goyal, Satnam; Kaur, Prabhjot; Singh, Namita; Bhatia, Triptish; Deshpande, Smita N; Khushu, Subash

2015-06-01

Empathy deficit is a core feature of schizophrenia which may lead to social dysfunction. The present study was carried out to investigate functional and structural abnormalities associated with empathy in patients with schizophrenia using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). A sample of 14 schizophrenia patients and 14 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex and education were examined with structural highresolution T1-weighted MRI; fMRI images were obtained during empathy task in the same session. The analysis was carried out using SPM8 software. On behavioural assessment, schizophrenic patients (83.00+-29.04) showed less scores for sadness compared to healthy controls (128.70+-22.26) (p less than 0.001). fMRI results also showed reduced clusters of activation in the bilateral fusiform gyrus, left lingual gyrus, left middle and inferior occipital gyrus in schizophrenic subjects as compared to controls during empathy task. In the same brain areas, VBM results also showed reduced grey and white matter volumes. The present study provides an evidence for an association between structural alterations and disturbed functional brain activation during empathy task in persons affected with schizophrenia. These findings suggest a biological basis for social cognition deficits in schizophrenics.

A Comparative Genomic Study in Schizophrenic and in Bipolar Disorder Patients, Based on Microarray Expression Profiling Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Logotheti, Marianthi; Papadodima, Olga; Venizelos, Nikolaos; Chatziioannou, Aristotelis; Kolisis, Fragiskos

2013-01-01

Schizophrenia affecting almost 1% and bipolar disorder affecting almost 3%–5% of the global population constitute two severe mental disorders. The catecholaminergic and the serotonergic pathways have been proved to play an important role in the development of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other related psychiatric disorders. The aim of the study was to perform and interpret the results of a comparative genomic profiling study in schizophrenic patients as well as in healthy controls and in patients with bipolar disorder and try to relate and integrate our results with an aberrant amino acid transport through cell membranes. In particular we have focused on genes and mechanisms involved in amino acid transport through cell membranes from whole genome expression profiling data. We performed bioinformatic analysis on raw data derived from four different published studies. In two studies postmortem samples from prefrontal cortices, derived from patients with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and control subjects, have been used. In another study we used samples from postmortem orbitofrontal cortex of bipolar subjects while the final study was performed based on raw data from a gene expression profiling dataset in the postmortem superior temporal cortex of schizophrenics. The data were downloaded from NCBI's GEO datasets. PMID:23554570

[Changes in the EEG spectral power during perception of neutral and emotionally salient words in schizophrenic patients, their relatives and healthy individuals from the general population].

PubMed

Alfimova, M V; Uvarova, L G

2007-01-01

To search for EEG-correlates of emotional processing that might be indicators of genetic predisposition to schizophrenia, changes in EEG spectral power during perception of neutral and emotionally salient words were examined in 36 schizophrenic patients, 50 of their unaffected first-degree relatives, and 47 healthy individuals without any family history of psychoses. In healthy persons, passive listening to neutral words induced minimum changes in cortical rhythmical activity, predominantly in the form of synchronization of slow and fast waves, whereas perception of emotional words was followed by a generalized depression of the alpha and beta1 activity and a locally specific decrease in the power of theta and beta2 frequency bands. The patients and their relatives showed a decrease in the alpha and beta1 activity simultaneously with an increase in the power of delta activity in response to both groups of words. Thus, in the patients and their relatives, reactions to neutral and emotional words were ulterior as a result of augmented reactions to the neutral words. These findings suggest that the EEG changes reflect familial and possibly hereditable abnormal involuntary attention. No prominent decrease in reactivity to emotional stimuli was revealed in schizophrenic families.

Correlation among personal, social performance and cognitive impairment in male schizophrenic patient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damanik, R.; Effendy, E.; Camellia, V.

2018-03-01

Schizophrenia is a dramatic mental illness with tragic manifestation. The consequences of the illness are for the individual, affected his or her family and society. Schizophrenia is one of the twenty illness that causes Years Lost due to Disability. Treating only the symptom is insufficient. The aim of treatment must include the quality of life of aschizophrenic person. This study aims to examine the relationship between cognitive impairment and performance of the person with schizophrenia. Cognitive test is scaled with Indonesian version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-Ina), while personal and social performance isscaled with Personal and Social Performance scale. There are many studies that search the relationship between cognitive impairment and social functioning of schizophrenic patients, but this is the first study that uses PSP and MoCA-Ina. Both PSP and MoCA-Ina are easy to use but still have high sensitivity and specificity, and perhaps can build people’s interest to use it in clinical practice. Twenty-five male schizophrenic patients were assessed in Prof. M. Ildrem Mental Hospital of North Sumatera Province of Indonesia. Positive correlations between MoCA-Ina and PSP score were identified. Clinicians should pay attention to cognitive and might give some early intervention to it.

Locus of control and self-esteem in depressed, low-income African-American women.

PubMed

Goodman, S H; Cooley, E L; Sewell, D R; Leavitt, N

1994-06-01

Depressed, schizophrenic, and well low-income, African-American women were studied in an effort to extend previous hypotheses of the association between depression and the two personality constructs of low self-esteem and externality to this population. Subjects were 113 low income African-American women including 26 who had been diagnosed as depressed, 54 diagnosed as schizophrenic, and 33 well women. Locus of control was measured with the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale (Nowicki & Duke, 1974). Self-esteem was measured with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965). Contrary to predictions, a diagnosis of schizophrenia, but not depression, was associated with more external locus of control. For self-esteem, severity of disturbance, rather than diagnosis, seemed to be of primary importance. Also, lower self-esteem scores were correlated significantly with higher levels of externality for both depressed and schizophrenic women but not for well controls. The present study indicates that self-esteem and locus of control are related to depression differently in low socio-economic status (SES) African-American women than in previously studied middle SES depressed whites. The findings emphasize the need for more normative studies to clarify the complex relations among SES, race, emotional disturbance, self-esteem, and locus of control.

Central- and autonomic nervous system coupling in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Schulz, Steffen; Bolz, Mathias; Bär, Karl-Jürgen

2016-01-01

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction has been well described in schizophrenia (SZ), a severe mental disorder. Nevertheless, the coupling between the ANS and central brain activity has been not addressed until now in SZ. The interactions between the central nervous system (CNS) and ANS need to be considered as a feedback–feed-forward system that supports flexible and adaptive responses to specific demands. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, this study investigates central–autonomic couplings (CAC) studying heart rate, blood pressure and electroencephalogram in paranoid schizophrenic patients, comparing them with age–gender-matched healthy subjects (CO). The emphasis is to determine how these couplings are composed by the different regulatory aspects of the CNS–ANS. We found that CAC were bidirectional, and that the causal influence of central activity towards systolic blood pressure was more strongly pronounced than such causal influence towards heart rate in paranoid schizophrenic patients when compared with CO. In paranoid schizophrenic patients, the central activity was a much stronger variable, being more random and having fewer rhythmic oscillatory components. This study provides a more in-depth understanding of the interplay of neuronal and autonomic regulatory processes in SZ and most likely greater insights into the complex relationship between psychotic stages and autonomic activity. PMID:27044986

Compliance and schizophrenia: the predictive potential of insight into illness, symptoms, and side effects.

PubMed

Kao, Yu-Cheng; Liu, Yia-Ping

2010-01-01

Personal beliefs about medication compliance have been reliably associated with emotional and behavioral response to mental health problems and health outcomes. This notion has been extensively explored in relation to mental illness. In the current study, a questionnaire designed to assess beliefs about medication compliance (the medication adherence rating scale [MARS]) was translated into Taiwanese to explore beliefs about compliance in schizophrenic patients. In this cross-sectional study, 104 patients who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria for schizophrenic disorders were recruited and independently interviewed. We first determined the psychometric properties of the translated MARS, including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity. In addition, we investigated the relationships between medication compliance and clinical variables through correlation and regression analyses. We found that the translated MARS was a simple and reliable self-reported compliance scale. Furthermore, in this exploratory study, we found that patients with better medication compliance had better insight into mental illness, less severe psychopathologic condition, and less negative subjective response to side effects of antipsychotics. Additional research focusing on these patient outcomes will be of great interest and value in elucidating the role of medication compliance in management of schizophrenic patients. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Schizophrenic Diblock-Copolymer-Functionalized Nanoparticles as Temperature-Responsive Pickering Emulsifiers.

PubMed

Ranka, Mikhil; Katepalli, Hari; Blankschtein, Daniel; Hatton, T Alan

2017-11-21

Stimuli-responsive pickering emulsions have received considerable attention in recent years, and the utilization of temperature as a stimulus has been of particular interest. Previous efforts have led to responsive systems that enable the formation of stable emulsions at room temperature, which can subsequently be triggered to destabilize with an increase in temperature. The development of a thermoresponsive system that exhibits the opposite response, however, i.e., one that can be triggered to form stable emulsions at elevated temperatures and subsequently be induced to phase separate at lower temperatures, has so far been lacking. Here, we describe a system that accomplishes this goal by leveraging a schizophrenic diblock copolymer that exhibits both an upper and a lower critical solution temperature. The diblock copolymer was conjugated to 20 nm silica nanoparticles, which were subsequently demonstrated to stabilize O/W emulsions at 65 °C and trigger phase separation upon cooling to 25 °C. The effects of particle concentration, electrolyte concentration, and polymer architecture were investigated, and facile control of emulsion stability was demonstrated for multiple oil types. Our approach is likely to be broadly adaptable to other schizophrenic diblock copolymers and find significant utility in applications such as enhanced oil recovery and liquid-phase heterogeneous catalysis, where stable emulsions are desired only at elevated temperatures.

Smooth pursuit eye movement (SPEM) in patients with multiple complex developmental disorder (MCDD), a subtype of the pervasive developmental disorder.

PubMed

Lahuis, Bertine E; Van Engeland, Herman; Cahn, Wiepke; Caspers, Esther; Van der Geest, Jos N; Van der Gaag, Rutger Jan; Kemner, Chantal

2009-01-01

Multiple complex developmental disorder (MCDD) is a well-defined and validated behavioural subtype of pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and is thought to be associated with a higher risk of developing a schizophrenic spectrum disorder. The question was addressed whether patients with MCDD show the same psychophysiological abnormalities as seen in patients with schizophrenia. Smooth pursuit eye movement (pursuit gain and saccadic parameters) was measured in children with either MCDD (n=18) or autism (n=18), and in age- and IQ-matched controls (n=36), as well as in a group of adult patients with schizophrenia (n=14) and a group of adult controls (n=17). We found the expected effect of lower velocity gain and increased number of saccades in schizophrenic patients. Children with MCDD also showed a lower velocity gain compared to controls children. In contrast, velocity gain was similar in autistic subjects and controls. No differences for velocity gain were found in a direct comparison between MCDD and autism. Saccadic parameters were not significantly different from controls in either MCDD or autistic subjects. Children with MCDD, like schizophrenic adults, show a reduced velocity gain, which could indicate that schizophrenia spectrum disorders and MCDD share (at least to some degree) a common neurobiological background.

Performance of schizophrenic patients in the Stroop Color Word Test and electrodermal responsiveness after acute administration of cannabidiol (CBD).

PubMed

Hallak, Jaime E C; Machado-de-Sousa, João Paulo; Crippa, José Alexandre S; Sanches, Rafael Faria; Trzesniak, Clarissa; Chaves, Cristiano; Bernardo, Sandra Aparecida; Regalo, Simone Cecílio; Zuardi, Antonio Waldo

2010-03-01

The last decade has seen increasing evidence of dysfunctions in the endogenous cannabinoid system in schizophrenia and of its relationship with the typical cognitive impairment of the disorder. Studies in animal models, healthy volunteers, and psychotic patients clearly suggest an antipsychotic-like effect of cannabidiol. This study investigated the effects of cannabidiol on selective attention in 28 schizophrenic patients using the Stroop Color Word Test and on these patients' electrodermal responsiveness to auditive stimuli. The subjects attended two experimental sessions, the first one without the administration of drugs. In the second session the subjects were divided into three groups that received either a single dose of cannabidiol 300 mg or cannabidiol 600 mg or placebo. The three groups did not differ significantly with respect to electrodermal measures in the two experimental sessions. When the first and second sessions were compared improved performance was found in all three groups, with patients who received placebo and cannabidiol 300 mg performing better than those who received cannabidiol 600 mg. The single, acute administration of cannabidiol seems to have no beneficial effects on the performance of schizophrenic patients in the Stroop Color Word Test, although the hypothesis that chronic administration may lead to improvement cannot be disregarded.

An fMRI study of semantic processing in men with schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Kubicki, M.; McCarley, R.W.; Nestor, P.G.; Huh, T.; Kikinis, R.; Shenton, M.E.; Wible, C.G.

2009-01-01

As a means toward understanding the neural bases of schizophrenic thought disturbance, we examined brain activation patterns in response to semantically and superficially encoded words in patients with schizophrenia. Nine male schizophrenic and 9 male control subjects were tested in a visual levels of processing (LOP) task first outside the magnet and then during the fMRI scanning procedures (using a different set of words). During the experiments visual words were presented under two conditions. Under the deep, semantic encoding condition, subjects made semantic judgments as to whether the words were abstract or concrete. Under the shallow, nonsemantic encoding condition, subjects made perceptual judgments of the font size (uppercase/lowercase) of the presented words. After performance of the behavioral task, a recognition test was used to assess the depth of processing effect, defined as better performance for semantically encoded words than for perceptually encoded words. For the scanned version only, the words for both conditions were repeated in order to assess repetition-priming effects. Reaction times were assessed in both testing scenarios. Both groups showed the expected depth of processing effect for recognition, and control subjects showed the expected increased activation of the left inferior prefrontal cortex (LIPC) under semantic encoding relative to perceptual encoding conditions as well as repetition priming for semantic conditions only. In contrast, schizophrenics showed similar patterns of fMRI activation regardless of condition. Most striking in relation to controls, patients showed decreased LIFC activation concurrent with increased left superior temporal gyrus activation for semantic encoding versus shallow encoding. Furthermore, schizophrenia subjects did not show the repetition priming effect, either behaviorally or as a decrease in LIPC activity. In patients with schizophrenia, LIFC underactivation and left superior temporal gyrus overactivation for semantically encoded words may reflect a disease-related disruption of a distributed frontal temporal network that is engaged in the representation and processing of meaning of words, text, and discourse and which may underlie schizophrenic thought disturbance. PMID:14683698

Psychopharmacological treatment of aggression in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Brieden, T; Ujeyl, M; Naber, D

2002-05-01

Aggressive behavior is frequently observed in schizophrenic patients. More than 50 % of all psychiatric patients and 10 % of schizophrenic patients show aggressive symptoms varying from threatening behavior and agitation to assault. The pharmacological treatment of acute, persisting and repetitive aggression is a serious problem for other patients and staff members. Not only is violent behavior from mentally ill patients the most detrimental factor in their stigmatization, aggression is also a considerable direct source of danger for the patients themselves. Based on rather limited evidence, a wide variety of medications for the pharmacological treatment of aggression has been recommended: typical and atypical antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers, beta-blockers and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Most clinical information on treating aggression has been collected for atypical neuroleptics, particularly for clozapine. Several retrospective and open studies indicate its efficacy. Treatment duration of 6 months is recommended to induce a stable reduction of physical and verbal aggression. Severe side effects have very rarely been seen. At the moment, clozapine seems to be the first choice in aggression treatment. Within the last few years, about 10 articles were published showing that this is the most effective antiaggressive agent in the treatment of aggression and agitation in psychiatric patients, independent of psychiatric diagnosis. However, clozapine, like all the other substances used, does not have an established indication for the treatment of aggressive symptoms. Noncompliance with medication makes it difficult to choose the right preparation for the medication: tablets, liquids, intramuscular injections and readily soluble "FDDFs" are available. Ethical, juridical and methodological problems prevent controlled studies from establishing a reference in the treatment of aggression in mentally ill patients. This review summarizes the current discussion and publications on the pharmacological treatment of aggression in schizophrenic patients of the last 20 years. In addition, we will briefly present studies and case reports concerning the treatment of aggression in other psychiatric patients.

Variants of the D{sub 5} dopamine receptor gene found in patients with schizophrenia: Identification of a nonsense mutation and multiple missense changes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sobell, J.L.; Lind, T.J.; Sommer, S.S.

To determine whether mutations in the D{sub 5} dopamine receptor (D{sub 5}DR) gene are associated with schizophrenia, the gene was examined in 78 unrelated schizophrenic individuals. After amplification by the polymerase chain reaction, products were examined by dideoxy fingerprinting (ddF), a highly sensitive screening method related to single strand conformational polymorphism analysis. All samples with unusual ddF patterns were sequenced to precisely identify the sequence change. In the 156 D{sub 5}DR alleles examined, nine sequence changes were identified. Four of the nine did not affect protein structure; of these, three were silent changes and one was a transition in themore » 3{prime} untranslated region. The remaining five sequence changes result in protein alterations: of these, one is a missense change in a non-conserved amino acid, 3 are missense changes in amino acids that are conserved in some dopamine D{sub 5} receptors and the last is a nonsense mutation. To investigate whether the nonsense mutation was associated with schizophrenia, 400 additional schizophrenic cases of western European descent and 1914 ethnically-similar controls were screened for the change. One additional schizophrenic carrier was identified and verified by direct genomic sequencing (allele frequency: .0013), but eight carriers also were found and confirmed among the non-schizophrenics (allele frequency: .0021)(p>.25). The gene was re-examined in all newly identified carriers of the nonsense mutation by direct sequencing and/or ddF in search of additional mutations. None were identified. Family studies also were conducted to investigate possible cosegregation of the mutation with other neuropsychiatric diseases, but this was not demonstrated. Thus, the mutation does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia nor does an initial analysis suggest cosegregation with other neuropsychiatric disorders or symptom complexes.« less

Grey and white matter differences in brain energy metabolism in first episode schizophrenia: 31P-MRS chemical shift imaging at 4 Tesla.

PubMed

Jensen, J Eric; Miller, Jodi; Williamson, Peter C; Neufeld, Richard W J; Menon, Ravi S; Malla, Ashok; Manchanda, Rahul; Schaefer, Betsy; Densmore, Maria; Drost, Dick J

2006-03-31

Altered high energy and membrane metabolism, measured with phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS), has been inconsistently reported in schizophrenic patients in several anatomical brain regions implicated in the pathophysiology of this illness, with little attention to the effects of brain tissue type on the results. Tissue regression analysis correlates brain tissue type to measured metabolite levels, allowing for the extraction of "pure" estimated grey and white matter compartment metabolite levels. We use this tissue analysis technique on a clinical dataset of first episode schizophrenic patients and matched controls to investigate the effect of brain tissue specificity on altered energy and membrane metabolism. In vivo brain spectra from two regions, (a) the fronto-temporal-striatal region and (b) the frontal-lobes, were analyzed from 12 first episode schizophrenic patients and 11 matched controls from a (31)P chemical shift imaging (CSI) study at 4 Tesla (T) field strength. Tissue regression analyses using voxels from each region were performed relating metabolite levels to tissue content, examining phosphorus metabolite levels in grey and white matter compartments. Compared with controls, the first episode schizophrenic patient group showed significantly increased adenosine triphosphate levels (B-ATP) in white matter and decreased B-ATP levels in grey matter in the fronto-temporal-striatal region. No significant metabolite level differences were found in grey or white matter compartments in the frontal cortex. Tissue regression analysis reveals grey and white matter specific aberrations in high-energy phosphates in first episode schizophrenia. Although past studies report inconsistent regional differences in high-energy phosphate levels in schizophrenia, the present analysis suggests more widespread differences that seem to be strongly related to tissue type. Our data suggest that differences in grey and white matter tissue content between past studies may account for some of the variance in the literature.

The relation of serotonin-related gene and COMT gene polymorphisms with criminal behavior in schizophrenic disorder.

PubMed

Koh, Kyung Bong; Choi, Eun Hee; Lee, Young-joon; Han, Mooyoung; Choi, Sang-Sup; Kim, So Won; Lee, Min Goo

2012-02-01

It has been suggested that patients with schizophrenia might be involved in criminal behavior, such as homicidal and violent behavior. However, the relationship between criminal behavior and genes in patients with schizophrenia has not been clearly elucidated. The objective of this study was to examine the relation between criminal behavior and serotonin-related gene or catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphisms in patients with schizophrenia. Serotonin-related and COMT polymorphic markers were assessed by using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping. Ninety-nine crime-related inpatients with schizophrenia (57 homicidal and 42 nonhomicidal violent) and 133 healthy subjects were enrolled between October 2005 and May 2008. Diagnoses were made according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria. The genotype frequencies of tryptophan hydroxylase-1 (TPH1) A218C and COMT V158M were compared between groups. The TPH1 CC genotype had 2.7-fold higher odds of crime-related schizophrenia compared with A-carrier genotype after the analysis was controlled for sex and age (OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.22 - 5.91; P = .01). In addition, the TPH1 CC genotype had 3.4-fold higher odds of homicidal schizophrenia compared with A-carrier genotype after the analysis was controlled for sex and age (OR, 3.38; 95% CI, 1.40 - 8.18; P = .007). However, no significant differences were found in the frequencies of genotype of COMT polymorphism between criminal schizophrenics and healthy subjects, nor were any significant differences found between nonhomicidal schizophrenics and healthy subjects. These results indicate that the TPH1 CC recessive genotype is likely to be a genetic risk factor for criminal behavior, especially homicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia. However, COMT gene polymorphisms were not associated with criminal behavior in schizophrenic patients. © Copyright 2012 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid-modulating drugs on working memory and brain function in patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Menzies, Lara; Ooi, Cinly; Kamath, Shri; Suckling, John; McKenna, Peter; Fletcher, Paul; Bullmore, Ed; Stephenson, Caroline

2007-02-01

Cognitive impairment causes morbidity in schizophrenia and could be due to abnormalities of cortical interneurons using the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). To test the predictions that cognitive and brain functional responses to GABA-modulating drugs are correlated and abnormal in schizophrenia. Pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging study of 2 groups, each undergoing scanning 3 times, using an N-back working memory task, after placebo, lorazepam, or flumazenil administration. Eleven patients with chronic schizophrenia were recruited from a rehabilitation service, and 11 healthy volunteers matched for age, sex, and premorbid IQ were recruited from the local community. Intervention Participants received 2 mg of oral lorazepam, a 0.9-mg intravenous flumazenil bolus followed by a flumazenil infusion of 0.0102 mg/min, or oral and intravenous placebo. Working memory performance was summarized by the target discrimination index at several levels of difficulty. Increasing (or decreasing) brain functional activation in response to increasing task difficulty was summarized by the positive (or negative) load response. Lorazepam impaired performance and flumazenil enhanced it; these cognitive effects were more salient in schizophrenic patients. Functional magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated positive load response in a frontoparietal system and negative load response in the temporal and posterior cingulate regions; activation of the frontoparietal cortex was positively correlated with deactivation of the temporocingulate cortex. After placebo administration, schizophrenic patients had abnormally attenuated activation of the frontoparietal cortex and deactivation of the temporocingulate cortex; this pattern was mimicked in healthy volunteers and exacerbated in schizophrenic patients by lorazepam. However, in schizophrenic patients, flumazenil enhanced deactivation of the temporocingulate and activation of the anterior cingulate cortices. The GABA-modulating drugs differentially affect working memory performance and brain function in schizophrenia. Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia may reflect abnormal inhibitory function and could be treated by drugs targeting GABA neurotransmission.

Plasma homovanillic acid differences in clinical subgroups of first episode schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Baeza, Immaculada; Castro-Fornieles, Josefina; Deulofeu, Ramon; de la Serna, Elena; Goti, Javier; Salvà, Joan; Bernardo, Miquel

2009-07-30

This study evaluates the relationship between plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) levels, which have been used to study the role of central dopamine in schizophrenia, and the positive/negative syndrome in first episode schizophrenic patients before and after antipsychotic treatment. Forty neuroleptic-naive first episode schizophrenic patients were monitored at baseline and on days 7, 14 and 28. Clinical status was evaluated with the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), and the Brief Psychotic Rating Scale. Plasma HVA levels were also measured. Patients were divided into predominantly positive or negative syndrome groups by subtracting SAPS from SANS scores, at baseline. A healthy control group was also enrolled. Schizophrenic patients as a group had significantly higher pHVA levels than controls at baseline (20.50+/-11.85 vs. 13.04+/-7.22 ng/ml). Moreover, 12 predominantly negative syndrome patients had similar mean baseline pHVA levels (21.30+/-12.36 ng/ml) to those of 28 predominantly positive syndrome patients (19.40+/-11.33 ng/ml). During follow-up, there was a different evolution of pHVA levels in the predominantly positive syndrome group than in the predominantly negative syndrome group, with a significantly greater global reduction of pHVA levels in the former. Although both groups showed clinical improvement following 4 weeks of treatment with risperidone, pHVA levels at endpoint were lower (13.29+/-5.91 ng/ml) than at baseline in patients in the predominantly positive syndrome group, while among those in the predominantly negative syndrome group there was no difference in pHVA levels before and after treatment (21.02+/-13.06 ng/ml). The different pHVA level profiles observed in predominantly positive and negative syndrome first episode patients after 4 weeks of treatment with risperidone suggest that each syndrome may have a different underlying neurobiology.

Development of Antipsychotic Medications with Novel Mechanisms of Action Based on Computational Modeling of Hippocampal Neuropathology

PubMed Central

Siekmeier, Peter J.; vanMaanen, David P.

2013-01-01

A large number of cellular level abnormalities have been identified in the hippocampus of schizophrenic subjects. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain how these pathologies interact at a system level to create clinical symptoms, and this has hindered the development of more effective antipsychotic medications. Using a 72-processor supercomputer, we created a tissue level hippocampal simulation, featuring multicompartmental neuron models with multiple ion channel subtypes and synaptic channels with realistic temporal dynamics. As an index of the schizophrenic phenotype, we used the specific inability of the model to attune to 40 Hz (gamma band) stimulation, a well-characterized abnormality in schizophrenia. We examined several possible combinations of putatively schizophrenogenic cellular lesions by systematically varying model parameters representing NMDA channel function, dendritic spine density, and GABA system integrity, conducting 910 trials in total. Two discrete “clusters” of neuropathological changes were identified. The most robust was characterized by co-occurring modest reductions in NMDA system function (-30%) and dendritic spine density (-30%). Another set of lesions had greater NMDA hypofunction along with low level GABA system dysregulation. To the schizophrenic model, we applied the effects of 1,500 virtual medications, which were implemented by varying five model parameters, independently, in a graded manner; the effects of known drugs were also applied. The simulation accurately distinguished agents that are known to lack clinical efficacy, and identified novel mechanisms (e.g., decrease in AMPA conductance decay time constant, increase in projection strength of calretinin-positive interneurons) and combinations of mechanisms that could re-equilibrate model behavior. These findings shed light on the mechanistic links between schizophrenic neuropathology and the gamma band oscillatory abnormalities observed in the illness. As such, they generate specific falsifiable hypotheses, which can guide postmortem and other laboratory research. Significantly, this work also suggests specific non-obvious targets for potential pharmacologic agents. PMID:23526999

An fMRI study of semantic processing in men with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Kubicki, M; McCarley, R W; Nestor, P G; Huh, T; Kikinis, R; Shenton, M E; Wible, C G

2003-12-01

As a means toward understanding the neural bases of schizophrenic thought disturbance, we examined brain activation patterns in response to semantically and superficially encoded words in patients with schizophrenia. Nine male schizophrenic and 9 male control subjects were tested in a visual levels of processing (LOP) task first outside the magnet and then during the fMRI scanning procedures (using a different set of words). During the experiments visual words were presented under two conditions. Under the deep, semantic encoding condition, subjects made semantic judgments as to whether the words were abstract or concrete. Under the shallow, nonsemantic encoding condition, subjects made perceptual judgments of the font size (uppercase/lowercase) of the presented words. After performance of the behavioral task, a recognition test was used to assess the depth of processing effect, defined as better performance for semantically encoded words than for perceptually encoded words. For the scanned version only, the words for both conditions were repeated in order to assess repetition-priming effects. Reaction times were assessed in both testing scenarios. Both groups showed the expected depth of processing effect for recognition, and control subjects showed the expected increased activation of the left inferior prefrontal cortex (LIPC) under semantic encoding relative to perceptual encoding conditions as well as repetition priming for semantic conditions only. In contrast, schizophrenics showed similar patterns of fMRI activation regardless of condition. Most striking in relation to controls, patients showed decreased LIFC activation concurrent with increased left superior temporal gyrus activation for semantic encoding versus shallow encoding. Furthermore, schizophrenia subjects did not show the repetition priming effect, either behaviorally or as a decrease in LIPC activity. In patients with schizophrenia, LIFC underactivation and left superior temporal gyrus overactivation for semantically encoded words may reflect a disease-related disruption of a distributed frontal temporal network that is engaged in the representation and processing of meaning of words, text, and discourse and which may underlie schizophrenic thought disturbance.

[Recognition of facial emotions and theory of mind in schizophrenia: could the theory of mind deficit be due to the non-recognition of facial emotions?].

PubMed

Besche-Richard, C; Bourrin-Tisseron, A; Olivier, M; Cuervo-Lombard, C-V; Limosin, F

2012-06-01

The deficits of recognition of facial emotions and attribution of mental states are now well-documented in schizophrenic patients. However, we don't clearly know about the link between these two complex cognitive functions, especially in schizophrenia. In this study, we attempted to test the link between the recognition of facial emotions and the capacities of mentalization, notably the attribution of beliefs, in health and schizophrenic participants. We supposed that the level of performance of recognition of facial emotions, compared to the working memory and executive functioning, was the best predictor of the capacities to attribute a belief. Twenty schizophrenic participants according to DSM-IVTR (mean age: 35.9 years, S.D. 9.07; mean education level: 11.15 years, S.D. 2.58) clinically stabilized, receiving neuroleptic or antipsychotic medication participated in the study. They were matched on age (mean age: 36.3 years, S.D. 10.9) and educational level (mean educational level: 12.10, S.D. 2.25) with 30 matched healthy participants. All the participants were evaluated with a pool of tasks testing the recognition of facial emotions (the faces of Baron-Cohen), the attribution of beliefs (two stories of first order and two stories of second order), the working memory (the digit span of the WAIS-III and the Corsi test) and the executive functioning (Trail Making Test A et B, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test brief version). Comparing schizophrenic and healthy participants, our results confirmed a difference between the performances of the recognition of facial emotions and those of the attribution of beliefs. The result of the simple linear regression showed that the recognition of facial emotions, compared to the performances of working memory and executive functioning, was the best predictor of the performances in the theory of mind stories. Our results confirmed, in a sample of schizophrenic patients, the deficits in the recognition of facial emotions and in the attribution of mental states. Our new result concerned the demonstration that the performances in the recognition of facial emotions are the best predictor of the performances in the attribution of beliefs. With Marshall et al.'s model on empathy, we can explain this link between the recognition of facial emotions and the comprehension of beliefs. Copyright © 2011 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Affective modulation of external misattribution bias in source monitoring in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Costafreda, S G; Brébion, G; Allen, P; McGuire, P K; Fu, C H Y

2008-06-01

Schizophrenic patients tend to attribute internal events to external agents, a bias that may be linked to positive symptoms. We investigated the effect of emotional valence on the cognitive bias. Male schizophrenic subjects (n=30) and an experimenter alternatively produced neutral and negative words. The subject then decided whether he or the experimenter had generated the item. External misattributions were more common than self-misattributions, and the bias was greater for patients with active hallucinations and delusions relative to patients in remission. Actively psychotic patients but not patients in remission were more likely to generate external misattributions with negative relative to neutral words. Affective modulation of the externalizing cognitive bias in source monitoring is evident in patients with hallucinations and delusions.

Imagining intergroup contact can combat mental health stigma by reducing anxiety, avoidance and negative stereotyping.

PubMed

Stathi, Sofia; Tsantila, Katerina; Crisp, Richard J

2012-01-01

Research has demonstrated widespread negative attitudes held toward people with mental health problems. Our study investigated whether a new prejudice reduction technique, imagined intergroup contact (Crisp & Turner, 2009), could combat stigma against people with mental illness, and the mediating processes through which it may exert this beneficial effect. We found that compared to a control condition, participants who imagined a positive encounter with a schizophrenic person reported weakened stereotypes and formed stronger intentions to engage in future social interactions with schizophrenic people in general. Importantly, these intentions were formed due to reduced feelings of anxiety about future interactions. We discuss the implications of these findings for improving the social inclusion of people with mental health problems.

Genderwise clinical response of antipsychotics among schizophrenic patients: a prospective observational study from Lahore, Pakistan.

PubMed

Asif, Usama; Saleem, Zikria; Yousaf, Mahrukh; Saeed, Hamid; Hashmi, Furqan Khurshid; Islam, Muhammad; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Saleem, Fahad

2017-10-30

The study was aimed to evaluate the gender specific response to adherence and occurrence of side effects among schizophrenic patients in Lahore, Pakistan. A prospective study was performed for a period of 1 year among 180 newly diagnosed schizophrenics, aged 20-60 years to observe the symptoms, medication adherence and side effects. Morisky-Green-Levine Scale was used to evaluate medication adherence, LUNSER for side effects and PANSS to measure positive and negative symptoms. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Positive symptoms (Male: Baseline 36.14 vs. endpoint 23.58, Female: 35.29 vs. 23.74) and negative symptoms (Males 27.9 vs. 20.05, Females 28.41 vs. 20.2) of schizophrenia were equally reduced after a follow up of 1 year in both the genders. Male population suffered more accumulative side effects (11.4 in males vs. 6.40 in females), extrapyramidal symptoms such as tardive dyskinesia and tremors (1.21 in males vs. 0.57 in females) and other side effects as compared to women (p ≤ .005). Males were found poorly adherent to antipsychotic treatment than females (93.3% in males vs. 6.7% in females (p ≤ .005). Prescribing practices should not overlook sex specific factors like hormonal changes, altered brain morphology and socioeconomic factors that may be responsible for the difference in the response to the course of schizophrenia.

[Somatotype and schizophrenia. A case-control study].

PubMed

Pailhez, G; Rodríguez, A; Ariza, J; Palomo, A L; Bulbena, A

2009-01-01

To compare somatotypes of schizophrenic patients and healthy controls and to examine some associations between somatic (joint mobility, somatotype) and psychopathological (anxiety, clinical seriousness and schizophrenic types) features. Thirty four in-patients with DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia assessed by SCID-I, aged 18 to 50 years, were recruited as cases. Thirty two subjects of a general non-clinical population were recruited as controls. Heath-Carter method and 5 questions to detect joint hypermobility were used to assess both somatotype and joint hypermobility. Trait anxiety (STAI) and BPRS were assessed at medical discharge. There were no statistically significant differences between mean somatotype groups (cases: 4(1/2) 5(1/2) 1(1/2); controls: 5 - 5 - 1(1/2)). Schizophrenic patients showed significantly more divergence among themselves in relationship to their own common mean [t = 1.98; gl = 64; p = 0.05] and accounted for more ectomorphic categories than the control group. Somatotype means of paranoid and disorganized types were significantly more homogeneous (with greater values of ectomorphism) than undifferentiated type [X2 = 6.61; gl = 2; p = 0.037]. There was a tendency towards positive association between anxiety - joint hypermobility and anxiety- ectomorphism, but it did not reach a statistically significant level. In spite of their limitations, the results provide suggestive data for identification of subtypes in mental illnesses that can be used as a nosologic knowledge or as potential risk markers.

Relationships between social competence, psychopathology and work performance and their predictive value for vocational rehabilitation of schizophrenic outpatients.

PubMed

Hoffmann, H; Kupper, Z

1997-01-17

Earlier studies suggest that social competence has a higher predictive value for vocational outcome than psychopathology. These studies, however, show methodological shortcomings, including the fact that the instruments used for assessing social competence, psychopathology and work performance are strongly interrelated. The present study, involving a population of 34 chronically schizophrenic outpatients enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program, was conducted in order to determine: (1) how closely the Role Play Test, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Work Behavior Assessment Scale are related to each other; and (2) whether social competence is a better predictor of work performance and outcome of vocational rehabilitation than psychopathology. Factor analysis has revealed that the instruments are interrelated, mainly in the dimensions of negative symptoms, social relationships, non-verbal measures of social competence and conceptual disorganization. In backward regression analyses, psychopathological indicators proved to be the best predictors of work performance both cross-sectionally as well as in the longterm course. In the traditional two-syndrome model of schizophrenic psychopathology only negative symptoms were left in the regression model. In a four-dimension model the disorder of relating and the conceptual disorganization dimension were the best predictors. Differences between disorder of relating and social competence, assessed by the Role Play Test, are discussed here as well as the implications of this study for rehabilitation.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among patients with non-schizophrenic neurodevelopmental disorders in Alexandria, Egypt.

PubMed

Shehata, Amany I; Hassanein, Faika I; Abdul-Ghani, Rashad

2016-02-01

Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic parasite with neurotropic characteristics that can mediate neurodevelopmental disorders, including mental, behavioral and personality aspects of their hosts. Therefore, the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies has been studied in patients with different neurological disorders from different localities. On searching online databases, however, we could not find published studies on the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies among patients with neurodevelopmental disorders in Egypt. Therefore, the present preliminary study was conducted to determine the serological profile of T. gondii infection among patients with non-schizophrenic neurodevelopmental disorders in Alexandria, Egypt. Data and blood samples were collected from 188 patients recruited for the study from four mental rehabilitation centers in the period from July 2014 to March 2015. The overall seropositivity rates of IgM and IgG among patients were 16.5% (31/188) and 50.0% (94/188), respectively. Of the studied patients' characteristics, only age was significantly associated with anti-Toxoplasma IgG seropositivity, with older patients being about twice more likely exposed to infection. However, no statistically significant association was found with IgM. In addition, seropositivity of anti-Toxoplasma IgG, but not IgM, was significantly associated with non-schizophrenic neurodevelopmental disorders; however, neither IgG nor IgM showed a significant association with cognitive impairment as indicated by the intelligence quotient scores. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Correlation Between Schizophrenic Patients' Level of Internalized Stigma and Their Level of Hope.

PubMed

Olçun, Zeynep; Şahin Altun, Özlem

2017-08-01

The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between schizophrenic patients' level of internalized stigma and their level of hope. The population of the study consisted of patients who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and also met the study inclusion criteria. The study sample selection from the population was not further divided; the study was conducted with 76 patients. The data of the study were collected using a personal information form, the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) Scale, and Herth Hope Scale. The patients' mean score on the Internalized Stigma Scale was 72.78±16.05. Their score on the Hope Scale is 50.36±11.91. A significant negative correlation was found between the total mean scores of ISMI and the Herth Hope Scale (r=-0.360, p<0.01). A significant positive correlation was found between the stigma resistance subscale mean score of ISMI and the total mean score of the Herth Hope Scale (r=0.510, p<0.01). The internalized stigma levels of schizophrenic patients were found to be high, whereas their hope levels were found to be moderate. A significant negative correlation was found between internalized stigma and hope. This study also found a significant positive correlation between the stigma resistance of patients and their hope levels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evidence for a chromosome 22q susceptibility locus for some schizophrenics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pulver, A.E.; Wolyniec, P.; Nestadt, G.

Recent reports from linkage studies suggests that in some families there may be a gene associated with schizophrenia on chromosome 22q. Given the probable heterogeneity of schizophrenia, further exploration of this region was undertaken. The region was examined for candidate genes and diseases reported to have some psychiatric manifestations. Studies were initiated to examine the the potential phenotypic and molecular similarity between schizophrenia and velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS), a syndrome associated with an interstitial deletion of 22q11.2. Phenotypic expression: (1) psychiatric evaluations of VCFS patients and their relatives found a high rate of DSM III-R schizophrenia in the patients and ofmore » psychotic illness in their 2nd and 3rd degree relatives. (2) 160 schizophrenic patients from the Maryland Epidemiology Sample (MES) were evaluated for the presence of typical facies seen in VCFS. Rating a 5-point scale, {open_quotes}5{close_quotes} being most likely, 15 (9.4%) were rated {open_quotes}5{close_quotes} and 27 (16.9%) were rated {open_quotes}4{close_quotes} for the VCFS-like facial features. Molecular characteristics: fluorescent in situ hybridization methods (FISH) identified 3 schizophrenics among 60 in the MES with the microdeletion of probe sc11.lab commonly deleted in VCFS subjects. This work provides a model for the mapping of complex phenotypes such schizophrenia using both genetic and epidemiological methods.« less

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of haloperidol and reduced haloperidol in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Chang, W H; Lin, S K; Jann, M W; Lam, Y W; Chen, T Y; Chen, C T; Hu, W H; Yeh, E K

1989-07-01

Twelve male chronic schizophrenic inpatients, neuroleptic-free for at least 4 weeks, were given an oral test dose of 10 mg haloperidol (HAL) and reduced HAL (RHAL) in a random order, with a 2-week interval. Two weeks after the last test dose, the patients were given HAL, 5 mg orally twice daily for 7 days. Blood samples were drawn at baseline and between 0.5 and 24 hr after the test doses, and during HAL treatment as well. Plasma drug concentrations and homovanillic acid (HVA) levels were measured with high-performance liquid chromatography using electrochemical detection. HAL, but not RHAL, produced increments in plasma HVA (pHVA) levels at 24 hr after a test dose. pHVA levels remained higher than baseline during HAL treatment. Detectable interconversion between HAL and RHAL was observed in eight patients. The capacity of the reductive drug-metabolizing enzyme system, however, was greater than that of the oxidative processes. The plasma RHAL:HAL ratios on days 6 and 7 were higher than and positively correlated with those at Tmax after a single dose of HAL and were negatively correlated with the HAL:RHAL ratios at Tmax after a single dose of RHAL. Thus, both reductive and oxidative drug-metabolizing systems probably contribute to individual differences in plasma RHAL:HAL ratios in HAL-treated schizophrenic patients.

Plasma catecholamine metabolites in schizophrenics: evidence for the two-subtype concept.

PubMed

Chang, W H; Chen, T Y; Lin, S K; Lung, F W; Lin, W L; Hu, W H; Yeh, E K

1990-03-01

Plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) and plasma methoxyhydroxyphenyl glycol (pMHPG), as well as plasma haloperidol, were measured in 33 schizophrenic patients before and during 6 weeks of haloperidol treatment. Good responders had higher baseline pHVA values compared with poor responders (17.4 +/- 8.8 ng/ml, n = 22 versus 11.4 +/- 5.0 ng/ml, n = 11, p less than 0.05). A higher than 15 ng/ml pretreatment pHVA level was associated with a more consistent clinical response to the subsequent treatment. Differential pHVA changes during treatment were also found between good and poor responders. Within the good responder group, a significant decline in pHVA over time was found. By contrast, pHVA showed a transient increase in the poor responder group. Plasma MHPG changes showed a similar pattern during treatment in good responders, although no significant differences in baseline values were found between the good (n = 13) and poor (n = 9) responders, and pMHPG showed no change during treatment in poor responders. Significant correlations between baseline pHVA and pMHPG values were found in 22 patients. Good responders and poor responders did not differ significantly in terms of age, duration of illness, severity of presenting symptoms, haloperidol dose, or plasma drug concentration. Two hypothetical subtypes of schizophrenia and both dopamine and norepinephrine systems involved in schizophrenic psychopathology are proposed.

Community-Based Psychosocial Treatment Has an Impact on Social Processing and Functional Outcome in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Varga, Eszter; Endre, Szilvia; Bugya, Titusz; Tényi, Tamás; Herold, Róbert

2018-01-01

Schizophrenic patients have serious impairments in social cognition, which often persists after significant reduction in clinical symptoms. Community-based psychosocial treatments aim to recover social functioning for mentally ill individuals. Our aim was to examine prospective changes in social cognition and functional outcomes in two groups of schizophrenic patients involved in two forms of community-based psychosocial treatments namely case management (CM) and community-based club (CC) compared to a matched, treatment as usual (TAU) group of patients. We hypothesized that CC and CM groups would exhibit better functional and social cognitive outcomes after a 6-month long psychosocial treatment period. Seventy-five patients participated either in CC, CM or TAU. Both CC and CM took part in community-based psychosocial treatment programs including trainings, such as communication and assertiveness trainings. In addition, CC provided group therapeutic treatments and a continuously available day care where patients had the possibility to participate in various social interactions. All participants were in remission, and on maintenance antipsychotic treatment. Participants were assessed on all study variables at two time points: baseline and after 6 months with a battery of questionnaires that examined affective face perception, affective prosody perception, pragmatic language comprehension and ToM. Our results showed that functional outcomes improved significantly in the CC as well as in the CM groups, in contrast to the TAU group. While analyzing summary scores of social cognition, it was found that only the CC group increased its performance in social cognition. In addition, a significant between-group difference in social cognitive function was found after 6 months between the three groups, with the CC group performing best. When investigating associations between changes in social cognition and changes in functional outcomes during a 6-month long treatment period, we found significant correlations between the two variables both in the CC and in the CM groups. Based on our results, we suggest that a rich interpersonal network and social support have highly beneficial effects on social cognition and we would like to emphasize the necessity of offering community-based psychosocial treatments beside antipsychotic medications as early as possible as a crucial part of the complex therapy of schizophrenia.

[Cause of mortality in schizophrenic patients: prospective study of years of a cohort of 150 chronic schizophrenic patients].

PubMed

Bralet, M C; Yon, V; Loas, G; Noisette, C

2000-01-01

Overmortality in schizophrenic patients in comparison to the reference population has been found. At the present time this over mortality is mainly due to suicide or certain natural causes such as respiratory, cardio-vascular and cerebro-vascular diseases. In France there are not psychiatric cas registers that could allow us to study the mortality of psychiatric patients. The aim of the study was first to determine the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) in a group of 150 chronic schizophrenics followed during 8 years and secondly to detect the variables that could predict this mortality. The subjects filled out the RDC criteria for definite chronic schizophrenia and were included from 1991 to 1995. The subjects were inpatients or outpatients and their evaluation was made by psychiatrist. The subjects were selected from the different departments of two psychiatric hospitals corresponding to two French geographic areas (the Somme and Oise, two French "département"). At the initial assessment socio-demographic, clinical and psychometrical variables were collected: sex, age, educative level, number of hospitalizations, mean duration of the illness, scores on the Physical Anhedonia Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). For the BPRS and PANSS, negative, positive and general subscales were extracted. In May 1999 all the subjects were contacted in order to know if they are alive or not and if they are death to know the date and the causes of their death. For the subjects that were still alive we used either direct assessment by interview of their psychiatrist or general practioner or indirect assessment by interview of their family. For the deceased subjects, we obtained informations about the date and the causes of the death by their psychiatrist or general practioner. If the patients were lost sight of we send a letter to the city of their place of birth in order to know if they are alive or not and if they are dead to know the date of their death. Moreover demographic data concerning the French and the Somme populations as well as the corresponding data concerning the mortality according to age and gender were obtained. A comparison of global mortality between patients and the French general or the Somme populations was made by the SMR. Moreover the deceased subjects and the survivors were compared by unidimensional statistical tests (chi 2 analyses for qualitative variables or Student's t test for quantitative variables) for the sociodemographic, clinical or psychometric variables. For each significant difference at p level < or = 0.05, the corresponding variable was retained for a multivariate step by step discriminant analysis. We found 13 deaths (10 males, 3 females): 3 suicides, 3 cardiac diseases, 2 cancers, 1 respiratory disease, 1 car crash, 1 homicide, 1 infectious disease, 1 respiratory arrest. The mortality rate (without correction for age) were 1.08% for both sexes, 1.44% and 0.6% for males and females respectively. The mortality rates (corrected for age) were 2.47% in our cohort and 0.988% in the Somme population. The corresponding SMR was 2.5. (chi 2 = 3.15, df = 1, p < 0.01). The overmortality was found only for males (chi 2 = 2.57, df = 1, p < 0.01) and not for females (chi 2 = 0.034, df = 1, p > 0.05). Concerning the comparisons between the deceased subjects and the survivors, there were five significant differences: gender, age, duration of the illness, neuroleptic dosage, negative symptoms (BPRS negative subscale). The deceased subjects were older, there was more men, the duration of the illness and the neuroleptic dosage were higher and the BPRS negative subscale was lower. These five variables were introduced in the discriminant analysis to explore notably their respecting weight. The corresponding power of the five variables were in decreasing order: neuroleptic dosage, negative symptoms, age, gender, duration of the illness. Our study confirm the overmortality in schizophrenic patients, this overmortality was especially explained by natural and non natural causes of death. The overmortality concerned only schizophrenic males patients whereas schizophrenic females did not have an overmortality. This negative result could be explain by a bias selection, the males being overrepresented in our cohort. Among the variables that were linked to the overmortality, the low level of negative symptomatology confirmed previous studies that have shown a low suicide rate in deficit schizophrenic. Moreover a high level of positive symptomatology could lead to high risk behaviors (suicide attempts, sexual disinhibition...). The neuroleptic dosage was the variable whom discriminate power was the highest. At least two explanations can be proposed. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Schizophrenic delusions in Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei: a transcultural study.

PubMed Central

Kim, K.; Hwu, H.; Zhang, L. D.; Lu, M. K.; Park, K. K.; Hwang, T. J.; Kim, D.; Park, Y. C.

2001-01-01

In this transcultural study of schizophrenic delusions among patients in Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei, we discovered that both the frequency and content of delusions differed among the three groups; and that these differences could perhaps be explained by varying sociocultural and political situations. Delusional themes that are sensitive to sociocultural or political situations include guilt, love/sex, religion, somatic damage, economy/business and politics. Delusions regarding longevity, love/sex, dysmorphophobia/dysosmophobia, religion or supernatural matters, and espionage/spy stories were most frequent in Seoul patients. Those in Taipei predominantly had delusions about possession, religion or supernatural matters, hypnotism, and mass media/computers. Shanghai patients often had delusions of poisons, being prickled by poisoned needles, their brain and viscera extracted and being a family member of political authorities. PMID:11289407

Genetic modelling in schizophrenia according to HLA typing.

PubMed

Smeraldi, E; Macciardi, F; Gasperini, M; Orsini, A; Bellodi, L; Fabio, G; Morabito, A

1986-09-01

Studying families of schizophrenic patients, we observed that the risk of developing the overt form of the illness could be enhanced by some factors. Among these various factors we focused our attention on a biological variable, namely the presence or the absence of particular HLA antigens: partitioning our schizophrenic patients according to their HLA structure (i.e. those with HLA-A1 or CRAG-A1 antigens and those with HLA-non-CRAG-A1 antigens, respectively), revealed different illness distribution in the two groups. From a genetic point of view, this finding suggests the presence of heterogeneity in the hypothetical liability system related to schizophrenia and we evaluated the heterogeneity hypothesis by applying alternative genetic models to our data, trying to detect more biologically homogeneous subgroups of the disease.

RBC lithium transport in the psychoses.

PubMed

Hitzemann, R; Mark, C; Hirschowitz, J; Garver, D

1989-02-01

In vitro and in vivo red blood cell (RBC) lithium (Li+) intracellular/extracellular ratios were determined in 93 DSM-III schizophrenics (SCZ) in 47 DSM-III schizophreniform disorder patients (SF), in 22 DSM-III bipolar manics (M), in 15 affective disorders patients with mood-incongruent psychotic features (AD-MIP), and in 40 normal controls. There were no significant differences among groups in the in vitro Li+ ratio. Similarly, there was no significant difference among patient groups in the in vivo Li+ ratio. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the mean Li+ ratios between the Li+-responsive and nonresponsive schizophrenic-like subjects. However, the distribution of Li+ ratios (both in vitro and in vivo) in the Li+-responsive group was significantly abnormal, showing more ratios in the extremes of the distribution (a platykurtic distribution).

Apolipoprotein E genotype in schizophrenia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joober, R.; Lal, S.; Bloom, D.

We investigated the association between schizophrenia and the allelic polymorphism in the apolipoprotein E (Apo E) gene in 51 schizophrenic patients and 35 controls. The Apo E4 allele was equally represented in the schizophrenic group (16%) and the control group (20%) suggesting no association between schizophrenia and the Apo E4 allele. The apolipoprotein E (Apo E) is a polymorphic (E2, E3, and E4) lipoprotein involved in the transmembrane transport of cholesterol and is thought to play an important role in neuronal growth and in the central nervous system response to injury, particularly in the hippocampal region. Recent findings strongly suggestmore » that the Apo E4 allele is associated with cognitive deficits in normal and pathological aging, e.g., Alzheimer`s disease. 5 refs., 1 tab.« less

[Schizophrenia--a life shortening disease].

PubMed

Munitz, Hanan

2010-08-01

The life expectancy of schizophrenic patients is shortened by about 20%. This alarming finding is mainly caused by an increased rate of the metabolic syndrome which is inherent in schizophrenic patients and is increased by the use of antipsychotic drugs, mainly second generation drugs. Another reason is a high rate of suicide and violent death. There is a controversy about the relationship of malignant disease and schizophrenia. Problems in the health behavior of patients should also be considered, mainly lack of exercise, high smoking rate, inappropriate diet and overweight. Psychiatrists and family physicians tend to be passive in dealing with this problem. This article proposes activism of the medical profession aimed at improving health behavior, early detection of physical problems and increased awareness of the medical profession, patients and their families.

[Initial experiences with amisulpride, an in Germany novel, atypical neuroleptic drug in treatment of adolescents with psychiatric disorders].

PubMed

Göpel, C; Marcus, A

2001-08-01

In addition to conventional antipsychotic drugs, during the past decade an increasing number of atypical neuroleptics has been introduced in the treatment of juvenile schizophrenic and schizoaffective disorders. In 1999 Germany legalized the benzamide amisulpride for the treatment of acute and chronic schizophrenic symptoms. Preliminary treatment results are reported here. Ten adolescent cases are presented with regard to the efficacy, side effects and dosage of amisulpride. Preliminary results on the use of amisulpride are promising. The rate of side effects is tolerable. Amisulprise seems to constitute a useful alternative in the treatment of juvenile schizophrenia for those who suffer from intolerable side effects of classical or atypical neuroleptics. Controlled studies are warranted to further clarify its efficacy and safety in the treatment of adolescents.

Schizophrenic delusions in Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei: a transcultural study.

PubMed

Kim, K; Hwu, H; Zhang, L D; Lu, M K; Park, K K; Hwang, T J; Kim, D; Park, Y C

2001-02-01

In this transcultural study of schizophrenic delusions among patients in Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei, we discovered that both the frequency and content of delusions differed among the three groups; and that these differences could perhaps be explained by varying sociocultural and political situations. Delusional themes that are sensitive to sociocultural or political situations include guilt, love/sex, religion, somatic damage, economy/business and politics. Delusions regarding longevity, love/sex, dysmorphophobia/dysosmophobia, religion or supernatural matters, and espionage/spy stories were most frequent in Seoul patients. Those in Taipei predominantly had delusions about possession, religion or supernatural matters, hypnotism, and mass media/computers. Shanghai patients often had delusions of poisons, being prickled by poisoned needles, their brain and viscera extracted and being a family member of political authorities.

[Do the glutamate excitotoxicity theory and potential free radicals implication in schizophrenia aetiopathogenesis provide a new enlightenment to links between: genome, environment and biology in the determinism of that disorder?].

PubMed

Nguimfack Mbodie, P C

2002-01-01

The aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia constitutes nowadays one of the major points of interest for researchers on this cosmopolitan disorder which involves about 1% of the world population and which significantly alters the social functioning of the individual. Numerous studies have focused on the role played by genome, environmental factors and biology in the development of symptoms. The neurodevelopmental theory is an illustration with the perinatal period considered as the main provider of environmental factors (hypertension, infections, bleedings during pregnancy, acute and chronic fetal distress.). Many authors found significant associations between such factors, the occurrence of brain lesions and finally schizophrenic symptoms. Although no convincing genetic model had been established to date for schizophrenia, nevertheless it appears that a predisposition not inheritable under the mendelian mode exists and authors showed that disease gets more and more severe over schizophrenic descendants. The risk to be schizophrenic being a first degree relative of the schizophrenic person is about ten time superior than in general population. Indeed, this risk is also about ten time superior in biological parents of schizophrenic adoptees than in biological parents of healthy adoptees. Studies done in monozygotic comparing to dizygotic twins are in favour of an important role played by genetic factors more than socioeducational or psychological factors. Concerning biology, the dopaminergic hypothesis remains shared by numerous authors although direct links with incriminated factors are not well established. Now is suspected the glutamate excitotoxicity with implication of free radicals in schizophrenia. These free radicals are products of various enzymatic activations led by overstimulation of post synaptic receptors (NMDA and AMPA) by the excess glutamate. Therefore, according to that concept, some amino acids as glutamate and derivatives could have through free radicals a noxious effect on neuronal synapses. This could be due to a failing of their recapture at the presynaptic level in addition to a dysfunctioning of the antioxidizing system (glutathion, carnosine, superoxide dismutase, aspartate) to which dopamine and other monoamines might participate. The question is whether or not this theory contributes to shed light on links between: genome, environmental factors and biology in schizophrenia. Through the review and discussion of genetical aspects of schizophrenia, environmental factors and the biological aspect, we intend to revive debate on that question. The articles and authors were selected with regard to the aptness of their publications on that subject, their evolving ideas and finally the interest of their works for neurosciences. This new approach perhaps is opening the way to new therapeutic perspectives in the treatment of schizophrenia based on the antioxidizing substances as shown for some neurological diseases (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's chorea) for which experiments are going on.

Smoking cessation and reduction in schizophrenia (SCARIS) with e-cigarette: study protocol for a randomized control trial.

PubMed

Caponnetto, Pasquale; Polosa, Riccardo; Auditore, Roberta; Minutolo, Giuseppe; Signorelli, Maria; Maglia, Marilena; Alamo, Angela; Palermo, Filippo; Aguglia, Eugenio

2014-03-22

It is well established in studies across several countries that tobacco smoking is more prevalent among schizophrenic patients than the general population. Electronic cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular with smokers worldwide. To date there are no large randomized trials of electronic cigarettes in schizophrenic smokers. A well-designed trial is needed to compare efficacy and safety of these products in this special population. We have designed a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy and safety of electronic cigarette. The trial will take the form of a prospective 12-month randomized clinical study to evaluate smoking reduction, smoking abstinence and adverse events in schizophrenic smokers not intending to quit. We will also monitor quality of life, neurocognitive functioning and measure participants' perception and satisfaction of the product. A ≥50% reduction in the number of cigarettes/day from baseline, will be calculated at each study visit ("reducers"). Abstinence from smoking will be calculated at each study visit ("quitters"). Smokers who leave the study protocol before its completion and will carry out the Early Termination Visit or who will not satisfy the criteria of "reducers" and "quitters" will be defined "non responders". The differences of continuous variables between the three groups will be evaluated with the Kruskal-Wallis Test, followed by the Dunn multiple comparison test. The differences between the three groups for normally distributed data will be evaluated with ANOVA test one way, followed by the Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test. The normality of the distribution will be evaluated with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Any correlations between the variables under evaluation will be assessed by Spearman r correlation. To compare qualitative data will be used the Chi-square test. The main strengths of the SCARIS study are the following: it's the first large RCT on schizophrenic patient, involving in and outpatient, evaluating the effect of a three-arm study design, and a long term of follow-up (52-weeks).The goal is to propose an effective intervention to reduce the risk of tobacco smoking, as a complementary tool to treat tobacco addiction in schizophrenia. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01979796.

Magnetic resonance imaging DTI-FT study on schizophrenic patients with typical negative first symptoms.

PubMed

Gu, Chengyu; Zhang, Ying; Wei, Fuquan; Cheng, Yougen; Cao, Yulin; Hou, Hongtao

2016-09-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) together with a white matter fiber tracking (FT) technique was used to assess different brain white matter structures and functionalities in schizophrenic patients with typical first negative symptoms. In total, 30 schizophrenic patients with typical first negative symptoms, comprising an observation group were paired 1:1 according to gender, age, right-handedness, and education, with 30 healthy individuals in a control group. Individuals in each group underwent routine MRI and DTI examination of the brain, and diffusion-tensor tractography (DTT) data were obtained through whole brain analysis based on voxel and tractography. The results were expressed by fractional anisotropy (FA) values. The schizophrenic patients were evaluated using a positive and negative symptom scale (PANSS) as well as a Global Assessment Scale (GAS). The results of the study showed that routine MRIs identified no differences between the two groups. However, compared with the control group, the FA values obtained by DTT from the deep left prefrontal cortex, the right deep temporal lobe, the white matter of the inferior frontal gyrus and part of the corpus callosum were significantly lower in the observation group (P<0.05). The PANSS positive scale value in the observation group averaged 7.7±1.5, and the negative scale averaged 46.6±5.9, while the general psychopathology scale averaged 65.4±10.3, and GAS averaged 53.8±19.2. The Pearson statistical analysis, the left deep prefrontal cortex, the right deep temporal lobe, the white matter of the inferior frontal gyrus and the FA value of part of the corpus callosum in the observation group was negatively correlated with the negative scale (P<0.05), and positively correlated with GAS (P<0.05). In conclusion, a decrease in the FA values of the left deep prefrontal cortex, the right deep temporal lobe, the white matter of the inferior frontal gyrus and part of the corpus callosum may be associated with schizophrenia with typical first negative symptoms and the application of MRI DTI-FT can improve diagnostic accuracy.

Economic factors influencing the implementation of community care for severely ill schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Lien, Lars

2005-01-01

An increasing number of long-term schizophrenic patients are discharged from hospitals and taken care of in the community. This change in tendency has both a professional and economical side. The beneficial outcome of community care is well established. The aim of this paper is to appraise the economical implications and possibilities of community care compared to standard hospital care. The price elasticity for mental health services is higher than for other medical services. The demand for mental health care can not be directly compared with the demand for other types of care. This is due to lack of information on what is defined as good quality treatment in care and to define who is the demander of mental health care. Due to lack of defined demand and externalities encountered in the care for psychiatric patients, psychiatric treatment must be seen as a good that warrants government involvement in the financing and delivery of the service. The number in need of community care is estimated to be 12 per 100,000. To find the allocative efficiency in spending of resources on mental health care, it is important to look for the right balance between hospital and community care. There is evidence to assume that community care is more cost effective than hospital-based care. This does not apply to the most disabled schizophrenic patients where the costs are higher and outcome is the same. It is important to measure the costs incurred to family and friends when the total costs of community care are calculated and to find technically efficient production. The literature indicates that the physician/non-physician ratio has been too high. There are reports of dis-economies of scale, but economies of scope might be apparent. There are strong arguments in favour of state provision of psychiatric care for schizophrenic patients most in need. Otherwise the mental health care sector must be regulated with incentives that serve the need of the patients and encourage the most cost-effective treatment. Due to the risk of opportunism, specific assets and bounded rationality contracting involving clinical services should be avoided.

Adherence to depot versus oral antipsychotic medication in schizophrenic patients during the long-term therapy.

PubMed

Stanković, Zana; Ille, Tatjana

2013-03-01

There is a high rate of schizophrenic patients who do not adhere to their prescribed therapy, despite the implementation of antipsychotic long-acting injections and the introduction of atypical antipsychotics. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in sociodemographic, clinical and medication adherence variables between the two groups of schizophrenic patients on maintenance therapy with depot antipsychotic fluphenazine decanoate and oral antipsychotics only as well as a correlation between the medication adherence and other examined variables. A total of 56 patients of both genders, aged < 60 years, with the diagnosis of schizophrenia (F20) (ICD-10, 1992) clinically stable for at least 6 months were introduced in this cross-sectional study. The patients from the depot group (n = 19) were on classical depot antipsychotic fluphenazine decanoate administering intramuscularly every 4 weeks (with or without oral antipsychotic augmentation) and the patients from the oral group (n = 37) were on oral therapy alone with classical or atypical antipsychotics, either as monotherapy or combined. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess symptom severity. Item G12 of the PANSS was used to assess insight into the illness. The patients completed the Medical Adherence Rating Scale (MARS) was used to assess adherence to the therapy. A higher MARS score indicates behavior [Medical Adherence Questionnaire (MAQ subscale)] and attitudes toward medication [Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI subscale)] that are more consistent with treatment adherence. The exclusion criteria were determined. The Pearson's chi2 test was used to compare categorical variables, Student's t-test to compare continuous variables and Pearson's correlation to test the correlation significance; p = 0.05. Significant between-group differences in age, illness duration, chlorpromazine equivalents, PANSS score and DAI subscore were found. Item G12 of the PANSS subscore and MARS score correlated significantly negatively. A significant positive correlation between receiving depot antipsychotic and DAI subscore as well as between illness duration and both DAI subscore and MARS score were also found. Schizophrenic patients on classical depot antipsychotic maintenance therapy might present subpopulation of patients with significantly longer illness duration, more favorable medication attitude and outcome in relation to those on oral antipsychotics alone.

A two fold risk of metabolic syndrome in a sample of patients with schizophrenia: do consanguinity and family history increase risk?

PubMed

Bener, Abdulbari; Al-Hamaq, Abdulla O A A; Dafeeah, Elnour E

2014-01-01

Patients with schizophrenia are at greater risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and other cardiovascular risk factors. The objective of the study was to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its criteria among patients with schizophrenia (Sz) according to the revised criteria of NCEP ATP III and assess which component contributed to the increased risk of the MetS in schizophrenia patients. This was a matched case-control study. Outpatient clinics of the Psychiatry department and Primary Health Care (PHC) Centers of the Supreme Council of Health, State of Qatar. The study was carried out among patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and healthy subjects above 20 years old. The study based on matched by age and gender of 233 cases and 466 controls. The survey was conducted from June 2010 to May 2011. Face to face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire followed by laboratory tests. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the National Cholesterol Education Program - Third Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among schizophrenic patients (36.5%) were significantly higher than healthy subjects (18.7%) (p<0.001). The prevalence of MetS in schizophrenic subjects was reported to be two times higher than in the general population. The MetS components were higher among schizophrenic patients than healthy subjects. Among the components of MetS, central obesity (63.9%) was the most common criteria among patients compared to healthy subjects (45.7%) (p<0.001). Schizophrenic patients (27%) were significantly obese than the healthy subjects (13.1%). Female schizophrenia patients were more likely to have three or more metabolic abnormalities compared to men. The study indicated that metabolic syndrome was highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenia. The female gender was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The identification and clinical management of this high risk group is of great importance. Copyright © 2013 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Study of the Representation of Anxiety in Chronic Schizophrenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steingart, Irving; And Others

1976-01-01

Examines the dialogue communication behavior of a group of chronic, male schizophrenics and demonstrates a relation between these same indices of communication behavior and types of anxiety expression. (Editor/RK)

Schizophrenic Patients' Perceptions of Stress, Expressed Emotion, and Sensitivity To Criticism

PubMed Central

Cutting, Linda P.; Aakre, Jennifer M.; Docherty, Nancy M.

2006-01-01

This study was designed to get an “insider's view” of expressed emotion (EE) from the perspective of schizophrenic patients. Thirty-two patient and “influential other” pairs participated in the study. Patients' perceptions of EE attitudes in influential others were examined to determine whether they corresponded with actual EE ratings. Patients also rated how “stressed” they felt when interacting with their influential others, and patients' general sensitivity to criticism (STC) was assessed. As predicted, patients' perceptions of critical attitudes were related to actual EE ratings of criticism, although patients' perceptions of emotional overinvolvement (EOI) were not related to EOI ratings. Patients reported feeling more stressed when interacting with high-EE influential others, supporting an “EE as stressor” hypothesis. Finally, patients' STC influenced the level of stress they reported. PMID:16731686

A search for association between schizophrenia and dopamine-related alleles.

PubMed

Jönsson, E; Brené, S; Geijer, T; Terenius, L; Tylec, A; Persson, M L; Sedvall, G

1996-01-01

Dopamine receptor dysfunction and altered tyrosine hydroxylase activity have both been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Schizophrenic patients and control subjects were examined for allele frequencies in the tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine D2 and D4 receptor genes. No significant differences of allele or genotype frequencies were found between the two groups after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Neither were any significant relationships observed between allele frequencies and a number of clinical variables within the schizophrenic subsample. When no adjustment was made for multiple testing a few significant tendencies were obtained which warrant further research in extended patient and control materials. The results are compatible with the view that the tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine receptor D2 and D4 gene polymorphisms examined are not of major importance in the aetiology or pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Cigarette smoking and suicide attempts in psychiatric outpatients in Hungary.

PubMed

Rihmer, Zoltán; Döme, Péter; Gonda, Xénia; Kiss, Huba G; Kovács, Dénes; Seregi, Krisztina; Teleki, Zsófia

2007-06-01

Epidemiological and clinical studies have found a significant association between smoking and suicidal behaviour. 334 outpatients with DSM-IV diagnosis of unipolar major depression, bipolar (I+II) disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and pure panic disorder were interviewed regarding to their smoking habits and previous suicide attempts. With the exception of panic disorder patients, the rate of prior suicide attempt(s) was much higher among current and lifetime smokers than among never smokers in all diagnostic groups, but the difference was statistically significant only for lifetime smoker unipolar depressives and for current and lifetime smoker schizophrenics. Age, social class and alcohol/caffeine consumption was not controlled and dependent vs nondependent smokers were not distinguished. The findings support previous results on the strong relationship between smoking and suicidal behaviour in psychiatric (particularly major depressive and schizophrenic) patients.

Reduced cholecystokinin-like and somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in limbic lobe is associated with negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Ferrier, I N; Roberts, G W; Crow, T J; Johnstone, E C; Owens, D G; Lee, Y C; O'Shaughnessy, D; Adrian, T E; Polak, J M; Bloom, S R

1983-08-01

Cholecystokinin-like immunoreactivity (CCK) and somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SRIF) were determined in fourteen brains from patients dying with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and in twelve brains from control cases. The schizophrenics had been rated during life and were divided into two groups on the basis of the presence or absence of negative symptoms (affective flattening and poverty of speech). CCK was reduced in temporal cortex of the schizophrenics and in hippocampus and amygdala of those patients with negative symptoms. SRIF was reduced in the hippocampus in samples from the latter group. The selectivity of these changes to limbic lobe may reflect the presence of a degenerative process in that area. The association of changes in hippocampus and amygdala with negative symptoms of schizophrenia suggests a separate mechanism underlying these symptoms.

Discrimination and the incidence of psychotic disorders among ethnic minorities in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Veling, Wim; Selten, Jean-Paul; Susser, Ezra; Laan, Winfried; Mackenbach, Johan P; Hoek, Hans W

2007-08-01

It is well established now that the incidence of schizophrenia is extremely high for several ethnic minority groups in western Europe, but there is considerable variation among groups. We investigated whether the increased risk among these groups depends upon the degree to which they perceive discrimination based on race or ethnicity. We studied the incidence of psychotic disorders over 7 years in The Hague, a city with a large and diverse population of ethnic minorities. To compare the incidence of schizophrenic disorders (DSM IV: schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder) in each ethnic minority group with the incidence in native Dutch, we computed incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Based on a population study and on rates of reported incidents of discrimination in The Hague, the degree of perceived discrimination of ethnic minority groups was rated: high (Morocco), medium (Netherlands-Antilles, Surinam and 'other non-western countries'), low (Turkey) or very low ('western or westernized countries'). The age- and gender-adjusted IRRs of schizophrenic disorders for ethnic minority groups exposed to high, medium, low, and very low discrimination were 4.00 (95% CI 3.00-5.35), 1.99 (1.58-2.51), 1.58 (1.10-2.27), and 1.20 (0.81-1.90), respectively. When not only schizophrenic, but all psychotic disorders were included in the analysis, the results were similar. These results suggest that discrimination perceived by ethnic minority groups in western Europe, or some factor closely related to it, may contribute to their increased risk of schizophrenia.

The effect of a brief family intervention on primary carer's functioning and their schizophrenic relatives levels of psychopathology in India.

PubMed

Devaramane, Virupaksha; Pai, Nagesh B; Vella, Shae-Leigh

2011-09-01

This study examined the short term effects of a brief familial intervention on schizophrenic the patient's levels of psychopathology and their primary caregiver's functioning in India. Caregiver functioning was measured by the caregiver's levels of burden and coping along with the patient's perceived level of expressed emotion (EE). The participants were 18 schizophrenic patients and their related primary carer from a medical facility in India. The patients' levels of psychopathology and EE were assessed at baseline and at completion of the study with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS; Kay et al., 1987) and the Family Emotional Involvement And Criticism Scale (FEICS; Shields et al., 1992), respectively. The primary caregiver's levels of burden and coping were also measured at baseline and upon completion of the study by the Burden Assessment Scale (BAS; Thara et al., 1998) and the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (F-COPES; McCubbin et al., 1981), respectively. The brief intervention was comprised of 3 one hour sessions aimed at educating the primary caregiver and patient about schizophrenia; along with improving their communication, problem solving skills and expression of emotions. A significant improvement was found between baseline and the final 3-month follow-up on measures of psychopathology for the patients, as well as family functioning for both the caregivers and patients. The implications of the findings are discussed, along with future research directions. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measurement of methionine level with the LC-ESI-MS/MS method in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Kulaksizoglu, S; Kulaksizoglu, B; Ellidag, H Y; Eren, E; Yilmaz, N; Baykal, A

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate plasma methionine levels by using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-ESI-MS/MS) in schizophrenic patients. A twelve-point standard graph was drawn, and the recovery rate, the intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variation (CV), the limit of detection (LOD), and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were evaluated. The y and R2 values of the standard graph equation were determined as 0.011x + 0.0179 and 0.9989, respectively, and the graph remained linear until the 200 µmol/l level. The intra-day coefficients of variation of the samples (n = 10) containing 8, 28, and 58 µmol/l methionine were determined as 2.68, 3.10, and 3.79%, respectively; while their inter-day coefficients of variation were determined as 2.98, 3.19, and 3.84%. The LOD and LOQ values were determined as 0.04 and 0.1 µmol/l, respectively, while the mean recovery rates were determined as 101.7 and 99.3%. Plasma methionine values were measured as 21.5 (19.5-24,6) µmol/l for the patient group, 17.8 (16.3-20.1) µmol/l for the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p = 0.03). LC-ESI-MS/MS method represents a fairly sensitive, economic, and rapid analysis that requires very little sample and is suitable for measuring methionine levels in schizophrenic patients.

Selective anterior cingulate cortex deficit during conflict solution in schizophrenia: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Neuhaus, Andres H; Koehler, Simone; Opgen-Rhein, Carolin; Urbanek, Carsten; Hahn, Eric; Dettling, Michael

2007-10-01

Schizophrenia research has gained a new focus on identification and further characterization of neurocognitive deficits in the search for behavioural endophenotypes of this disorder. The objective of this study was to explore differential cortical processing during executive control in schizophrenia as assessed with the attention network test (ANT). Sixteen schizophrenic patients and sixteen healthy controls matched for gender, age, education, and nicotine consumption were tested with the ANT while recording 29-channel-electroencephalogram (EEG). Visual event-related potentials (ERP) N200 and P300 were topographically analyzed and cortical mapping using low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) was applied to localize neuroelectric generators of ERP. Behaviourally, significant differences between schizophrenic patients and controls were found only for the conflict condition (p<0.05) and for conflict adjusted by mean reaction time (p<0.01). Examining ERP of control subjects, N200 failed to show robust flanker congruency effects. P300 amplitude was reduced at Pz (p<0.05) and P300 latency was increased at Cz (p<0.005) for the conflict condition. Schizophrenic patients differed significantly in P300 latency at Cz during late conflict processing (p<0.005). Source analysis revealed a deficit in anterior cingulate cortex (p<0.05). Our results are in line with previous reports about dysfunctional ACC activation in schizophrenia and argue in favour of a selective deficit of cortical conflict resolution. It is further proposed that dysfunctional ACC activation during executive processing may be a neurophysiologic endophenotype candidate of schizophrenia.

Implementation of evidence-based treatment for schizophrenic disorders: two-year outcome of an international field trial of optimal treatment

PubMed Central

Falloon, Ian RH; Montero, Isabel; Sungur, Mehmet; Mastroeni, Antonino; Malm, Ulf; Economou, Marina; Grawe, Rolf; Harangozo, Judit; Mizuno, Masafumi; Murakami, Masaaki; Hager, Bert; Held, Tilo; Veltro, Franco; Gedye, Robyn

2004-01-01

According to clinical trials literature, every person with a schizophrenic disorder should be provided with the combination of optimal dose antipsychotics, strategies to educate himself and his carers to cope more efficiently with environmental stresses, cognitive-behavioural strategies to enhance work and social goals and reducing residual symptoms, and assertive home-based management to help prevent and resolve major social needs and crises, including recurrent episodes of symptoms. Despite strong scientific support for the routine implementation of these 'evidence-based' strategies, few services provide more than the pharmacotherapy component, and even this is seldom applied in the manner associated with the best results in the clinical trials. An international collaborative group, the Optimal Treatment Project (OTP), has been developed to promote the routine use of evidence-based strategies for schizophrenic disorders. A field trial was started to evaluate the benefits and costs of applying evidence-based strategies over a 5-year period. Centres have been set up in 18 countries. This paper summarises the outcome after 24 months of 'optimal' treatment in 603 cases who had reached this stage in their treatment by the end of 2002. On all measures the evidence-based OTP approach achieved more than double the benefits associated with current best practices. One half of recent cases had achieved full recovery from clinical and social morbidity. These advantages were even more striking in centres where a random-control design was used. PMID:16633471

Implementation of evidence-based treatment for schizophrenic disorders: two-year outcome of an international field trial of optimal treatment.

PubMed

Falloon, Ian R H; Montero, Isabel; Sungur, Mehmet; Mastroeni, Antonino; Malm, Ulf; Economou, Marina; Grawe, Rolf; Harangozo, Judit; Mizuno, Masafumi; Murakami, Masaaki; Hager, Bert; Held, Tilo; Veltro, Franco; Gedye, Robyn

2004-06-01

According to clinical trials literature, every person with a schizophrenic disorder should be provided with the combination of optimal dose antipsychotics, strategies to educate himself and his carers to cope more efficiently with environmental stresses, cognitive-behavioural strategies to enhance work and social goals and reducing residual symptoms, and assertive home-based management to help prevent and resolve major social needs and crises, including recurrent episodes of symptoms. Despite strong scientific support for the routine implementation of these 'evidence-based' strategies, few services provide more than the pharmacotherapy component, and even this is seldom applied in the manner associated with the best results in the clinical trials. An international collaborative group, the Optimal Treatment Project (OTP), has been developed to promote the routine use of evidence-based strategies for schizophrenic disorders. A field trial was started to evaluate the benefits and costs of applying evidence-based strategies over a 5-year period. Centres have been set up in 18 countries. This paper summarises the outcome after 24 months of 'optimal' treatment in 603 cases who had reached this stage in their treatment by the end of 2002. On all measures the evidence-based OTP approach achieved more than double the benefits associated with current best practices. One half of recent cases had achieved full recovery from clinical and social morbidity. These advantages were even more striking in centres where a random-control design was used.

Effect of risperidone versus haloperidol on emotional responding in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Fakra, E; Khalfa, S; Da Fonseca, D; Besnier, N; Delaveau, P; Azorin, J M; Blin, O

2008-10-01

Studies on emotional processing report that schizophrenic patients present a specific pattern of emotional responding that usually includes deficits in emotional expressiveness, increased feelings of unpleasant emotion but decreased feelings of pleasant emotion, and increased physiological reactivity. However, studies have rarely controlled the nature of antipsychotic medication. Yet, the influence of these drugs on emotional response is uncertain and could vary depending on their pharmacological profile. This prospective and randomized study aimed to compare the effects of an atypical antipsychotic, risperidone, to a typical one, haloperidol, on patients' emotional responding during an emotional induction task. Twenty-five schizophrenic patients underwent two emotional and clinical evaluations: one before treatment initiation and a second 4 weeks after. Emotional states of fear, sadness, anger, joy, and disgust were induced, as well as a neutral baseline state. Video recordings of patients during the induction task allowed for assessment of emotional expressiveness. Self-reports and measures of skin conductance and heart rate were performed to determine both subjective and physiological reactions to emotional experience. Compared to haloperidol, risperidone did not reduce patients' facial expressiveness, decreased physiological reactivity, and decreased experience of unpleasant emotion but maintained experience of pleasant emotion. Emotional expressiveness was negatively correlated to parkisonism. Our preliminary results suggest that atypical antipsychotics allow for better-adapted patterns of emotional responding than typical ones do. We suggest that this effect is due to reduced striatal D2 blockade, therefore, attenuating akinesia, coupled with increased 5HT and DA levels in prefrontal cortex, which improves emotional regulation.

[Diffusion tensor imaging findings in first-episode and chronic schizophrenics].

PubMed

Wei, Qin-Ling; Kang, Zhuang; Wu, Xiao-Li; Zhang, Jin-Bei; Li, Lei-Jun; Zheng, Liang-Rong; Guo, Xiao-Feng; Zhao, Jing-Ping

2011-08-23

To investigate the integrity of white matters in first-episode and chronic schizophrenics. For this study, 39 first-episode and 38 chronic schizophrenics, 69 healthy controls (age, gender and years of received education no significantly different from those of the patients) underwent diffusion weighted images with a single-shot echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence aligned to the straight axial plane. The fractional anisotropy (FA) images of three groups underwent one-way ANOVA with the methods of voxel-based morphometric (VBM) analysis. (1) There were three brain regions where the FA values of white matter were different among three groups: right caudate nucleus (MNI: 20, 12, 14; cluster = 432 voxels; FA value: 0.36 ± 0.18 vs 0.35 ± 0.24 vs 0.38 ± 0.17), left insula (MNI: -32, 18, 2; cluster = 204 voxels; FA value: 0.35 ± 0.31 vs 0.33 ± 0.24 vs 0.36 ± 0.21) and right anterior cingulate (MNI: 16, 36, 12; cluster = 132 voxels; FA value: 0.35 ± 0.29 vs 0.34 ± 0.31 vs 0.37 ± 0.25). (2) The mean FA values of the three brain regions of two patients groups decreased versus those of healthy controls (P < 0.05). (3) The mean FA values of left insular region in chronic patients decreased versus those of the first-episode patients (P < 0.05). The reduced integrity of white matter may play an etiological role in schizophrenia and the changes are probably progressive.

The head-centered meridian effect: auditory attention orienting in conditions of impaired visuo-spatial information.

PubMed

Olivetti Belardinelli, Marta; Santangelo, Valerio

2005-07-08

This paper examines the characteristics of spatial attention orienting in situations of visual impairment. Two groups of subjects, respectively schizophrenic and blind, with different degrees of visual spatial information impairment, were tested. In Experiment 1, the schizophrenic subjects were instructed to detect an auditory target, which was preceded by a visual cue. The cue could appear in the same location as the target, separated from it respectively by the vertical visual meridian (VM), the vertical head-centered meridian (HCM) or another meridian. Similarly to normal subjects tested with the same paradigm (Ferlazzo, Couyoumdjian, Padovani, and Olivetti Belardinelli, 2002), schizophrenic subjects showed slower reactions times (RTs) when cued, and when the target locations were on the opposite sides of the HCM. This HCM effect strengthens the assumption that different auditory and visual spatial maps underlie the representation of attention orienting mechanisms. In Experiment 2, blind subjects were asked to detect an auditory target, which had been preceded by an auditory cue, while staring at an imaginary point. The point was located either to the left or to the right, in order to control for ocular movements and maintain the dissociation between the HCM and the VM. Differences between crossing and no-crossing conditions of HCM were not found. Therefore it is possible to consider the HCM effect as a consequence of the interaction between visual and auditory modalities. Related theoretical issues are also discussed.

Decreased CB receptor binding and cannabinoid signaling in three brain regions of a rat model of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Szűcs, Edina; Dvorácskó, Szabolcs; Tömböly, Csaba; Büki, Alexandra; Kékesi, Gabriella; Horváth, Gyöngyi; Benyhe, Sándor

2016-10-28

Schizophrenia is a serious mental health disorder characterized by several behavioral and biochemicel abnormalities. In a previous study we have shown that mu-opioid (MOP) receptor signaling is impaired in specific brain regions of our three-hit animal model of schizophrenia. Since the cannabinoid system is significantly influenced in schizophrenic patients, in the present work we investigated cannabinoid (CB) receptor binding and G-protein activation in cortical, subcortical and cerebellar regions of control and 'schizophrenic' rats. Cannabinoid agonist (WIN-55,212-2 mesylate) mediated G-protein activation was consistently decreased in all areas tested, and the difference was extremely significant in membranes prepared from the cerebellum. Interestingly, the cerebellar activity of WIN-55,212-2 stimulated G-proteins was substantially higher than those of cerebral cortex and subcortical region in control animals, indicating a primordial role of the cannabinoid system in the cerebellum. At the level of radioligand binding, the affinities of the CB receptors were also markedly decreased in the model animals. Capacity of the [ 3 H]WIN-55,212-2 binding was only higher in the cerebellum of 'schizophrenic' model rats. Taken together, in all three brain areas of model rats both cannabinoid receptor binding and cannabinoid agonist-mediated G-protein activation were regularly decreased. Our results revealed that besides the opioids, the endocannabinoid - cannabis receptor system also shows impairment in our rat model, increasing its face validity and translational utility. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

[Insight in schizophrenia: relationship to family history, and positive and negative symptoms].

PubMed

Danki, Demet; Dilbaz, Nesrin; Okay, Ihsan Tuncer; Telci, Sükran

2007-01-01

To determine the level of insight among patients with schizophrenia and to compare sociodemographic and clinical features. The study included 66 patients with schizophrenia based on DSM-IV criteria. A semi-structured sociodemographic instrument, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and the Schedule for Assessing the Three Components of Insight (SATCI) were used for the study. Family history was significantly related to low-level insight in schizophrenic patients. Positive symptom scores in patients with a family history of schizophrenia were significantly higher than in patients without such a family history. Positive and general psychopathological symptoms were inversely related to level of insight in patients with schizophrenia. There was no significant relationship between the negative symptoms scores and level of insight. Family history of schizophrenia in schizophrenic patients was significantly related to low-level insight. Insight in the schizophrenic patients was affected by biological, psychological, and psychosociological factors. Family history of schizophrenia was one of these factors, which may affect the level of insight in numerous ways. Studies of patient family position and its relationship to insight have generally explored the effects of family situation on schizophrenia and insight, but not family history and its relationship to insight. In this study positive symptom severity was higher in patients with a family history of schizophrenia than in those without such a history. There was a positive relationship between low-level insight and both high positive and general psychopathology symptom levels in patients with schizophrenia.

Quality of life in schizophrenic patients: the influence of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and satisfaction with social support.

PubMed

Guedes de Pinho, Lara Manuela; Pereira, Anabela Maria de Sousa; Chaves, Cláudia Margarida Correia Balula

2018-03-08

To evaluate the relationship of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and satisfaction with social support with the quality of life of schizophrenic patients. This study included a sample of 268 participants. An interview was conducted to obtain sociodemographic and clinical data, supplemented with two assessment tools used to evaluate quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument-Abbreviated version - WHOQOL-Bref) and satisfaction with social support (Social Support Satisfaction Scale - SSSS). Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. Most individuals were male (63.4%), with a mean age of 45.4 years, single (85.4%), living with their family (62.3%) and unemployed (90.3%). As for clinical characteristics, most had the disease for less than 20 years (50.7%), and 55.6% had at least one hospitalization within the last 5 years. Being employed and having had no hospitalization within the last 5 years were positively correlated with one or more WHOQOL-Bref domains. The results of the variables intimacy (p<0.001) and satisfaction with friends (p<0.001) were independently related to the total WHOQOL-Bref score. Having a job, having had no hospitalization within the last 5 years and having greater satisfaction with social support are factors that positively influence quality of life among schizophrenics. It is therefore crucial that the psychosocial rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia take these factors into account, increasing the support network, preventing relapses and promoting occupational activities.

Traditional Chinese version of the Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT-TC): Its validation and application to schizophrenic individuals.

PubMed

Mao, Wei-Chung; Chen, Li-Fen; Chi, Chia-Hsing; Lin, Ching-Hung; Kao, Yu-Chen; Hsu, Wen-Yau; Lane, Hsien-Yuan; Hsieh, Jen-Chuen

2016-09-30

Schizophrenia is an illness that impairs a person's social cognition. The Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) is the most well-known test used to measure emotional intelligence (EI), which is a major component of social cognition. Given the absence of EI ability-based scales adapted to Chinese speakers, we translated the MSCEIT into a Traditional Chinese version (MSCEIT-TC) and validated this scale for use in schizophrenia studies. The specific aims were to validate the MSCEIT-TC, to develop a norm for the MSCEIT-TC, and use this norm to explore the EI performance of schizophrenic individuals. We included in our study seven hundred twenty-eight healthy controls and seventy-six individuals with schizophrenia. The results suggest that the MSCEIT-TC is reliable and valid when assessing EI. The results showed good discrimination and validity when comparing the two study groups. Impairment was the greatest for two branches Understanding and Managing Emotions, which implies that the deficits of schizophrenia individuals involve ToM (theory of mind) tasks. Deficits involving the negative scale of schizophrenia was related to impaired performance when the MSCEIT-TC was used (in branch 2, 3, 4, and the area Strategic). Our findings suggest that the MSCEIT-TC can be used for emotional studies in healthy Chinese and in clinical setting for investigating schizophrenic individuals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gender difference in association of cognition with BDNF in chronic schizophrenia.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiang Yang; Chen, Da-Chun; Tan, Yun-Long; Tan, Shu-Ping; Wang, Zhi-Ren; Yang, Fu-De; Xiu, Mei-Hong; Hui, Li; Lv, Meng-Han; Zunta-Soares, Giovana B; Soares, Jair C

2014-10-01

While numerous studies have reported that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, very few studies have explored its association with cognitive impairment or gender differences in schizophrenia which we explored. We compared gender differences in 248 chronic schizophrenic patients (male/female=185/63) to 188 healthy controls (male/female=98/90) on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and serum BDNF. Schizophrenic symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Our results showed that schizophrenic patients performed worse than normals on most of the cognitive tasks, and male patients had significantly lower immediate memory and delayed memory scores than female patients. BDNF levels were significantly lower in patients than controls, and male patients had significantly lower BDNF levels than female patients. For the patients, BDNF was positively associated with immediate memory and the RBANS total score. Furthermore, these associations were only observed in female not male patients. Among healthy controls, no gender difference was observed in cognitive domains and BDNF levels, or in the association between BDNF and cognition. Our results suggest gender differences in cognitive impairments, BDNF levels and their association in chronic patients with schizophrenia. However, the findings should be regarded as preliminary due to the cross-sectional design and our chronic patients, which need replication in a first-episode and drug naïve patients using a longitudinal study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the frequency of the 22q11 deletion in Afrikaner schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Wiehahn, G J; Bosch, G P; du Preez, R R; Pretorius, H W; Karayiorgou, M; Roos, J L

2004-08-15

A hemizygous deletion of the q11 band on chromosome 22 occurs in 1 of every 5,950 live births (0.017%). The deletion is mediated by low copy repeats (LCRs) flanking this locus. Presence of the deletion is associated with variable phenotypic expression, which can include distinctive facial dysmorphologies, congenital heart disease and learning disabilities. An unusually high percentage of individuals with this deletion (25-30%) have been described to develop schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. In previous studies, the prevalence of the 22q11 deletion in patients with schizophrenia was found to be approximately 2% in Caucasian adults and 6% in childhood-onset cases. Both these frequencies represent a dramatic increase from the prevalence of the deletion in the general population. In this study, we investigate the occurrence of the 22q11 deletion in an independent sample of schizophrenic patients of Afrikaner origin. We first ascertained a sample of 85 patients who meet full diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia for presence of two or more of the clinical features associated with presence of the 22q11 deletion. A group of six patients (7%) met these criteria. This group was subjected to fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and presence of the 22q11 deletion was confirmed for two subjects. Our study therefore confirms the previously reported rate of 2% frequency of the 22q11 deletion in adult schizophrenic patients and provides a two-stage screening protocol to identify these patients. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Potential protective effects of cannabidiol on neuroanatomical alterations in cannabis users and psychosis: a critical review.

PubMed

Hermann, Derik; Schneider, Miriam

2012-01-01

Cannabis use and the development of schizophrenic psychoses share a variety of similarities. Both start during late adolescence; go along with neuropsychological deficits, reduced activity, motivation deficits, and hallucinations suggesting impairment of similar brain structures. In cannabis heavy users diminished regional gray and white matter volume was reported. Similar alterations were observed in the large literature addressing structural abnormalities in schizophrenia. Furthermore, in cannabis using schizophrenic patients, these brain alterations were especially pronounced. Close relatives of schizophrenic patients showed greater cannabis-associated brain tissue loss than non-relatives indicating a genetically mediated particular sensitivity to brain tissue loss. Possible mechanisms for the induction of structural brain alterations are here discussed including impairments of neurogenesis, disturbance of endocannabinoids and diminished neuroplasticity. Especially direct THC effects (or via endocannabinoids) may mediate diminished glutamatergic neurotransmission usually driving neuroplasticity. Correspondingly, alterations of the kynurenic acid blocking NMDA receptors may contribute to brain structure alterations. However, different cannabis compounds may exert opposite effects on the neuroanatomical changes underlying psychosis. In particular, cannabidiol (CBD) was shown to prevent THC associated hippocampal volume loss in a small pilot study. This finding is further supported by several animal experiments supporting neuroprotective properties of CBD mainly via anti-oxidative effects, CB2 receptors or adenosine receptors. We will discuss here the mechanisms by which CBD may reduce brain volume loss, including antagonism of THC, interactions with endocannabinoids, and mechanisms that specifically underlie antipsychotic properties of CBD.

Graph analysis of dream reports is especially informative about psychosis.

PubMed

Mota, Natália B; Furtado, Raimundo; Maia, Pedro P C; Copelli, Mauro; Ribeiro, Sidarta

2014-01-15

Early psychiatry investigated dreams to understand psychopathologies. Contemporary psychiatry, which neglects dreams, has been criticized for lack of objectivity. In search of quantitative insight into the structure of psychotic speech, we investigated speech graph attributes (SGA) in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder type I, and non-psychotic controls as they reported waking and dream contents. Schizophrenic subjects spoke with reduced connectivity, in tight correlation with negative and cognitive symptoms measured by standard psychometric scales. Bipolar and control subjects were undistinguishable by waking reports, but in dream reports bipolar subjects showed significantly less connectivity. Dream-related SGA outperformed psychometric scores or waking-related data for group sorting. Altogether, the results indicate that online and offline processing, the two most fundamental modes of brain operation, produce nearly opposite effects on recollections: While dreaming exposes differences in the mnemonic records across individuals, waking dampens distinctions. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of the differential diagnosis of psychosis based on the analysis of dream graphs, pointing to a fast, low-cost and language-invariant tool for psychiatric diagnosis and the objective search for biomarkers. The Freudian notion that "dreams are the royal road to the unconscious" is clinically useful, after all.

Graph analysis of dream reports is especially informative about psychosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mota, Natália B.; Furtado, Raimundo; Maia, Pedro P. C.; Copelli, Mauro; Ribeiro, Sidarta

2014-01-01

Early psychiatry investigated dreams to understand psychopathologies. Contemporary psychiatry, which neglects dreams, has been criticized for lack of objectivity. In search of quantitative insight into the structure of psychotic speech, we investigated speech graph attributes (SGA) in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder type I, and non-psychotic controls as they reported waking and dream contents. Schizophrenic subjects spoke with reduced connectivity, in tight correlation with negative and cognitive symptoms measured by standard psychometric scales. Bipolar and control subjects were undistinguishable by waking reports, but in dream reports bipolar subjects showed significantly less connectivity. Dream-related SGA outperformed psychometric scores or waking-related data for group sorting. Altogether, the results indicate that online and offline processing, the two most fundamental modes of brain operation, produce nearly opposite effects on recollections: While dreaming exposes differences in the mnemonic records across individuals, waking dampens distinctions. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of the differential diagnosis of psychosis based on the analysis of dream graphs, pointing to a fast, low-cost and language-invariant tool for psychiatric diagnosis and the objective search for biomarkers. The Freudian notion that ``dreams are the royal road to the unconscious'' is clinically useful, after all.

Phenotypic continuum between autism and schizophrenia: Evidence from the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC).

PubMed

Martinez, Gilles; Alexandre, Charlotte; Mam-Lam-Fook, Célia; Bendjemaa, Narjes; Gaillard, Raphaël; Garel, Patricia; Dziobek, Isabel; Amado, Isabelle; Krebs, Marie-Odile

2017-07-01

Schizophrenic (SCZ) and autism (ASD) spectrum disorders share several features including social cognition impairments. In SCZ, the link between symptomatic dimensions and social cognition deficits remains unclear. The Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) test, available in several languages including English, investigates mental state attribution capabilities in complex interpersonal situations. After its translation into French, we used MASC to direct compare social cognition in 36 young participants with SCZ to 19 with ASD and 20 healthy controls (HC) matched for gender, age (18-25y.o.) and level of education. The MASC discriminated each group from the others, patients with SCZ exhibiting difficulties compared to ASD (MASC total score 28.1 (4) and 24.2 (6.6), respectively; p<.001). In the whole sample, MASC scores were inversely correlated with autistic traits, evaluated by autism quotient, and with disorganization symptoms. Finally, in SCZ, over-mentalizing difficulties were correlated with age at disease onset. Our results demonstrate the validity of the French version of the MASC and bring direct evidence supporting the hypothesis of a phenotypic continuum between autism and schizophrenia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metaphor Comprehension in Schizophrenic Patients

PubMed Central

Rossetti, Ileana; Brambilla, Paolo; Papagno, Costanza

2018-01-01

People with schizophrenia often exhibit difficulties to comprehend figurative expressions, such as irony, proverbs, metaphors and idioms, with a general proneness to neglect the figurative meaning and to accept the more literal one. This inability is usually referred to as concretism and it constitutes a clinical manifestation of the broader language dysfunction called Formal Thought Disorder. The current review focuses on the neuropsychological and neuroanatomical underpinnings of schizophrenics’ misinterpretation of a subgroup of figurative expressions, i.e., metaphors. Metaphors are heterogeneous in nature, classifiable according to various criteria; for instance, metaphors can be conventional and familiar, or conversely, novel and unusual. These linguistic distinctions are substantial because the comprehension of the different types of metaphor entails partially different cognitive strategies and neural substrates. This review gathers studies that have directly investigated which neurocognitive deficits explain the inefficient comprehension of metaphor in schizophrenia. Several impairments have been put forward, such as general intelligence, executive functions and theory of mind deficits. Moreover, the neural correlates of metaphor comprehension in schizophrenia, like the left inferior/medial frontal gyrus and the temporal lobe, match those cortices affected by the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Even though the causal defective mechanism is still a matter of investigation, we provide an attempt to integrate existing findings. PMID:29867648

Graph analysis of dream reports is especially informative about psychosis

PubMed Central

Mota, Natália B.; Furtado, Raimundo; Maia, Pedro P. C.; Copelli, Mauro; Ribeiro, Sidarta

2014-01-01

Early psychiatry investigated dreams to understand psychopathologies. Contemporary psychiatry, which neglects dreams, has been criticized for lack of objectivity. In search of quantitative insight into the structure of psychotic speech, we investigated speech graph attributes (SGA) in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder type I, and non-psychotic controls as they reported waking and dream contents. Schizophrenic subjects spoke with reduced connectivity, in tight correlation with negative and cognitive symptoms measured by standard psychometric scales. Bipolar and control subjects were undistinguishable by waking reports, but in dream reports bipolar subjects showed significantly less connectivity. Dream-related SGA outperformed psychometric scores or waking-related data for group sorting. Altogether, the results indicate that online and offline processing, the two most fundamental modes of brain operation, produce nearly opposite effects on recollections: While dreaming exposes differences in the mnemonic records across individuals, waking dampens distinctions. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of the differential diagnosis of psychosis based on the analysis of dream graphs, pointing to a fast, low-cost and language-invariant tool for psychiatric diagnosis and the objective search for biomarkers. The Freudian notion that “dreams are the royal road to the unconscious” is clinically useful, after all. PMID:24424108

Control of Echolalic Speech in Psychotic Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carr, Edward G.; And Others

1975-01-01

Immediate echolalia (repeating what someone has just said) was studied in a series of replicated single-subject designs across six schizophrenic and five normal children (all ranging in age from 2 to 15 years). (Author/SBH)

Biological Studies in Childhood Schizophrenia: Plasma and RBC Cholinesterase Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas, Alexander R.; And Others

1971-01-01

A comparison of plasma (pseudo) cholinesterase and erythrocyte (true) cholinesterase activity in 16 male childhood schizophrenic patients and 16 male nonpsychotic hospitalized controls revealed no significant differences between the two groups. (Author)

Olfactory neural cells: an untapped diagnostic and therapeutic resource. The 2000 Ogura Lecture.

PubMed

Perry, Christopher; Mackay-Sim, Alan; Feron, Francois; McGrath, John

2002-04-01

This is an overview of the cellular biology of upper nasal mucosal cells that have special characteristics that enable them to be used to diagnose and study congenital neurological diseases and to aid neural repair. After mapping the distribution of neural cells in the upper nose, the authors' investigations moved to the use of olfactory neurones to diagnose neurological diseases of development, especially schizophrenia. Olfactory-ensheathing glial cells (OEGs) from the cranial cavity promote axonal penetration of the central nervous system and aid spinal cord repair in rodents. The authors sought to isolate these cells from the more accessible upper nasal cavity in rats and in humans and prove they could likewise promote neural regeneration, making these cells suitable for human spinal repair investigations. The schizophrenia-diagnosis aspect of the study entailed the biopsy of the olfactory areas of 10 schizophrenic patients and 10 control subjects. The tissue samples were sliced and grown in culture medium. The ease of cell attachment to fibronectin (artificial epithelial basement membrane), as well as the mitotic and apoptotic indices, was studied in the presence and absence of dopamine in those cell cultures. The neural repair part of the study entailed a harvesting and insertion of first rat olfactory lamina propria rich in OEGs between cut ends of the spinal cords and then later the microinjection of an OEG-rich suspension into rat spinal cords previously transected by open laminectomy. Further studies were done in which OEG insertion was performed up to 1 month after rat cord transection and also in monkeys. Schizophrenic patients' olfactory tissues do not easily attach to basement membrane compared with control subjects, adding evidence to the theory that cell wall anomalies are part of the schizophrenic "lesion" of neurones. Schizophrenic patient cell cultures had higher mitotic and apoptotic indices compared with control subjects. The addition of dopamine altered these indices enough to allow accurate differentiation of schizophrenics from control patients, leading to, possibly for the first time, an early objective diagnosis of schizophrenia and possible assessment of preventive strategies. OEGs from the nose were shown to be as effective as those from the olfactory bulb in promoting axonal growth across transected spinal cords even when added 1 month after injury in the rat. These otherwise paraplegic rats grew motor and proprioceptive and fine touch fibers with corresponding behavioral improvement. The tissues of the olfactory mucosa are readily available to the otolaryngologist. Being surface cells, they must regenerate (called "neurogenesis"). Biopsy of this area and amplification of cells in culture gives the scientist a "window to the developing brain," including early diagnosis of schizophrenia. The "Holy Grail" of neurological disease is the cure of traumatic paraplegia and OEGs from the nose promote that repair. The otolaryngologist may become the necessary partner of the neurophysiologist and spinal surgeon to take the laboratory potential of paraplegic cure into the day-to-day realm of clinical reality.

Level and Chemical Composition of Cryoglobulins in Schizophrenia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khoyetsyan, Aren; Boyajyan, Anna; Melkumova, Maya

The blood samples of 40 schizophrenic patients were tested for the presence of cryoglobulins (Cgs) and composition of Cgs was examined. The elevated levels of type III Cgs, containing complement components, were detected in all study subjects.

Influence of personality traits on sexual functioning of patients suffering from schizophrenia or depression.

PubMed

Peitl, Marija Vucić; Peitl, Vjekoslav; Pavlović, Eduard; Blazević-Zelić, Sandra; Petrić, Daniela

2011-09-01

Aim of this research was to establish effects and influence of personality traits on sexual functioning of schizophrenic and depressive patients, compared to healthy individuals. 300 participants were included in this research. For patients suffering from schizophrenia it was established that the more they are open to experience and the less they are neurotic their sexual drive is stronger. For patients suffering from depression it was established that the more they are open to experience and conscientious and the less they are agreeable their sexual drive is stronger. Furthermore, higher openness is a significant predictor for easier sexual arousal and the more those patients are conscientious and the less they are agreeable easier is for them to achieve orgasms. Personality traits proved to be significant predictors of sexual functioning in schizophrenic and depressive patients, but not in healthy individuals.

Schizophrenia and chromosomal deletions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lindsay, E.A.; Baldini, A.; Morris, M. A.

Recent genetic linkage analysis studies have suggested the presence of a schizophrenia locus on the chromosomal region 22q11-q13. Schizophrenia has also been frequently observed in patients affected with velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS), a disorder frequently associated with deletions within 22q11.1. It has been hypothesized that psychosis in VCFS may be due to deletion of the catechol-o-methyl transferase gene. Prompted by these observations, we screened for 22q11 deletions in a population of 100 schizophrenics selected from the Maryland Epidemiological Sample. Our results show that there are schizophrenic patients carrying a deletion of 22q11.1 and a mild VCFS phenotype that might remain unrecognized.more » These findings should encourage a search for a schizophrenia-susceptibility gene within the deleted region and alert those in clinical practice to the possible presence of a mild VCFS phenotype associated with schizophrenia. 9 refs.« less

Lack of association between dopamine D2 receptor gene Cys311 variant and schizophrenia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Toshihisa; Fukushima, Noboru; Takahashi, Makoto

Itokawa et al. reported identifying one missense nucleotide mutation from C to G resulting in a substitution of serine with cysteine at codon 311 in the third intracellular loop of the dopamine D2 receptor in schizophrenics. Arinami et al. reported finding a positive association between the Cys311 variant and schizophrenia. In response to the report by Arinami et al. we examined 106 unrelated Japanese schizophrenics and 106 normal controls to determine if there is any association of the Cys311 variant with schizophrenia. However, we found no statistically significant differences in allelic frequencies of Cys311 between schizophrenia and normal controls. Themore » present results as well as those of all previous studies except for that of Arinami et al. indicated that an association between the dopamine D2 receptor gene and schizophrenia is unlikely to exist. 24 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.« less

Karaoke therapy in the rehabilitation of mental patients.

PubMed

Leung, C M; Lee, G; Cheung, B; Kwong, E; Wing, Y K; Kan, C S; Lau, J

1998-04-01

To study the efficacy of karaoke singing and its implications in the rehabilitation of mental patients in Hong Kong Chinese. A double blind controlled trial was conducted over six weeks in a small sample of chronic schizophrenic patients matched in age, sex and duration of illness. The index group practised karaoke and the controlled group practised simple singing. Subjects were assessed in changes in mood and social interaction. No significant difference was detectable within the 2 groups. However, significant differences of anxiety and social interaction at the end of the third and sixth weeks respectively, were detectable between the 2 groups. Karaoke therapy may be more effective than simple singing in improving social interaction. There is preliminary evidence that it may be anxiety-provoking for unstable schizophrenic patients. More research is required for further elucidation of the characteristics of favourable candidates, optimal schedule and active components of the therapy.

Life expectancy and cardiovascular mortality in persons with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Laursen, Thomas M; Munk-Olsen, Trine; Vestergaard, Mogens

2012-03-01

To assess the impact of cardiovascular disease on the excess mortality and shortened life expectancy in schizophrenic patients. Patients with schizophrenia have two-fold to three-fold higher mortality rates compared with the general population, corresponding to a 10-25-year reduction in life expectancy. Although the mortality rate from suicide is high, natural causes of death account for a greater part of the reduction in life expectancy. The reviewed studies suggest four main reasons for the excess mortality and reduced life expectancy. First, persons with schizophrenia tend to have suboptimal lifestyles including unhealthy diets, excessive smoking and alcohol use, and lack of exercise. Second, antipsychotic drugs may have adverse effects. Third, physical illnesses in persons with schizophrenia are common, but diagnosed late and treated insufficiently. Lastly, the risk of suicide and accidents among schizophrenic patients is high. Schizophrenia is associated with a substantially higher mortality and curtailed life expectancy partly caused by modifiable risk factors.

[Disability Pension and Productivity Loss in Schizophrenia - An Empirical Analysis of the Financial Burden in Germany].

PubMed

Kortmann, Lisa-Maria; Müller, Dirk; Simic, Dusan; Civello, Daniele; Stock, Stephanie

2017-03-01

Objective Quantification of the economic burden for society and the German Statutory Pension Insurance due to early retirement in schizophrenia. Methods Based on empirical data of the German Statutory Pension Insurance, productivity losses were calculated using the human capital approach. Results The total expenditures of the German Statutory Pension Insurance due to pension payments for schizophrenic insurants amounted to € 450 million. Total indirect costs due to morbidity and mortality were estimated at € 2,3 million. Average indirect costs per patient ranged between € 17 000 - 28 000, depending on rates for discounting and inflation. Conclusion Regarding substantial economic consequences, preventive measures and therapeutic procedures should aim to prevent reduction in earning capacity and to promote occupational reintegration of schizophrenic patients. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

A predictive coding account of MMN reduction in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Wacongne, Catherine

2016-04-01

The mismatch negativity (MMN) is thought to be an index of the automatic activation of a specialized network for active prediction and deviance detection in the auditory cortex. It is consistently reduced in schizophrenic patients and has received a lot of interest as a clinical and translational tool. The main neuronal hypothesis regarding the mechanisms leading to a reduced MMN in schizophrenic patients is a dysfunction of NMDA receptors (NMDA-R). However, this hypothesis has never been implemented in a neuronal model. In this paper, we examine the consequences of NMDA-R dysfunction in a neuronal model of MMN based on predictive coding principle. I also investigate how predictive processes may interact with synaptic adaptation in MMN generations and examine the consequences of this interaction for the use of MMN paradigms in schizophrenia research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Altered fatty acid concentrations in prefrontal cortex of schizophrenic patients

PubMed Central

Taha, Ameer Y.; Cheon, Yewon; Ma, Kaizong; Rapoport, Stanley I.; Rao, Jagadeesh S.

2013-01-01

Background Disturbances in prefrontal cortex phospholipid and fatty acid composition have been reported in schizophrenic (SCZ) patients, often as percent of total lipid concentration or incomplete lipid profile. In this study, we quantified absolute concentrations (nmol/g wet weight) of several lipid classes and their constituent fatty acids in postmortem prefrontal cortex of SCZ patients (n = 10) and age-matched controls (n = 10). Methods Lipids were extracted, fractionated with thin layer chromatography and assayed. Results Mean total lipid, phospholipid, individual phospholipids, plasmalogen, triglyceride and cholesteryl ester concentrations did not differ significantly between the groups. Compared to controls, SCZ brains showed significant increases in several monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in cholesteryl ester. Significant increases or decreases occurred in palmitoleic, linoleic, γ-linolenic and n-3 docosapentaenoic acid in total lipids, triglycerides or phospholipids. Conclusion These changes suggest disturbed prefrontal cortex fatty acid concentrations, particularly within cholesteryl esters, as a pathological aspect of schizophrenia. PMID:23428160

[Clinical prognosis of schizophrenic patients with cannabis addiction. Between nihilism and hope].

PubMed

Schnell, T

2014-09-01

Comorbid substance use disorders in schizophrenia are mostly associated with an unfavorable course of the disease and with difficulties in clinical management. Therefore, some therapists tend to react to these patients in a resigned manner. However, there is growing evidence for higher cognitive functioning and less severe deficits in brain morphology of these patients compared to patients without cannabis use. A common interpretation refers to relatively low vulnerability for psychosis in some of these patients, who mainly became schizophrenic because of the pro-psychotic properties of cannabis. Low vulnerability is reflected by a higher cognitive functioning; therefore, the pessimistic view of therapists seems unjustified for at least a subgroup of young patients. Provided that patients are treated in adequate therapeutic settings and that they stop using cannabis, a lower vulnerability may be associated with overall better socio-rehabilitative outcome parameters.

MRI Study of Cavum Septi Pellucidi in Schizophrenia, Affective Disorder, and Schizotypal Personality Disorder

PubMed Central

Kwon, Jun Soo; Shenton, Martha E.; Hirayasu, Yoshio; Salisbury, Dean F.; Fischer, Iris A.; Dickey, Chandlee C.; Yurgelun-Todd, Deborah; Tohen, Mauricio; Kikinis, Ron; Jolesz, Ferenc A.; McCarley, Robert W.

2010-01-01

Objective A cavum between the septi pellucidi may reflect neurodevelopmental anomalies in midline structures of the brain. The authors examined cavum septi pellucidi in subjects with schizophrenia, affective disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder and in normal subjects. Method Thirty schizophrenic patients (15 chronic, 15 first-episode), 16 patients with affective disorder (first-episode), 21 patients with schizotypal personality disorder, and 46 normal subjects were evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging. Cavum septi pellucidi was assessed by counting the number of 1.5-mm slices containing cavum septi pellucidi. Results The presence or absence of cavum septi pellucidi did not differentiate among groups. However, the prevalence of abnormal cavum septi pellucidi (i.e., cavum septi pellucidi contained on four or more slices) was 30.4% for schizophrenic patients (36.4% for chronic, 25.0% for first-episode), 20.0% for patients with affective disorder, 18.8% for patients with schizotypal personality disorder, and 10.3% for normal subjects. When the authors used the Nopoulos et al. criteria for rating cavum septi pellucidi, which omitted borderline cases with cavum septi pellucidi on three slices, the prevalence of abnormal cavum septi pellucidi increased to 35.0% for schizophrenia (40.0% for chronic, 30.0% for first-episode), 25.0% for affective disorder, 27.3% for schizotypal personality disorder, and 13.0% for normal subjects. There was a statistically significant difference in ratings between schizophrenic and normal subjects. Conclusions The results suggest that alterations in midline structures during the course of neurodevelopment may play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. PMID:9545997

Suicidal ideation and attempts among people with severe mental disorder, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, comparative cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Duko, Bereket; Ayano, Getinet

2018-01-01

People with severe mental disorders are associated with increased risk of suicide and suicide attempts compared to the general population. In low and middle-income countries, research concerning suicide attempts and completed suicide among people living with severe mental disorder is limited. The objective of this study was to assess suicide and attempts in people with severe mental disorder at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in August-September 2016. Patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were selected using systematic random-sampling technique. The composite international diagnostic interview was used to assess suicide that was administered by psychiatry professionals. Substance use disorder was assessed through face-to-face interviews using structured clinical interview of DSM-IV. A total of 542 (272 schizophrenia + 270 bipolar disorder) patients were included in the study. One hundred nineteen (43.75%) of schizophrenic participants and 128 (47.1%) of bipolar participants have suicidal ideation. Fifty-six (20.7%) of schizophrenic participants and 58 (21.3%) of bipolar participants have suicidal attempt. Among the schizophrenic and bipolar patients who had suicidal ideation, 31.8 and 32.60% had co-morbid substance use disorder, respectively. In this study, which was performed in Ethiopia, suicidal ideation and attempt were shown to be common problems in people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Co-morbid substance use disorder was a more frequent phenomenon among patients with suicidal ideation and attempt. Attention should be given to screen and assess suicidal ideation and attempt in persons with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Disability income, cocaine use, and repeated hospitalization among schizophrenic cocaine abusers--a government-sponsored revolving door?

PubMed

Shaner, A; Eckman, T A; Roberts, L J; Wilkins, J N; Tucker, D E; Tsuang, J W; Mintz, J

1995-09-21

Many patients with serious mental illness are addicted to drugs and alcohol. This comorbidity creates additional problems for the patients and for the clinicians, health care systems, and social-service agencies that provide services to this population. One problem is that disability income, which many people with serious mental illness receive to pay for basic needs, may facilitate drug abuse. In this study, we assessed the temporal patterns of cocaine use, psychiatric symptoms, and psychiatric hospitalization in a sample of schizophrenic patients receiving disability income. We evaluated 105 male patients with schizophrenia and cocaine dependence at the time of their admission to the hospital. They had severe mental illness and a long-term dependence on cocaine, with repeated admissions to psychiatric hospitals; many were homeless. The severity of psychiatric symptoms and urinary concentrations of the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine were evaluated weekly for 15 weeks. Cocaine use, psychiatric symptoms, and hospital admissions all peaked during the first week of the month, shortly after the arrival of the disability payment, on the first day. The average patient spent nearly half his total income on illegal drugs. Among cocaine-abusing schizophrenic persons, the cyclic pattern of drug use strongly suggests that it is influenced by the monthly receipt of disability payments. The consequences of this cycle include the depletion of funds needed for housing and food, exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms, more frequent psychiatric hospitalization, and a high rate of homelessness. The troubling irony is that income intended to compensate for the disabling effects of severe mental illness may have the opposite effect.

Nutritional status, food intake and cardiovascular disease risk in individuals with schizophrenia in southern Brazil: a case-control study.

PubMed

Nunes, Daniela; Eskinazi, Bianca; Camboim Rockett, Fernanda; Delgado, Vera Beatriz; Schweigert Perry, Ingrid Dalira

2014-01-01

To verify food consumption patterns and presence of risk anthropometric parameters in schizophrenic patients, trying to assess some modifiable cardiovascular risk. Twenty-five schizophrenic outpatients, attended at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil, and 25 healthy controls matched by sex, age and body mass index (BMI) were included. Demographic (age, sex and socioeconomic status), anthropometric (weight, height and waist circumference), clinical (antipsychotics) and dietary consumption data (food frequency questionnaire) were obtained. There was a 40% frequency of overweight and 40% of obesity as verified by BMI, and 80% of increased risk of metabolic complications as measured by waist circumference. Most of the patients (68%) used atypical antipsychotics and no association was found between the distribution of the nutritional status according to BMI and type of antipsychotic used. There was a higher intake of total calories, calories and protein per kilogram of body weight, percentage of carbohydrates, and lower intake of omega-6, phytosterols, vitamin A and α-tocopherol by cases. Cholesterol and sodium intake did not differ between groups (365 ± 152 mg of cholesterol in cases and 313 ± 146 mg in controls; (3499 ± 1695 mg sodium by cases and 2874 ± 800 by controls). In this sample of schizophrenic patients there was a higher intake of calories and lower consumption of α-tocoferol and phitosterols, compared to controls. There was also elevated sodium, and cholesterol intake, and high frequency of overweight and central obesity. Copyright © 2013 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the usability of a serious game aiming to teach facial expressions to schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Isleyen, Filiz; Gulkesen, K Hakan; Cinemre, Buket; Samur, M Kemal; Zayim, Nese; Sen Kaya, Semiha

2014-01-01

In some psychological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia, loss of facial expression recognition skill may complicate patient's daily life. Information technology may help to develop facial expression recognition skill by educational software and games. We designed and developed an interactive web-based educational program with which we performed a usability study before investigating its effectiveness on the schizophrenia patients' ability of emotion perception. The purpose of this study is to describe the usability evaluation for a web-based game set that has been designed to teach facial expressions to schizophrenic patients. The usability study was done at two steps; first, we applied heuristic evaluation and the violations were rated in a scale from most to least severe and the major problems were solved. In the second step, think-aloud method was used and the web site was assessed by five schizophrenic patients. Eight experts participated in the heuristic evaluation, in which a total of 60 violations were identified with a mean severity of 2.77 (range: 0-4). All of the major problems (severity over 2.5) were listed and the usability problems were solved by the development team. After solving the problems, five users with a diagnosis of schizophrenia used the web site with the same scenario. They reported to have experienced minor, but different problems. In conclusion, we suggest that a combination of heuristic evaluation and think-aloud method may be an effective and efficient way for usability evaluations for the serious games that have been designed for special patient groups.

Lifetime reproductive output over two generations in patients with psychosis and their unaffected siblings: the Uppsala 1915-1929 Birth Cohort Multigenerational Study.

PubMed

MacCabe, J H; Koupil, I; Leon, D A

2009-10-01

Schizophrenic patients have fewer offspring than the general population but it is unclear whether (i) this persists for more than one generation, (ii) the reduced fertility is compensated by increased fertility in unaffected relatives, (iii) sociodemographic factors confound or interact with the association, and (iv) patients with affective psychosis have a similar fertility disadvantage. This study measured biological fitness over two generations in patients with schizophrenia or affective psychosis, and their unaffected siblings. We conducted a historical cohort study using a Swedish birth cohort of 12 168 individuals born 1915-1929 and followed up until 2002. We compared biological fitness over two generations in patients with schizophrenia (n=58) or affective psychosis (n=153), and their unaffected siblings, with the population, adjusting for a range of sociodemographic variables from throughout the lifespan. Patients with schizophrenia had fewer children [fertility ratio (FR) 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.29-0.61] and grandchildren (FR 0.51, 95% CI 0.33-0.80) than the population. Some of this reduction was related to lower marriage rates in schizophrenic patients. The unaffected siblings of schizophrenic patients showed no evidence of any compensatory increase in fitness, but there was a trend towards enhanced fertility among the offspring of schizophrenia patients. Patients with affective psychosis and their relatives did not differ from the general population on any fertility measure. Schizophrenia, but not affective psychosis, is associated with reduced biological fertility; this disadvantage is partly explained by marital status and persists into the second generation.

Self-Disturbance and the Bizarre: On Incomprehensibility in Schizophrenic Delusions.

PubMed

Sass, Louis A; Byrom, Greg

2015-01-01

The notion of 'bizarre delusion' has come into question in contemporary anglophone psychopathology. In DSM-5, it no longer serves as a special criterion for diagnosing schizophrenia nor as an exclusion criterion for delusional disorder. Empirical studies influencing this development have, however, been relatively sparse and subject to methodological criticism. Major reviews have concluded that current conceptualizations of bizarre delusions may require rethinking and refinement. Defining bizarreness entails a return to Jaspers, whose influential views on the supposed incomprehensibility of bizarre delusions and schizophrenic experience are more nuanced than is generally recognized. Jaspers insisted we must 'get behind' three 'external characteristics' (extraordinary conviction, imperviousness, impossible content) in order to acknowledge a 'primary experience traceable to the illness' in the 'delusions proper' of schizophrenia. He also denied that one could empathize with or otherwise 'understand' this basis. Here, we focus on three features of bizarre delusions that Jaspers foregrounded as illustrating schizophrenic incomprehensibility: disturbance of the cogito, certitude combined with inconsequentiality, delusional mood. We link these with the contemporary ipseity disturbance model of schizophrenia, arguing that Jaspers' examples of incomprehensibility can be understood as manifestations of the three complementary aspects of ipseity-disturbance: diminished self-presence, hyperreflexivity and disturbed grip/hold. We follow Jaspers' lead in acknowledging a distinctive strangeness that defies ready comprehension, but we challenge the absolutism of Jaspers' skepticism by offering a phenomenological account that comprehends bizarreness in two ways: rendering it psychologically understandable, and fitting the various instances of bizarreness into a comprehensive explanatory framework. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Medical use of cannabis. Cannabidiol: a new light for schizophrenia?

PubMed

Deiana, Serena

2013-01-01

The medical properties of cannabis have been known for many centuries; its first documented use dates back to 2800 BC when it was described for its hallucinogenic and pain-relieving properties. In the first half of the twentieth century, a number of pharmaceutical companies marked cannabis for indications such as asthma and pain, but since then its use has sharply declined, mainly due to its unpredictable effects, but also for socio-political issues. Recently, great attention has been directed to the medical properties of phytocannabinoids present in the cannabis plant alongside the main constituent Δ⁹-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); these include cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV). Evidence suggests an association between cannabis and schizophrenia: schizophrenics show a higher use of marijuana as compared to the healthy population. Additionally, the use of marijuana can trigger psychotic episodes in schizophrenic patients, and this has been ascribed to THC. Given the need to reduce the side effects of marketed antipsychotics, and their weak efficacy on some schizophrenic symptoms, cannabinoids have been suggested as a possible alternative treatment for schizophrenia. CBD, a non-psychoactive constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant, has been receiving growing attention for its anti-psychotic-like properties. Evidence suggests that CBD can ameliorate positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Behavioural and neurochemical models suggest that CBD has a pharmacological profile similar to that of atypical anti-psychotic drugs and a clinical trial reported that this cannabinoid is a well-tolerated alternative treatment for schizophrenia. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Issue At Point: Until Electric Shocks Are Legal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buddenhagen, R. G.

1971-01-01

Examined are two alternatives to the use of electric shock to control destructive or repugnant behaviors in severely retarded or schizophrenic children: continued use of noncorporal punishment, and widescale application of appropriately arranged contingencies of positive reinforcement. (KW)

Smoking Cessation and Reduction in Schizophrenia (SCARIS) with e-cigarette: study protocol for a randomized control trial

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background It is well established in studies across several countries that tobacco smoking is more prevalent among schizophrenic patients than the general population. Electronic cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular with smokers worldwide. To date there are no large randomized trials of electronic cigarettes in schizophrenic smokers. A well-designed trial is needed to compare efficacy and safety of these products in this special population. Methods/Design Intervention: We have designed a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy and safety of electronic cigarette. The trial will take the form of a prospective 12-month randomized clinical study to evaluate smoking reduction, smoking abstinence and adverse events in schizophrenic smokers not intending to quit. We will also monitor quality of life, neurocognitive functioning and measure participants’ perception and satisfaction of the product. Outcome measures: A ≥50% reduction in the number of cigarettes/day from baseline, will be calculated at each study visit (“reducers”). Abstinence from smoking will be calculated at each study visit (“quitters”). Smokers who leave the study protocol before its completion and will carry out the Early Termination Visit or who will not satisfy the criteria of “reducers” and “quitters” will be defined “non responders”. Statistical analysis: The differences of continuous variables between the three groups will be evaluated with the Kruskal-Wallis Test, followed by the Dunn multiple comparison test. The differences between the three groups for normally distributed data will be evaluated with ANOVA test one way, followed by the Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test. The normality of the distribution will be evaluated with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Any correlations between the variables under evaluation will be assessed by Spearman r correlation. To compare qualitative data will be used the Chi-square test. Discussion The main strengths of the SCARIS study are the following: it’s the first large RCT on schizophrenic patient, involving in and outpatient, evaluating the effect of a three-arm study design, and a long term of follow-up (52-weeks). The goal is to propose an effective intervention to reduce the risk of tobacco smoking, as a complementary tool to treat tobacco addiction in schizophrenia. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01979796. PMID:24655473

The Use of Patient Education in a Prison Mental Health Treatment Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melville, Charles; Brown, Calvin

1987-01-01

Presented four-hour multimedia workshop for 31 schizophrenic prison inmates to help them understand schizophrenia and its treatment. Comparison of pretest and posttest showed highly significant increase in knowledge about symptoms of schizophrenia, causes, and treatment. (Author)

[Transversal study of the psychosocial rehabilitation and the quality of life of 75 schizophrenics under classical neuroleptics or atypical antipsychotic neuroleptics].

PubMed

Guillard-Bouhet, N; Lafay, N; Jourdain, M; Senon, J-L

2005-01-01

The psychosocial rehabilitation and the quality of life of schizophrenics have constituted the main concern in the taking care of these patients since their return into our society. Thus, the emergence of atypical neuroleptics allows us to imagine very interesting and important perspectives concerning these 2 concepts. The adaptation to social and professional life, and the quality of life have been rarely compared according to the antipsychotic therapeutic used (classical neuroleptics or atypical neuroleptics). As many authors underline it, there are still very few studies undertaken concerning this subject because of the diverse methodological and ethical limitations implied. That is why we established a transversal study of the psychosocial adaptation and of the quality of life of 2 stabilized schizophrenic groups. These 2 different groups are: the NC group under classical neuroleptics on the one hand, and the NA group under atypical neuroleptics on the other hand. The main target of this study is to observe the influence of the atypical neuroleptics independently of the other factors. Three evaluation scales were used: the PANSS, the psychosocial skill scale (EAPS) of G. Darcourt and the French translation by P. Martin of the Functional Statut Questionnaire (FSQ), and a collection of the clinical and therapeutic socio-demographic data. Concerning the psychosocial capacities, the total results revealed one significant difference (p-value<0.01) between the two groups. The NA group showed a better psychosocial adaptation (80 +/- 10.89 versus 72 +/- 13.39). Besides 4 key-domains are statistically different, but are always in favour of the NA group; the domains are family life (p=0.01), social life (p=0.0026), presentation (p=0.003) and housing and food (0.029). These observations incite to modify our cure. The analysis of the total score of the FSQ did not reveal a statistically significant difference between both groups but this total score seems high in both groups, conveying an important feeling of satisfaction about the quality of life of our sample of schizophrenics. Literature data also abound along the same lines. Indeed, authors underline that patients clearly prefer to live outside rather than in the hospital. Besides, this study allows to confirm the literature data while studying some domains (such as sexuality) rarely brought to light in studies. As a conclusion, we can say that our sample is representative of a population of schizophrenics, and in spite of the difficulties of methodology inherent to this type of study, we can make a comparison between our 2 groups thanks to the stu-died data. Data in which differences could be found, did not show any influence on the results of scales, thus, they cannot be considered as a confounding factor. The NA group showed a better psychosocial adaptation. Furthermore the FSQ did not reveal a difference between both groups. It seems important to remind that a prospective study, conducted for several months and with several evaluations, is essential to confirm the results obtained on both types of treatment.

Effect of Excessive Overtraining and Aversive Feedback on Reversal and Extradimensional Shifts in Schizophrenics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nolan, J. Dennis; Anderson, Deborah

1973-01-01

Research supported by a grant from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Reprints of article available from J. Dennis Nolan, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210. (DS)

Regression: A Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedrini, D. T.; Pedrini, Bonnie C.

Regression, another mechanism studied by Sigmund Freud, has had much research, e.g., hypnotic regression, frustration regression, schizophrenic regression, and infra-human-animal regression (often directly related to fixation). Many investigators worked with hypnotic age regression, which has a long history, going back to Russian reflexologists.…

The Depression Coping Questionnaire.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleinke, Chris L.

College students (N=396), chronic pain patients (N=319), and schizophrenic veterans (N=43) completed the Depression Coping Questionnaire (DCQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Factor analysis of the DCQ identified eleven coping responses: social support, problem solving, self-blame/escape, aggression, indulgence, activities, medication,…

The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, Volume XXIV.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eissler, Ruth S.; And Others

Articles on psychoanalytic theory concern libidinal object constancy and mental representation, the unrememberable and unforgettable (repression), and the motive, meaning, and causality of anthropomorphism. Discussions of normal and pathological development include the following: levels of verbal communication in the schizophrenic child, a review…

Personality Development in Public School Children. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watt, Norman F.

Investigators compared the emotional adjustment, intellectual functioning, scholastic performance, and social behavior of 54 children who became schizophrenic mental patients with that of 143 matched controls. The following conclusions were drawn: indications of potential schizophrenia include behavioral and emotional deviation in childhood, death…

Long-Term Group Treatment for Young Male 'Schizopaths.'

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ely, Audrey Rosen

1985-01-01

Describes a therapy group composed of young adult male schizopaths, or chronic schizophrenics, who often present as character-disordered or sociopathic. Describes formation, accomplishments, and limitations of the group; gives case histories of clients; discusses roles for leaders; and provides recommendations. (NRB)

Changes in cortical thickness during the course of illness in schizophrenia.

PubMed

van Haren, Neeltje E M; Schnack, Hugo G; Cahn, Wiepke; van den Heuvel, Martijn P; Lepage, Claude; Collins, Louis; Evans, Alan C; Hulshoff Pol, Hilleke E; Kahn, René S

2011-09-01

Whether cortical thickness changes in schizophrenia over time are more pronounced relative to the changes that can be attributed to normal aging has not been studied. To compare patients with schizophrenia and healthy control participants on cortical thickness change. A 5-year longitudinal study comparing schizophrenic patients and healthy controls using 2 magnetic resonance images of the brain. Patients were recruited from the Department of Psychiatry at the University Medical Centre Utrecht and from other psychiatric hospitals in the Netherlands. Healthy controls were recruited via advertisement in newspapers and notice boards. Ninety-six schizophrenic patients and 113 healthy controls aged 16 to 56 years. Cortical thickness and change in cortical thickness on a vertex-by-vertex basis across the cortical mantle, measures of functional and symptomatic outcome, and cumulative intake of antipsychotics during the scan interval. At baseline, the schizophrenic patients had thinner left orbitofrontal and right parahippocampal and superior temporal cortices and a thicker superior parietal lobule and occipital pole compared with the controls. Mean cortical thickness did not differ between the groups. Over time, excessive cortical thinning was found in widespread areas on the cortical mantle, most pronounced bilaterally in the temporal cortex and in the left frontal area. Poor outcome in patients was associated with more pronounced cortical thinning. Higher cumulative intake of typical antipsychotics during the scan interval was associated with more pronounced cortical thinning, whereas higher cumulative intake of atypical antipsychotic medication was associated with less pronounced cortical thinning. In schizophrenia, the cortex shows excessive thinning over time in widespread areas of the brain, most pronounced in the frontal and temporal areas, and progresses across the entire course of the illness. The excessive thinning of the cortex appears related to outcome and medication intake.

Lipid profile in antipsychotic drug users: A comparative study

PubMed Central

Roohafza, Hamidreza; Khani, Azam; Afshar, Hamid; Garakyaraghi, Mohammad; Amirpour, Afshin; Ghodsi, Basir

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND Schizophrenic patients who receive antipsychotic drugs may be highly prone to metabolic disorders such as weight gain, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of atypical and conventional antipsychotics on lipid profile. METHODS 128 schizophrenic patients were enrolled into the study. Patients were divided into two groups. One group had received one type of atypical antipsychotic drug, and, the other, one type of conventional antipsychotic drug. They were considered as atypical and conventional groups. Moreover, both groups had not used any other antipsychotic drugs during the past year. Demographic data and food frequency questionnaire were completed by the participants. Serum triglyceride, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterols, and apolipoprotein A and B (Apo B) were tested by blood sample drawing after 12 hours of fasting through the antecubital vein. Student’s t-test was used to compare atypical and conventional groups. RESULTS There was no significant difference in age, gender, duration of illness, period of drug consumption, and age at onset of illness in the two groups. Patients in the atypical group used clozapine and risperidone (46.9%) more than olanzapine. In the conventional group 81.3% of patients used phenothiazines. Comparison between lipid profile in the conventional and atypical groups showed a significantly higher mean in TC (P = 0.01), LDL (P = 0.03), and Apo B (P = 0.01) in conventional group than the atypical group. CONCLUSION In schizophrenic patients, the level of lipid profile had been increased in both atypical and conventional antipsychotic users, especially conventional users, so the effect of antipsychotic drugs should be investigated periodically. PMID:23766777

S220. BLONANSERIN AUGMENTATION IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA – WHO IS BENEFITED FROM BLONANSERIN AUGMENTATION? AN OPEN-LABEL, PROSPECTIVE, MULTI-CENTER STUDY

PubMed Central

Bahk, Won-Myong; Kwon, Young Joon; Yoon, Bo-Hyun; Lee, Sang-Yeol; Lee, Kwanghun; Jon, Duk-In; Kim, Moon Doo; Lim, Eunsung

2018-01-01

Abstract Background Evidences for antipsychotic augmentation for schizophrenic patients with sub-optimal efficacy have been lacking although it has been widespread therapeutic strategy in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of blonanserin augmentation with an atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) in schizophrenic patients. Methods A total of 100 patients with schizophrenia partially or completely unresponsive to treatment with an AAP recruited in this 12-week, open-label, non-comparative, multicenter study. Blonanserin was added to existing AAPs which were maintained during the study period. Efficacy was primarily evaluated using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at baseline, week 2, 4, 8, and 12. Predictors for PANSS response (≥20% reduction) was investigated. Results The PANSS total score was significantly decreased at 12 weeks after blonanserin augmentation (-21.0 ± 18.1, F=105.849, p<0.001). Response rate on PANSS at week 12 was 51.0%. Premature discontinuation was occurred in 17 patients (17.0%) and 4 patients among them discontinued the study due to adverse events. Nine patients experienced significant weight gain during the study. Response to blonanserin augmentation was associated with severe (PANSS>85) baseline symptom (OR=10.298, p=0.007) and higher dose (>600mg/day of chlorpromazine equivalent dose) of existing AAPs (OR=4.594, p=0.014). Discussion Blonanserin augmentation improved psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenic patients in cases of partial or non-responsive to an AAP treatment with favorable tolerability. Patients with severe symptom despite treatment with higher dose of AAP were benefited from this augmentation. These results suggested that blonanserin augmentation could be an effective strategy for specific patients with schizophrenia.

N-acetylaspartate (NAA) levels in selected areas of the brain in patients with chronic schizophrenia treated with typical and atypical neuroleptics: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) study.

PubMed

Szulc, Agata; Galińska, Beata; Tarasów, Eugeniusz; Kubas, Bozena; Dzienis, Wojciech; Konarzewska, Beata; Poplawska, Regina; Tomczak, Anna A; Czernikiewicz, Andrzej; Walecki, Jerzy

2007-05-01

NAA, marker of neurons integrity and viability, is one of the most important brain metabolites visible in 1H MRS. In most studies of schizophrenia, the decrease of NAA level was observed in the temporal, frontal lobes and in the thalamus. This finding was observed more often among chronic patients, what suggests the influence of disease duration or the effect of neuroleptic treatment. The aim of the present study was the comparison of NAA levels in brain of schizophrenic patients taking typical and atypical neuroleptics. We analyzed the NAA levels in selected brain areas in 58 schizophrenic patients and 21 healthy controls. 10 patients were treated with typical neuroleptics, 10 patients with clozapine, 17 received olanzapine and 21 - risperidone. 1H MRS was performed on a 1,5 MR scanner with PRESS sequence. Voxels of 2x2x2 cm were localized in the left frontal, left temporal lobe and left thalamus. There were no differences in NAA levels between patients on typical and atypical medications analyzed together and separately (olanzapine, clozapine and risperidone groups). We also did not find any differences between patients taking selected atypical neuroleptics and controls. The NAA level in the thalamus in the group of patients receiving typical antipsychotics was the lowest among all groups and differed significantly from healthy controls. The results of our study suggest that atypical neuroleptics may have favorable effect on NAA concentration in brain of schizophrenic patients. Decrease in NAA level in patients taking typical medication may be caused by the progression of the disease or by the direct action of these drugs.

Implicit Recognition of Familiar and Unfamiliar Faces in Schizophrenia: A Study of the Skin Conductance Response in Familiarity Disorders.

PubMed

Ameller, Aurely; Picard, Aline; D'Hondt, Fabien; Vaiva, Guillaume; Thomas, Pierre; Pins, Delphine

2017-01-01

Familiarity is a subjective sensation that contributes to person recognition. This process is described as an emotion-based memory-trace of previous meetings and could be disrupted in schizophrenia. Consequently, familiarity disorders could be involved in the impaired social interactions observed in patients with schizophrenia. Previous studies have primarily focused on famous people recognition. Our aim was to identify underlying features, such as emotional disturbances, that may contribute to familiarity disorders in schizophrenia. We hypothesize that patients with familiarity disorders will exhibit a lack of familiarity that could be detected by a flattened skin conductance response (SCR). The SCR was recorded to test the hypothesis that emotional reactivity disturbances occur in patients with schizophrenia during the categorization of specific familiar, famous and unknown faces as male or female. Forty-eight subjects were divided into the following 3 matched groups with 16 subjects per group: control subjects, schizophrenic people with familiarity disorder, and schizophrenic people without familiarity disorders. Emotional arousal is reflected by the skin conductance measures. The control subjects and the patients without familiarity disorders experienced a differential emotional response to the specific familiar faces compared with that to the unknown faces. Nevertheless, overall, the schizophrenic patients without familiarity disorders showed a weaker response across conditions compared with the control subjects. In contrast, the patients with familiarity disorders did not show any significant differences in their emotional response to the faces, regardless of the condition. Only patients with familiarity disorders fail to exhibit a difference in emotional response between familiar and non-familiar faces. These patients likely emotionally process familiar faces similarly to unknown faces. Hence, the lower feelings of familiarity in schizophrenia may be a premise enabling the emergence of familiarity disorders.

Resting-state Brain Activity Changes Associated with Tardive Dyskinesia in Patients with Schizophrenia: Fractional Amplitude of Low-frequency Fluctuation Decreased in the Occipital Lobe.

PubMed

Zhang, Ping; Li, Yanli; Fan, Fengmei; Li, Chiang-Shan R; Luo, Xingguang; Yang, Fude; Yao, Yin; Tan, Yunlong

2018-06-19

We explored resting-state brain activity and its potential links to clinical parameters in schizophrenic patients with tardive dyskinesia (TD) using fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 32 schizophrenic patients with TD (TD group), 31 without TD (NTD group), and 32 healthy controls (HC group). Clinical parameters including psychopathological symptoms, severity of TD, and cognitive function were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, respectively. Pearson correlation analyses were performed to determine the relationship between the regions with altered fALFF values and clinical parameters in TD patients. The TD group showed decreased fALFF in the left middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and the right calcarine sulcus (CAL) compared to the HC group, and decreased fALFF in the left cuneus compared to the NTD group. In the TD group, fALFF values in the left MOG and the right CAL were correlated separately with the delayed memory score (r = 0.44, p = 0.027; r = 0.43, p = 0.028, respectively). The AIMS total score was negatively correlated to the visuospatial/constructional score (r = -0.53, p = 0.005). Our findings suggested that resting-state brain activity changes were associated with TD in schizophrenic patients. There was an association between the decreased brain activity in the occipital lobe and the delayed memory cognition impairment in this population. Copyright © 2018 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attentional dysfunction in abstinent long-term cannabis users with and without schizophrenia.

PubMed

Rentzsch, Johannes; Stadtmann, Ada; Montag, Christiane; Kunte, Hagen; Plöckl, Doris; Hellweg, Rainer; Gallinat, Jürgen; Kronenberg, Golo; Jockers-Scherübl, Maria Christiane

2016-08-01

Long-term cannabis use may confer cognitive deficits and increased risk of psychosis. However, the relationship between cannabis use and schizophrenia is complex. In particular, little is known about the effects of chronic cannabis use on the attention-related electric brain response in schizophrenia. We investigated auditory novelty and oddball P300 evoked potentials in a mixed sample of first-episode and chronic schizophrenic patients and healthy controls with (SZCA, n = 20; COCA, n = 20, abstinence ≥28 days) or without (SZ, n = 20; CO, n = 20) chronic cannabis use. Duration of regular cannabis use was 8.3 ± 5.6 (SZCA) and 9.1 ± 7.1 (COCA) years. In general, schizophrenic patients showed reduced P300 amplitudes. Cannabis use was associated with both a reduced early and late left-hemispheric novelty P300. There was a significant 'diagnosis × cannabis' interaction for the left-hemispheric late novelty P300 in that cannabis use was associated with a reduced amplitude in the otherwise healthy but not in the schizophrenic group compared with their relative control groups (corrected p < 0.02; p > 0.9, respectively). The left-hemispheric late novelty P300 in the otherwise healthy cannabis group correlated inversely with amount and duration of cannabis use (r = -0.50, p = 0.024; r = -0.57, p = 0.009, respectively). Our study confirms attentional deficits with chronic cannabis use. However, cannabis use may lead to different cognitive sequelae in patients with schizophrenia and in healthy controls, possibly reflecting preexisting alterations in the endocannabinoid system in schizophrenia.

Dysfunction in different phases of working memory in schizophrenia: evidence from ERP recordings.

PubMed

Zhao, Yan Li; Tan, Shu Ping; Yang, Fu De; Wang, Li Li; Feng, Wen Feng; Chan, Raymond C K; Gao, Xiao; Zhou, Dong Feng; Li, Bin Bin; Song, Chong Sheng; Fan, Feng Mei; Tan, Yun Long; Zhang, Jin Guo; Wang, Yun Hui; Zou, Yi Zhuang

2011-12-01

The present study combined a time-locked paradigm and high-time-resolution event-related potential (ERP) recordings to examine different phases of working memory, including early visual processing and late memory-related processes of encoding, maintenance, and retrieval, in 67 adults with schizophrenia and 46 healthy controls. Alterations in ERP components were correlated with task performance. Patients performed significantly worse in the working memory task than healthy subjects, although all subjects' accuracy exceeded 80%. During encoding, the N1 and P2 component amplitudes were lower while the P300 amplitude was higher in schizophrenic patients compared to healthy controls. There were no differences between groups with respect to the mean amplitudes of the negative slow waves in the early stage (the first 400 ms) of the maintenance phase. However, in the next 500-ms time window, the patients exhibited a more negative deflection in the middle fronto-central region than the control group. Likewise, a similar pattern was observed in the second 500-ms period in the middle fronto-central region, although the effect was marginally significant. There were no differences between groups in the remaining 1000 ms. During retrieval, the P1, N1 and P2 amplitudes were lower while the P300 amplitude and latency were higher in schizophrenic patients. The present results indicate early visual deficits in the working memory task in adults with schizophrenia. Impairments in the maintenance phase were confined to the late rehearsal stage. The increased P300 amplitude at the fronto-central electrode sites along with the poorer behavioral performance suggests that schizophrenic patients have an inefficient working memory system. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of auditory hallucinations: a preliminary open-label study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling disease that presents with delusions and hallucinations. Auditory hallucinations are usually expressed as voices speaking to or about the patient. Previous studies have examined the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the temporoparietal cortex on auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients. Our aim was to explore the potential effect of deep TMS, using the H coil over the same brain region on auditory hallucinations. Patients and methods Eight schizophrenic patients with refractory auditory hallucinations were recruited, mainly from Beer Ya'akov Mental Health Institution (Tel Aviv university, Israel) ambulatory clinics, as well as from other hospitals outpatient populations. Low-frequency deep TMS was applied for 10 min (600 pulses per session) to the left temporoparietal cortex for either 10 or 20 sessions. Deep TMS was applied using Brainsway's H1 coil apparatus. Patients were evaluated using the Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale (AHRS) as well as the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms scores (SAPS), Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale, and the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Results This preliminary study demonstrated a significant improvement in AHRS score (an average reduction of 31.7% ± 32.2%) and to a lesser extent improvement in SAPS results (an average reduction of 16.5% ± 20.3%). Conclusions In this study, we have demonstrated the potential of deep TMS treatment over the temporoparietal cortex as an add-on treatment for chronic auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients. Larger samples in a double-blind sham-controlled design are now being preformed to evaluate the effectiveness of deep TMS treatment for auditory hallucinations. Trial registration This trial is registered with clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT00564096). PMID:21303566

Chronic auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients: MR analysis of the coincidence between functional and morphologic abnormalities.

PubMed

Martí-Bonmatí, Luis; Lull, Juan José; García-Martí, Gracián; Aguilar, Eduardo J; Moratal-Pérez, David; Poyatos, Cecilio; Robles, Montserrat; Sanjuán, Julio

2007-08-01

To prospectively evaluate if functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging abnormalities associated with auditory emotional stimuli coexist with focal brain reductions in schizophrenic patients with chronic auditory hallucinations. Institutional review board approval was obtained and all participants gave written informed consent. Twenty-one right-handed male patients with schizophrenia and persistent hallucinations (started to hear hallucinations at a mean age of 23 years +/- 10, with 15 years +/- 8 of mean illness duration) and 10 healthy paired participants (same ethnic group [white], age, and education level [secondary school]) were studied. Functional echo-planar T2*-weighted (after both emotional and neutral auditory stimulation) and morphometric three-dimensional gradient-recalled echo T1-weighted MR images were analyzed using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM2) software. Brain activation images were extracted by subtracting those with emotional from nonemotional words. Anatomic differences were explored by optimized voxel-based morphometry. The functional and morphometric MR images were overlaid to depict voxels statistically reported by both techniques. A coincidence map was generated by multiplying the emotional subtracted functional MR and volume decrement morphometric maps. Statistical analysis used the general linear model, Student t tests, random effects analyses, and analysis of covariance with a correction for multiple comparisons following the false discovery rate method. Large coinciding brain clusters (P < .005) were found in the left and right middle temporal and superior temporal gyri. Smaller coinciding clusters were found in the left posterior and right anterior cingular gyri, left inferior frontal gyrus, and middle occipital gyrus. The middle and superior temporal and the cingular gyri are closely related to the abnormal neural network involved in the auditory emotional dysfunction seen in schizophrenic patients.

Rapid and simple analysis of disease-associated biomarkers of Taiwanese patients with schizophrenia using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Huang, Tiao-Lai; Lo, Li-Hua; Shiea, Jentaie; Su, Hung

2017-10-01

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is an extremely sensitive analytical tool for characterizing biological compounds in bio samples. In this study, we applied MALDI-TOF MS to assess potential protein biomarkers in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with schizophrenia in the acute phase, recovery phase and healthy controls in Taiwan. We recruited 40 participants, including 20 pairs of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in the acute phase, after four-week treatment with drug in the recovery phase, and 20 healthy controls. The schizophrenic patients were diagnosed using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID), and severity was assessed by a positive and negative symptom scale at baseline and at endpoint following four-week treatment with drug. The patients' PBMCs biomarkers were rapidly measured using a technique that combines MALDI-TOF MS and principle component analysis. A receiver operating characteristic curve was created for the evaluated biomarker. Significant differences in α-defensins 1-3 were found between the patients in acute phase with schizophrenia and the healthy controls, but not between the schizophrenic patients in recovery phase and healthy controls or between the schizophrenic patients in acute phase and in recovery phase. α-Defensins can be biomarkers of Taiwanese patients with schizophrenia, thus supporting the hypothesis that the inflammatory response and immunity system is correlated with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Moreover, the result also implies that α-defensins may be related in schizophrenia-associated disease not in efficacy of drug-treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Schizophrenia or Atypical Lupus Erythematosus with Predominant Psychiatric Manifestations over 25 Years: Case Analysis and Review

PubMed Central

Mack, Axel; Pfeiffer, Christiane; Schneider, E. Marion; Bechter, Karl

2017-01-01

We observed a case over 25 years of relapsing–remitting schizophrenic spectrum disorder, varying regarding the main symptomatology between more depressive or more schizoaffective or rather typical schizophrenic syndrome. Diseased phases were repeatedly accompanied by minor skin lesions, which were initially classified as mixed tissue disorder. Psychotic phases were waxing–waning over years. During one later relapse, skin involvement was severe, classified to likely represent an allergic reaction to psychopharmaca; this generalized exanthema remitted rapidly with cortisone treatment and azathioprine. Under continued azathioprine and low dose neuroleptics, the patient remitted completely, appearing psychiatrically healthy for 16 years. When azathioprine was set off due to pregnancy, an extraordinary severe relapse of schizophrenia like psychosis accompanied by most severe skin lesions developed within a few weeks, then requiring 2 years of psychiatric inpatient treatment. Finally, a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematodes plus neuropsychiatric lupus was made. A single CSF sample in 2013 showed suspicious biomarkers, matching with CSF cytokine profiling in schizophrenic and affective spectrum disorder patients and indicated mild neuroinflammation. Complex immune suppressive treatment was reinitiated short after relapse, but was only partially successful. However, surprisingly the psychosis and skin lesions remitted (in parallel) when belimumab was given (add-on). The very details of this complicated, long-term disease course are discussed also with regard to general ideas, in particular with respect to the question if this case of seemingly comorbid schizophrenia with minor autoimmunity signs represented a case of one emerging autoimmune disorder with variant manifestations systemically and within the CNS, though atypically with predominant appearance as a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. PMID:28798699

Use of the terms "schizophrenia" and "schizophrenic" in the South Korean news media: a content analysis of newspapers and news programs in the last 10 years.

PubMed

Park, Jun-Hyun; Choi, Young-Min; Kim, Bongseog; Lee, Dong-Woo; Gim, Min-Sook

2012-03-01

In this study, we explored the meaning attributed to the words "jungshinbunyeolbyung" (schizophrenia) and "jungshinbunyeol" (schizophrenic) in South Korean newspapers and news programs in the last 10 years. We screened the websites of three national newspapers and the broadcasts of three nationwide television news programs from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2010. We classified a total of 490 articles and 257 news segments by category and quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed them. The articles and news segments were assigned to one of the following categories based on their use of the term "schizophrenia": 1) negative, 2) neutral or positive, 3) incidental, and 4) metaphorical. The negative viewpoint accounted for 349 incidences (46.7%), while the neutral and positive viewpoints included 225 incidences (30.1%). Incidental uses accounted for 95 incidences (12.7%), and metaphorical uses accounted for 78 incidences (10.4%). The majority of the negative uses focused on violence or dangers posed by patients (137 mentions, 37.8%), while the metaphorical uses mainly focused on the idea of splitting (51 mentions, or 65%). This study showed that the South Korean news media do not provide balanced information about schizophrenia to the public. This study also showed that no significant move has been made toward a more positive use of the term since a previous study was conducted on the subject. Although the term schizophrenia has given way to "attunement disorder," it will be difficult to establish the new term as the standard if the South Korean media continue to use the term "schizophrenic symptom." Even though the term has been changed, guidelines are necessary to encourage the mass media to provide balanced articles and reduce prejudice.

Treatment with clozapine and its effect on plasma homovanillic acid and norepinephrine concentrations in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Davidson, M; Kahn, R S; Stern, R G; Hirschowitz, J; Apter, S; Knott, P; Davis, K L

1993-02-01

Measurement of plasma concentrations of the dopamine metabolite, homovanillic acid (pHVA), is an indirect tool to assess changes in dopamine turnover. Levels of pHVA have been reported to decrease during treatment with conventional antidopaminergic, neuroleptics, with the decrement correlating with symptomatic improvement in schizophrenic symptoms. Clozapine, an atypical neuroleptic, is the only drug proved to be effective in treatment-refractory patients. However, the mechanism mediating this unique efficacy has not been fully elucidated. This study examined the effect of clozapine on pHVA concentrations in schizophrenic patients. Since clozapine potently binds to alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, plasma norepinephrine (pNE) concentrations were also measured. Twenty-eight treatment-refractory schizophrenic patients (24 men, 4 women) were treated with clozapine (up to 600 mg/day) for 5 weeks, after a minimum 1-week drug-free period. Symptomatology and pHVA and pNE concentrations were measured at the last drug-free day and weekly for 5 weeks. Fourteen patients responded to clozapine treatment, while an equal number did not. Mean pHVA concentrations did not significantly change during treatment with clozapine. Although clozapine tended to lower pHVA concentrations in treatment responders, the effect was small and not significant. Clozapine treatment significantly raised pNE concentrations, but this did not differentiate responders from nonresponders to clozapine. These findings suggest that clozapine's effect on DA turnover is small and that clozapine may be effective in treatment-refractory schizophrenia by mechanisms other than, or in addition to, dopamine receptor blockade. However, since about one-third of NE is metabolized into HVA, the clozapine-induced increase in pNE may have overshadowed a possible lowering effect of clozapine on pHVA.

Inter- and intra-individual variability in the levels of plasma homovanillic acid in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Zumárraga, Mercedes; Dávila, Ricardo; González-Torres, Miguel Angel; Anguiano, Juan B; Zabalo, María José; Basterreche, Nieves; Arrúe, Aurora; Zamalloa, María Isabel; Guimón, José

2007-04-13

Changes in the levels of homovanillic acid in blood plasma (pHVA) may reflect changes which occur in the brain. In healthy individuals, this concentration of pHVA is stable over time. Over the course of one month, we studied 98 acute schizophrenic patients who had not been taking any medication but were administered neuroleptics upon hospital admission, together with 23 chronic schizophrenic patients on long-term treatment from whom medication was withdrawn. Blood samples were taken at regular intervals from each individual and the concentration of plasma homovanillic acid was measured. We found relative stable values of pHVA with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.363 in acute patients and 0.638 (p<0.0001) in chronic patients, although no differences were found in mean values (13.79 and 14.18 microg/L, respectively) or in the variation range (7.20 to 26.7 microg/L and 6.96 to 29.96 microg/L respectively). The index of individuality was calculated to be 1.36 in acute patients and 0.74 in chronic patients. Despite the wide range of values in the concentration of pHVA and the presence of pharmacological stimuli, we found a certain reproducibility in the levels of this dopamine metabolite. These findings are consistent with the idea that the dopaminergic activity is characterized by a constitutive value which would be under genetic control. The higher stability observed in chronic patients may reflect a weaker, age-related dopaminergic plasticity; conversely, it may indicate that a lack of plasticity in response to a pharmacological stimulus may be an indicator of poorer prognosis.

Relationship of symptomatology, gender, and antipsychotic drug treatment with plasma homovanillic acid in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Zhang, Z J; Reynolds, G P; Ramchand, C; Peet, M; Shah, S

2001-01-01

To study the role of dopamine neurotransmission in schizophrenia and its drug treatment by assessing the relationship of plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA), a major central dopamine metabolite to various clinical parameters in schizophrenic patients. pHVA was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection in a large cohort of both medicated and unmedicated DSM-IV schizophrenic patients. Prior to the measurement of pHVA, the patients were rated on the schedule for the assessment of positive and negative symptoms (PANSS). (1) pHVA in 46 patients receiving antipsychotic drugs was decreased, and in 58 drug-free patients increased, (7.4+/-2.7) microg/L and (10+/-4) microg/L compared with a matched control group (9 microg/L+/-3 microg/L, n=62) (ANOVA F=8.57, df=2, P < 0.01), respectively. Within the drug-free group, pHVA was higher in the patients with a more negative symptom profile. (2) No significant correlation of pHVA with overall SAPS or SANS scores was apparent in the drug-free patients, although within the SANS subscales, a significant relationships to anhedonia-asociality (r=0.32, P < 0.05) was apparent. The male drug-free patients showed a positive correlation of pHVA with negative symptoms (r=0.42, P < 0.05) while females showed no significant relationship with any PANSS subscales. The results suggest that an increased dopaminergic metabolism is apparent in (male) schizophrenic patients with predominantly negative symptoms, supporting reports that this change in neuronal activity may be related to the neuropathological abnormalities seen in the disease, which may differ between males and females. Such neuronal deficits of developmental origin may thus result in an elevation/disinhibition of central dopamine metabolism in schizophrenia.

Lack of Effect of Sodium Benzoate at Reported Clinical Therapeutic Concentration on d-Alanine Metabolism in Dogs.

PubMed

Popiolek, Michael; Tierney, Brendan; Steyn, Stefanus J; DeVivo, Michael

2018-06-19

Cognitive decline and psychosis have been hypothesized to be mediated by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction. Consistent with this hypothesis, chronic treatment with d-alanine, a coagonist at the glycine site of the NMDAR, leads to an improvement of positive and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenic patients. d-alanine is oxidized by d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO); thus, an inhibitor of DAAO would be expected to enhance d-alanine levels and likewise lead to desirable clinical outcomes. Sodium benzoate, on the basis of d-amino acid inhibition, was observed to display beneficial clinical effects in schizophrenic and Alzheimer's patients. However, in the clinical pilot studies using sodium benzoate, d-amino acids were not quantified to verify that sodium benzoate's efficacy was mediated through DAAO inhibition. In this study, d-alanine content was monitored in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) of dogs treated with daily injections of d-alanine (30 mg/kg) alone and in combination with sodium benzoate (30 mg/kg) for seven consecutive days. We reasoned that the cerebral spinal fluid d-alanine quantity is reflective of the brain d-alanine levels and it would increase as a consequence of DAAO inhibition with sodium benzoate. We found that d-alanine treatment lead to maximal concentration of 7.51 μM CSF d-alanine level; however, coadministration of sodium benzoate and d-alanine did not change CSF d-alanine level beyond that of d-alanine treatment alone. As a consequence, we conclude that clinical efficacy associated with chronic administration of sodium benzoate in schizophrenic and Alzheimer's patients is likely not mediated through inhibition of DAAO.

[Theory of mind in schizophrenia].

PubMed

Bonshtein, Udi

2006-12-01

The term "theory of mind" (ToM) refers to the capacity to infer one's own and other persons' mental states (e.g. their beliefs, feelings, intentions or knowledge). It was found that children in the autistic spectrum have deficits in ToM. One of the suggestions was that unlike autistic people, ToM skills are normally developed in schizophrenia patients, but "lost" in the first psychotic episode. The deficit may disappear on remission from the acute phase, as described in some studies. A substantial body of research has highlighted the impaired ToM in schizophrenia. There is good empirical evidence that ToM is specifically impaired in schizophrenia and that many psychotic symptoms--for instance, delusions of alien control and persecution, the presence of thought and language disorganization, and other behavioral symptoms--may best be understood in light of a disturbed capacity in patients to relate their own intentions to executing behavior, and to monitor others' intentions. However, it is still under debate how an impaired ToM in schizophrenia is associated with other aspects of cognition, how the impairment fluctuates with acuity or chronicity of the schizophrenic disorder, and if it is a state or trate marker. The paper reviews the current literature and suggests potential implications and future research areas.

Neuropsychological Differences Among Subtypes of Schizophrenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Gerald; Halperin, Keith M.

1977-01-01

A common pool of schizophrenic subjects was subdivided and analyzed three separate times on the basis of three sets of criteria: paranoid versus nonparanoid, neurologically normal versus neurologically abnormal, and long-term institutionalization versus short-term institutionalization. Differences in ability levels and patterns were determined for…

Negro Versus Caucasian Psychological Test Performance Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, William E.; Jones, Mark H.

1974-01-01

Differences in proportion of Negroes versus Caucasians receiving schizophrenic, alcoholic, and depressive psychiatric diagnoses were found. No significant race-related main effects were found on the nine Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) clinical scales. Results are discussed in terms of education having an inculturating effect on…

42 CFR 483.102 - Applicability and definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

.... This mental disorder is— (A) A schizophrenic, mood, paranoid, panic or other severe anxiety disorder...) Diagnosis. The individual has a major mental disorder diagnosable under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, revised in 1987. Incorporation of the 1987 edition of the...

42 CFR 483.102 - Applicability and definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

.... This mental disorder is— (A) A schizophrenic, mood, paranoid, panic or other severe anxiety disorder...) Diagnosis. The individual has a major mental disorder diagnosable under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, revised in 1987. Incorporation of the 1987 edition of the...

42 CFR 483.102 - Applicability and definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

.... This mental disorder is— (A) A schizophrenic, mood, paranoid, panic or other severe anxiety disorder...) Diagnosis. The individual has a major mental disorder diagnosable under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, revised in 1987. Incorporation of the 1987 edition of the...

42 CFR 483.102 - Applicability and definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

.... This mental disorder is— (A) A schizophrenic, mood, paranoid, panic or other severe anxiety disorder...) Diagnosis. The individual has a major mental disorder diagnosable under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, revised in 1987. Incorporation of the 1987 edition of the...

Dreaming and Schizophrenia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stickney, Jeffrey L.

Parallels between dream states and schizophrenia suggest that the study of dreams may offer some information about schizophrenia. A major theoretical assumption of the research on dreaming and schizophrenia is that, in schizophrenics, the dream state intrudes on the awake state creating a dreamlike symptomatology. This theory, called the REM…

Schizotypal Estimators in Adolescence: The Concurrent Validity of the RISC.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rust, John; Chiu, Herbert

1988-01-01

Administered Minnesota Counseling Inventory and Rust Inventory of Schizotypal Cognition (RISC) to 174 adolescents in Hong Kong. Results showed that negative schizophrenic symptoms of social dysfunction and emotional instability as measured by Minnesota Counseling Inventory were positively and significantly correlated with positive schizotypal…

Graph theory applied to the analysis of motor activity in patients with schizophrenia and depression

PubMed Central

Fasmer, Erlend Eindride; Berle, Jan Øystein; Oedegaard, Ketil J.; Hauge, Erik R.

2018-01-01

Depression and schizophrenia are defined only by their clinical features, and diagnostic separation between them can be difficult. Disturbances in motor activity pattern are central features of both types of disorders. We introduce a new method to analyze time series, called the similarity graph algorithm. Time series of motor activity, obtained from actigraph registrations over 12 days in depressed and schizophrenic patients, were mapped into a graph and we then applied techniques from graph theory to characterize these time series, primarily looking for changes in complexity. The most marked finding was that depressed patients were found to be significantly different from both controls and schizophrenic patients, with evidence of less regularity of the time series, when analyzing the recordings with one hour intervals. These findings support the contention that there are important differences in control systems regulating motor behavior in patients with depression and schizophrenia. The similarity graph algorithm we have described can easily be applied to the study of other types of time series. PMID:29668743

Increased co-expression of genes harboring the damaging de novo mutations in Chinese schizophrenic patients during prenatal development.

PubMed

Wang, Qiang; Li, Miaoxin; Yang, Zhenxing; Hu, Xun; Wu, Hei-Man; Ni, Peiyan; Ren, Hongyan; Deng, Wei; Li, Mingli; Ma, Xiaohong; Guo, Wanjun; Zhao, Liansheng; Wang, Yingcheng; Xiang, Bo; Lei, Wei; Sham, Pak C; Li, Tao

2015-12-15

Schizophrenia is a heritable, heterogeneous common psychiatric disorder. In this study, we evaluated the hypothesis that de novo variants (DNVs) contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We performed exome sequencing in Chinese patients (N = 45) with schizophrenia and their unaffected parents (N = 90). Forty genes were found to contain DNVs. These genes had enriched transcriptional co-expression profile in prenatal frontal cortex (Bonferroni corrected p < 9.1 × 10(-3)), and in prenatal temporal and parietal regions (Bonferroni corrected p < 0.03). Also, four prenatal anatomical subregions (VCF, MFC, OFC and ITC) have shown significant enrichment of connectedness in co-expression networks. Moreover, four genes (LRP1, MACF1, DICER1 and ABCA2) harboring the damaging de novo mutations are strongly prioritized as susceptibility genes by multiple evidences. Our findings in Chinese schizophrenic patients indicate the pathogenic role of DNVs, supporting the hypothesis that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disease.

Increased co-expression of genes harboring the damaging de novo mutations in Chinese schizophrenic patients during prenatal development

PubMed Central

Wang, Qiang; Li, Miaoxin; Yang, Zhenxing; Hu, Xun; Wu, Hei-Man; Ni, Peiyan; Ren, Hongyan; Deng, Wei; Li, Mingli; Ma, Xiaohong; Guo, Wanjun; Zhao, Liansheng; Wang, Yingcheng; Xiang, Bo; Lei, Wei; Sham, Pak C; Li, Tao

2015-01-01

Schizophrenia is a heritable, heterogeneous common psychiatric disorder. In this study, we evaluated the hypothesis that de novo variants (DNVs) contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We performed exome sequencing in Chinese patients (N = 45) with schizophrenia and their unaffected parents (N = 90). Forty genes were found to contain DNVs. These genes had enriched transcriptional co-expression profile in prenatal frontal cortex (Bonferroni corrected p < 9.1 × 10−3), and in prenatal temporal and parietal regions (Bonferroni corrected p < 0.03). Also, four prenatal anatomical subregions (VCF, MFC, OFC and ITC) have shown significant enrichment of connectedness in co-expression networks. Moreover, four genes (LRP1, MACF1, DICER1 and ABCA2) harboring the damaging de novo mutations are strongly prioritized as susceptibility genes by multiple evidences. Our findings in Chinese schizophrenic patients indicate the pathogenic role of DNVs, supporting the hypothesis that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disease. PMID:26666178

Prediction of the period of psychotic episode in individual schizophrenics by simulation-data construction approach.

PubMed

Huang, Chun-Jung; Wang, Hsiao-Fan; Chiu, Hsien-Jane; Lan, Tsuo-Hung; Hu, Tsung-Ming; Loh, El-Wui

2010-10-01

Although schizophrenia can be treated, most patients still experience inevitable psychotic episodes from time to time. Precautious actions can be taken if the next onset can be predicted. However, sufficient information is always lacking in the clinical scenario. A possible solution is to use the virtual data generated from limited of original data. Data construction method (DCM) has been shown to generate the virtual felt earthquake data effectively and used in the prediction of further events. Here we investigated the performance of DCM in deriving the membership functions and discrete-event simulations (DES) in predicting the period embracing the initiation and termination time-points of the next psychotic episode of 35 individual schizophrenic patients. The results showed that 21 subjects had a success of simulations (RSS) ≥70%. Further analysis demonstrated that the co-morbidity of coronary heart diseases (CHD), risks of CHD, and the frequency of previous psychotic episodes increased the RSS.

Psychoeducational intervention and prevention of relapse among schizophrenic disorders in the Italian community psychiatric network

PubMed Central

2007-01-01

Background The lack of compliance is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and switching or augmentation of therapy when compared with being compliant. A synergy of drug therapy and psychosocial interventions can give more benefits in treatment. Methods A perspective study was conducted on 150 patients with schizophrenia over 15 centers in Italy. The experimental group was treated with drug therapy, traditional psychosocial and psychoeducation for the patients and their families, while the control group received traditional psychosocial and drug intervention over 1 year. Results The experimental group showed a significant statistical improvement (p < 0,05) in almost all the scales that have been assessed (BPRS, SAPS, SANS, SIMPSON-ANGUS SCALE, LANCASHIRE QL SCALE). Significant was the reduction of the number of hospitalizations and of days of hospital stay. Conclusion As it is shown in international literature, psychoeducational intervention with schizophrenic patients and their families can reduce the occurrence of relapse. PMID:17593299

Déjà vu experiences in schizophrenia: relations with psychopathology and antipsychotic medication.

PubMed

Adachi, Naoto; Adachi, Takuya; Akanuma, Nozomi; Matsubara, Ryouji; Ito, Masumi; Takekawa, Yoshikazu; Ikeda, Hiroshi; Arai, Heii

2007-01-01

To clarify why patients with schizophrenia show déjà vu experiences less frequently, we studied déjà vu experiences in 113 schizophrenic patients in relation to psychopathologies and antipsychotic medication. Déjà vu experiences were observed in 53.1% of the schizophrenic patients. Patients with increased negative symptoms (blunted affect, motor retardation, emotional withdrawal, conceptual disorganization, and mannerisms) had déjà vu experiences less frequently. The other psychopathologies were not significantly associated with presence of déjà vu experiences. The dosage of antipsychotic drugs was significantly correlated with the frequency of déjà vu experiences. This correlation was not affected by their psychopathologies at the time of examination. The decreased frequency of déjà vu experiences in patients with schizophrenia may be mainly due to the negative symptoms. The positive relation between frequency of déjà vu experiences and the dosage of neuroleptics remains uncertain.

Associations of blood homocysteine concentrations in Arab schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Akanji, A O; Ohaeri, J U; Al-Shammri, S A; Fatania, H R

2007-09-01

This study aimed to evaluate the blood homocysteine concentration in Arab patients with schizophrenia and assess its associations with clinical phenotypes of the disease. Two age-matched groups of subjects were studied: (1) Healthy Controls, HC, n=165; (2) patients with schizophrenia, SZ: n=207. Each subject was evaluated with a standard questionnaire for age at disease onset, family history, disease severity and outcome. Plasma homocysteine levels (Hcys) were measured by immunoassay and serum levels of other biochemical parameters were measured by routine Autoanalyzer techniques. Group HC was heavier (body mass index, BMI) while SZ had greater waist-hip ratio (WHR) and plasma Hcys levels. In SZ, there were significant correlations between Hcys and BMI, triglycerides and HDL. Hcys levels in SZ were highest in the younger male patients. Schizophrenic patients have increased blood Hcys levels which correlate with components of the metabolic syndrome. Hcys levels were highest in the younger male patients and were not influenced by prognostic features of the disease.

Attempted suicide by black men and women: an 11 year study.

PubMed

Frierson, R L; Lippmann, S B

1990-06-01

Two hundred and thirty-two black patients (103 men, 129 women) who attempted suicide were referred for psychiatric consultation from January 1976 through August 1987. Black male attempters were (1) more often schizophrenic; (2) more apt to be intoxicated; (3) more commonly psychotic; and (4) more prone to use violent methods. Black women were more likely to manifest clinical depression and much more inclined to choose drug overdose as a method. Women were also more apt to jump from buildings or bridges and deliberately set themselves ablaze. Referrals of suicide attempters increased for both sexes over the study period, and violent methods, particularly firearm use, rose steadily among black women over the 11 1/2 years. Recommendations for providing care to black suicide attempters include (1) appreciation of the psychological effects of racism; (2) increased sensitivity to depressive features in black schizophrenics; (3) consideration of affective disorders in young black males frequently involved in violent acts; and (4) awareness of one's own racially biased attitudes.

Graph theory applied to the analysis of motor activity in patients with schizophrenia and depression.

PubMed

Fasmer, Erlend Eindride; Fasmer, Ole Bernt; Berle, Jan Øystein; Oedegaard, Ketil J; Hauge, Erik R

2018-01-01

Depression and schizophrenia are defined only by their clinical features, and diagnostic separation between them can be difficult. Disturbances in motor activity pattern are central features of both types of disorders. We introduce a new method to analyze time series, called the similarity graph algorithm. Time series of motor activity, obtained from actigraph registrations over 12 days in depressed and schizophrenic patients, were mapped into a graph and we then applied techniques from graph theory to characterize these time series, primarily looking for changes in complexity. The most marked finding was that depressed patients were found to be significantly different from both controls and schizophrenic patients, with evidence of less regularity of the time series, when analyzing the recordings with one hour intervals. These findings support the contention that there are important differences in control systems regulating motor behavior in patients with depression and schizophrenia. The similarity graph algorithm we have described can easily be applied to the study of other types of time series.

Haloperidol and reduced haloperidol concentrations in plasma and red blood cells from chronic schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Ko, G N; Korpi, E R; Kirch, D G

1989-06-01

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 15 drug-free chronic schizophrenic inpatients were treated with a fixed dose of haloperidol for 6 weeks. Haloperidol and its metabolite, reduced haloperidol, were measured in plasma and red blood cells after 2, 4, and 6 weeks of treatment. Behavioral change was rated using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Not only the raw concentrations, but also blood compartment sums and ratios of these four drug measurements were tested for their strength of association with behavioral improvement. Positive associations with some BPRS subscales at some time points emerged; however, no significant correlations were found to extend across all time points measured. There was a trend in this cohort for negative symptom improvement to be associated with the ratio of haloperidol to reduced haloperidol in red blood cells. The ratio of haloperidol to reduced haloperidol in plasma was always greater than that in the red blood cells for all patients, reflecting an accumulation of the metabolite in red blood cells.

Picturing neuroscience research through a human rights lens: Imaging first-episode schizophrenic treatment-naive individuals

PubMed Central

Eijkholt, Marleen; Anderson, James A.; Illes, Judy

2012-01-01

In this paper we examine imaging research involving first-episode schizophrenic treatment-naive individuals (FESTNIs) through a legal human rights lens; in particular, the lens of the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine Concerning Biomedical Research. We identify a number of ethical and legal hot spots highlighted by the Protocol, and offer a series of recommendations designed to ensure the human rights compatibility of this research. Subsequently, we argue that the lack of reporting on design elements related to ethical concerns frustrates commitments at the heart of the human rights approach, namely, transparency and openness to international scrutiny. To redress this problem, we introduce two norms for the first time: ethical transparency, and ethical reproducibility. When concluding, we offer a set of reporting guidelines designed to operationalize these norms in the context of imaging research involving FESTNIs. Though we will not make this case here, we believe that parallel reporting guidelines should be incorporated into other areas of research involving human subjects. PMID:22304987

[The social psychological adaptation of patients with borderline mental disorders].

PubMed

Veshchugina, T S

1995-01-01

Social Interview Scale (SIS) elaborated by A. Clare and V. Cairns was applied. The principal information concerning adaptation and reliability of the method was presented. Two groups of patients with borderline disorders and control group (120 cases at all) were examined. The patient's groups were distinguished by the severity of the illness: the 1-st group included 30 continuous sluggish schizophrenic patients with pseudoneurotic symptoms (ICD-10: F 21) registered in mental health dispensary, the 2-nd group consisted of 50 neurotic patients who attended a psychiatrist in a district out-patient clinic (ICD-10: F 4). Social adaptation was estimated in terms of the basic areas of the man's life: housekeeping, professional occupation, material conditions, entertainments and leisure, microsocial relationships, matrimonial and family relations. It was found that schizophrenic patients were characterized first of all by severe complications in the interpersonal relations exactly with close relatives and in matrimonial sphere. Meanwhile neurotic patients were preoccupied mainly by social functioning problems as well as by job or housewife role dissatisfaction.

A review and reanalysis of Bruno Schulz's "Erkrankungsalter schizophrener Eltern und Kinder [Age at onset of illness in schizophrenic parents and offspring]:" Zeitschrift für die gesamte Neurologie und Psychiatrie, 168, 709-721, 1940.

PubMed

Sham, P C; Zerbin-Rüdin, E; Kendler, K S

1995-01-01

Nearly all previous evidence of the familial transmission of age at onset of schizophrenia has been in siblings and twins. In his paper, Bruno Schulz examined the age at onset distribution of schizophrenia in affected parent and offspring pairs, using a systematic series of ascertained cases (n = 106), as well as a second series of chronic in-patients (n = 36). The parent-offspring correlation in age at onset, for cases with a definite diagnosis in the systematically ascertained series, was estimated at 0.346 (95% confidence interval 0.134, 0.528). Schulz did not test for differences between the two series and between males and females, but our reanalysis, using correlational methods and a mixed linear model, did not detect any significant differences. These results are consistent with previous findings that age at onset of schizophrenia is influenced by familial factors which may be genetic.

Evolution of plasma homovanillic acid (HVA) in chronic schizophrenic patients treated with haloperidol.

PubMed

Galinowski, A; Poirier, M F; Aymard, N; Leyris, A; Beauverie, P; Bourdel, M C; Loo, H

1998-06-01

In a 4-week study of 14 drug-free schizophrenic patients (according to DSM-III-R), free and conjugated fractions of plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) were repeatedly measured. Free HVA levels decreased during the first 2 h of haloperidol intake (P < 0.03). Conjugated HVA levels slowly decreased during the following weeks (P < 0.05), while free HVA levels remained stable. After 4 weeks, free HVA levels remained unchanged 2 h after morning haloperidol intake, but conjugated HVA levels tended to increase. In haloperidol responders, at baseline the free/total HVA ratio was significantly higher than that in non-responders (P < 0.01). Tolerant patients, i.e. those whose post-treatment free HVA levels decreased below pre-treatment levels, were not found to respond better to haloperidol than non-tolerant patients. The balance between free and conjugated pHVA may be a better reflection of the action of haloperidol than free pHVA levels and it may be of prognostic value in terms of drug response.

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in schizophrenia during verbal memory activation: a 99mTc-HMPAO single photon emission tomography (SPET) study.

PubMed

Busatto, G F; Costa, D C; Ell, P J; Pilowsky, L S; David, A S; Kerwin, R W

1994-05-01

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was investigated in a group of medicated DSM-III-R schizophrenic patients and age, sex and handedness matched normal volunteers using a split-dose 99mTc-HMPAO Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPET) protocol. Measures were taken during the performance of a verbal memory task aimed at activating the left medial temporal lobe, a region repeatedly suggested to be structurally abnormal in schizophrenia. In normal subjects, the performance of the task was associated with significant rCBF increases in the left medial temporal, left inferior frontal and anterior cingulate cortices, and right cerebellum. Despite their significantly poorer performance on the memory task, the degree of medial temporal activation measured in the schizophrenic patients was not significantly different from that found in the control group. This finding suggests that memory deficits in schizophrenia do not necessarily imply failure to activate the left medial temporal lobe as assessed by 99mTc-HMPAO SPET.

Is semantic fluency differentially impaired in schizophrenic patients with delusions?

PubMed

Rossell, S L; Rabe-Hesketh, S S; Shapleske, J S; David, A S

1999-10-01

The study of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia has recently focused upon semantics: the study of meaning. Delusions are a plausible manifestation of abnormal semantics because by definition they involve changes in personal meaning and belief. A symptom-based approach was used to investigate semantic and phonological fluency in a group of schizophrenic patients subdivided into those with delusions and those with no current delusions. The results demonstrated that deluded patients only were differentially impaired on a test of semantic fluency in comparison to phonological fluency. All subjects showed the same decline in performance over the time course of both tests indicating that retrieval speed in schizophrenia is no different from that of normal controls. Further analysis of word associations in two semantic categories (animals and body parts), revealed that deluded subjects have a more idiosyncratic organisation for animals. The findings of reduced semantic fluency production and poor logical word associations may represent a disorganised storage of semantic information in deluded patients, which in turn affects efficient access.

Using the "Eden Express" to Teach Introductory Psychology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorman, Michael E.

1984-01-01

Students read Mark Vonnegut's "The Eden Express," an autobiographical account of a young man's schizophrenic breakdown, and wrote papers comparing how different perspectives, e.g., the biomedical and behavioral, would describe the cause and cure of Vonnegut's schizophrenia. Students liked the book and the assignment. (RM)

Evidence for an Anorexic/Bulimic MMPI Profile.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Steven M.; And Others

While there have been few reports of psychological assessment of eating disordered patients, studies using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to assess eating disordered subjects found that female anorexics had remarkably similiar profiles (score elevations of 70 or more) to female schizophrenics on the Depression (D),…

Darth Vader: Masks, Power, and Meaning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojcewicz, Stephen

1987-01-01

Investigates Darth Vader's character from the "Star Wars" movies, stimulated by the psychiatric treatment of a schizophrenic male with the delusion that he was Darth Vader. Discusses the temptations and threats from Darth Vader, which coincide with themes and fantasies of childhood and adolescence. Suggests that Darth Vader's sacrifice…

Interhemispheric Asymmetries in Visual Evoked Potential Amplitude

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-12

Layne, 1965) and of patients with Korsakoff’s syndrome (Malerstein and Callaway, 1969) . In the schizophrenics, the high variability is related to poor...communication. Malerstein, A. J., Callaway, E. Two-tone average evoked response in Korsakoff patients. J. Psychiatr. Res. 6: 253-260, 1969. Marsh, G

Striatal response to reward anticipation: evidence for a systems-level intermediate phenotype for schizophrenia.

PubMed

Grimm, Oliver; Heinz, Andreas; Walter, Henrik; Kirsch, Peter; Erk, Susanne; Haddad, Leila; Plichta, Michael M; Romanczuk-Seiferth, Nina; Pöhland, Lydia; Mohnke, Sebastian; Mühleisen, Thomas W; Mattheisen, Manuel; Witt, Stephanie H; Schäfer, Axel; Cichon, Sven; Nöthen, Markus; Rietschel, Marcella; Tost, Heike; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas

2014-05-01

Attenuated ventral striatal response during reward anticipation is a core feature of schizophrenia that is seen in prodromal, drug-naive, and chronic schizophrenic patients. Schizophrenia is highly heritable, raising the possibility that this phenotype is related to the genetic risk for the disorder. To examine a large sample of healthy first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients and compare their neural responses to reward anticipation with those of carefully matched controls without a family psychiatric history. To further support the utility of this phenotype, we studied its test-retest reliability, its potential brain structural contributions, and the effects of a protective missense variant in neuregulin 1 (NRG1) linked to schizophrenia by meta-analysis (ie, rs10503929). Examination of a well-established monetary reward anticipation paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging at a university hospital; voxel-based morphometry; test-retest reliability analysis of striatal activations in an independent sample of 25 healthy participants scanned twice with the same task; and imaging genetics analysis of the control group. A total of 54 healthy first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients and 80 controls matched for demographic, psychological, clinical, and task performance characteristics were studied. Blood oxygen level-dependent response during reward anticipation, analysis of intraclass correlations of functional contrasts, and associations between striatal gray matter volume and NRG1 genotype. Compared with controls, healthy first-degree relatives showed a highly significant decrease in ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation (familywise error-corrected P < .03 for multiple comparisons across the whole brain). Supplemental analyses confirmed that the identified systems-level functional phenotype is reliable (with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.59-0.73), independent of local gray matter volume (with no corresponding group differences and no correlation to function, and with all uncorrected P values >.05), and affected by the NRG1 genotype (higher striatal responses in controls with the protective rs10503929 C allele; familywise error-corrected P < .03 for ventral striatal response). Healthy first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients show altered striatal activation during reward anticipation in a directionality and localization consistent with prior patient findings. This provides evidence for a functional neural system mechanism related to familial risk. The phenotype can be assessed reliably, is independent of alterations in striatal structure, and is influenced by a schizophrenia candidate gene variant in NRG1. These data encourage us to further investigate the genetic and molecular contributions to this phenotype.

Concurrent Medical and Psychiatric Disorders among Schizophrenic and Neurotic Outpatients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lima, Bruno R.; Pai, Shaila

Although the occurrence of medical illnesses in psychiatric patients is quite high, medical illnesses manifested by psychiatric symptoms are often overlooked. The higher mortality rates among psychiatric patients when compared to the general population may be a reflection of neglect or inadequate treatment of the psychiatric patients' medical…

Long-Term Changes in Intelligence in Children at Risk.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worland, Julien; And Others

Retrospective studies of the intellectual performances of children who later became psychotic adults have yielded evidence of early interference in the development of intelligence in future schizophrenics. The intellectual assessments of 153 children were examined during two test periods in the St. Louis Risk Research Project. In 1967-1972, the…

[Cotard syndrome].

PubMed

Simovici, G; Bauer, A

1996-01-01

We describe a schizophrenic paranoid patient, who developed a unique clinical state that fits the Cotard syndrome. The article deals with the course of the disease, the clinical characteristics, the difficulties of treatment. The process of diagnosis and its difficulties, and the rareness of the symptoms are emphasized. Various etiological causes of the syndrome are discussed.

Interrelationships of Psychopathology and Adience-Abience on the HABGT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutt, Max L.; Miller, Lawrence J.

1976-01-01

Explores the interrelationships of two measures, based on the Hutt Adaptation of the Bender Gestalt Test (HABGT), of psychopathology and of perceptual adience-abience with two different populations: hospitalized schizoprenics and out patient psychotherapy patients. Schizophrenics were found to be higher in severity of psychopathology and lower in…

Toxoplasmosis gondii and schizophrenia: a case control study in a low Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence Mexican population

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There are conflicting reports concerning the association of T. gondii infection and schizophrenia. Therefore, we determined such association in a Mexican population of Mestizo ethnicity. Through a case-control study design, 50 schizophrenic patients and 150 control subjects matched by gender, age, r...

Implications of Sensory Stimulation in Self-Destructive Behavior.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edelson, Stephen M.

1984-01-01

The author extends the self stimulatory theory of self destructive behavior in autistic, schizophrenic, and mentally retarded individuals to suggest that damage of the skin's nerve structure lowers the tactile sensory threshold for physical input and enables individuals to obtain sensory stimulation by repeatedly depressing the damaged area. (CL)

A Long-Range Study of Schizophrenia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yahraes, Herbert

The booklet reviews the findings of a Danish longitudinal study involving 200 children (10-20 years old) at risk for schizophrenia and 100 controls. The views of the study's investigator, S. Mednick, regarding the schizophrenic Ss' learned avoidance and heightened physiological response to stress are explained. Other findings discussed include…

Selective Group Approaches in Hospital Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leopold, Harold S.

The author considers group therapy as one of the most appropriate approaches to help psychotic patients, especially schizophrenics. He advocates the formation of four graded groups of patients based on the seriousness of their problems. The first is an intake group formed of newly admitted patients. Interaction in a group situation provides the…

Schizophrenia and Crisis Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mosher, Loren R.; And Others

An experimental two-year treatment project designed to help the acute schizophrenic emerge from psychosis a stronger, better integrated person is underway at Soteria House, a comfortable 16-room house in the San Francisco Bay area. The project will compare the effects of treatment in this special facility with those of "usual" treatment in a…

Suicide Career: A Young Woman's Story in Phenomenological Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babow, Irving; Rowe, Robin

1993-01-01

Presents case study of suicidal woman diagnosed as catatonic schizophrenic in state mental hospital. Account reveals much about woman's life history, suicide career, problems of living, needs for help, and perceptions of relevant systems. Proposed model would use parts of patient's story for preventive intervention regarding suicidal behavior and…

The Relationship of Visual Evoked Potential Asymmetries to the Performance of Sonar Operators

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-08-11

also been related to EP variability. Schizophrenic adults and patients with Korsakoff’s Syndrome have shown higher evoked potential variability than...average evoked response in Korsakoff patients. J. Psychiatry Res. 6: 253-260, 1969. Santoro, T. and D. Fender. Rules for the perception of

Intergenerational Value Orientation and Psychopathology in Greek-American Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papajohn, John

1979-01-01

Examines the effect of culture change on the mental health of Greek-American families. A sample of families with second generation schizophrenic members and a sample of families without a history of manifest psychopathology are compared. Analysis reveals intergenerational value differences in those two groups as they confront acculturation…

Psychological Evaluation of Clinical Disturbance in Children at Risk for Psychopathology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worland, Julien; And Others

1979-01-01

This study sought to determine whether children of schizophrenic and manic-depressive parents would evidence more psychopathology on psychological testing than children of nonpsychotic parents and whether psychopathology in children at risk would be similar to adult psychopathology. Variables of age, sex, and race were considered. (Author/SJL)

[Relapse in schizophrenia: an exploratory study of the joint conceptions of patients, parents and caregivers].

PubMed

Koenig, M; Castillo, M-C; Urdapilleta, I; Le Borgne, P; Bouleau, J-H

2011-06-01

The question of the course of schizophrenia relapses, is of considerable interest in different clinical and social areas such as prognosis, quality of life, therapeutic relationship, psychoeducation, rehabilitation and so on. The more the schizophrenic relapses, the higher the level of handicap. Although there is a widespread agreement that it is essential to detect early signs of relapses in order to prevent them, there still remain theoretical and methodological difficulties in identifying these signs because they are personal, heterogeneous and not always specific to psychosis. That is why the notion of "relapse signature" seems relevant by taking into account differentiated and personal assessment of early signs of relapse. This implies the consideration of the different visions of relapse given by patients, parents and caregivers. We propose a qualitative study of the joint appraisal of patients, patients' parents and medical staff. The aim of this study is to regroup the expertises in order to further our understanding of the early signs of relapse. We assume that patients and parents are able to describe signs that are not considered as pathological symptoms, but refer to a personal manner of initiating the relapse process. This should then help in designing early intervention and provide reinforced therapeutic alliance and more positive responses to psychoeducation programs. We have interviewed 30 subjects divided in three groups: 10 schizophrenic patients, 10 caregivers (including physicians, psychologists and nurses) and 10 parents of schizophrenics. The patients met the following criteria: patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (DSM IV criteria), under neuroleptic treatment, and stabilized. The mean duration of illness was 15 years. The patients as well as caregivers were recruited in two external hospital structures. All the subjects gave their written consent for this study and its methods. We did not recruit parents who were not living with their schizophrenic child or who did not see or have frequent contact with him or her for this study. We conducted a semistructured interview and analysed the transcripts of the narratives provided by our three groups on the definition of relapse and early signs of relapse. Recorded interviews were processed using the Alceste Method, a computer program of textual analysis that identifies the word patterns most frequently used by the subjects. Alceste creates classes of words using a hierarchical descending classification. The description of each class is presented in the form of a word list (with the value of the word's Chi(2) association in this class). We assessed the awareness of problems using the 8-Q. The three groups described relapses as a distressed, even traumatic experience. This experience is shared by the patients' siblings who sometimes mention violent situations and difficulties at home. The analysis showed that each group uses a compartmentalized universe of speech. This raises the question of the communication and the sharing of information between the different groups. Parents who didn't live the relapse of their children and the caregivers gave prepsychotic or psychotic symptoms of relapse. Conversely, parents who had lived relapse(s) of their children gave nonspecific and very personalized signs of relapse (e.g., "When she relapses, our daughter eats much more cheese than usually"). The patients with a low level of awareness of his/her problem were able to describe early signs of relapse. They described mood and sleep disturbances. This is an unexpected result and calls for a debate on the need or not to have good insight in order to follow a psychoeducation program. This study insists on the complementarity of different conceptions of all persons involved in schizophrenic relapse in order to identify as accurately as possible the "relapse signature" of patients. According to us, and in order to promote suitable subjective data to increase insight, compliance and therapeutic alliance, psychoeducation programs should rely on these personal criteria rather than propose systematic programs. Then the relapse signature could be the first step to the appropriation of the course of illness and control of psychotic symptoms by schizophrenic patients. Copyright © 2010 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Schizo-Affective Psychoses in Childhood: A Follow-Up Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eggers, Christian

1989-01-01

The follow-up study examined 16 schizo-affective children after a mean of 16 years. In comparison to purely schizophrenic controls, subjects showed an increased incidence of affective psychoses, suicide in the ancestry, and more pre-morbidly well-adjusted personalities. The schizo-affective psychoses had mainly an acute-recurrent character.…

Schizophrenia and the Family.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Barbara J.

This document addresses the problems faced by families with a schizophrenic member, based on a survey of the literature from a variety of sources including: (1) the Alden Library of Ohio University; (2) the ERIC database; (3) the American Association of Counseling and Development (AACD); and (4) the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).…

Paranoid Schizophrenia: Assessing the Validity of the Diagnostic Schemata.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dobbs, James Mark

This paper is concerned with changes which have been proposed in the major current diagnostic system regarding paranoid schizophrenia. It is noted that the proposed changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM-III) would remove paranoia as a schizophrenic subtype and institute a spectrum description of…

Reduced Implicit and Explicit Sequence Learning in First-Episode Schizophrenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedersen, Anya; Siegmund, Ansgar; Ohrmann, Patricia; Rist, Fred; Rothermundt, Matthias; Suslow, Thomas; Arolt, Volker

2008-01-01

A high prevalence of deficits in explicit learning has been reported for schizophrenic patients, but it is less clear whether these patients are impaired in implicit learning. Deficits in implicit learning indicative of a fronto-striatal dysfunction have been reported using a serial reaction-time task (SRT), but the impact of typical neuroleptic…

Five Scribbles: An Inquiry into Artistic Intention and Critical Empathy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henley, David R.

1994-01-01

Examines five different examples of scribble art with the purpose of entering the experience of the scribbler through empathetic understanding. The participants include a schizophrenic adult; a blind, deaf, and autistic 10-year old; a known artist; a precocious 3-year old; and an elephant. Paper discovers commonalties in their efforts. (MJP)

Relating Speech and Cognitive Deficits in Children Vulnerable to Psychopathology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, Philip D.; And Others

To determine whether or not both speech and laboratory assessments of referential communication ability measure a single area of competence, three groups of children were formed on the basis of their parents' diagnostic status: schizophrenic, unipolar depressive, or bipolar disordered. The breakdown of subject groups was as follows: 23 children of…

A-B Distinction in a Sample of Prominent Psychotherapists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geller, Jesse D.; Berzins, Juris I.

1976-01-01

A sample of prominent psychotherapists were asked to fill out the A-B therapist "type" scale and comment on their possible differential effectiveness in treating schizoid/schizophrenic versus neurotic patients. The data suggest that B therapists desire and seek more complex and exciting sensory-cognitive inputs during therapy hours than A…

SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PERSONALITY CHANGE--A STUDY OF MENTAL HOSPITALIZATION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DREEBEN, ROBERT

A STUDY OF MENTAL HOSPITALIZATION WAS MADE IN A UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED, ACTIVE-CARE STATE INSTITUTION CONCERNED MAINLY WITH SCHIZOPHRENICS. THE AUTHOR EXAMINED THE ROUTES PATIENTS FOLLOW THROUGH THE HOSPITAL IN RELATION TO THERAPY AND THE PATIENT'S RETURN TO OUTSIDE LIFE. HE OBSERVED THAT THE PATIENT'S SOCIAL POSITIONS ARE DEFINED IN LARGE PART BY…

Communication Patterns in Normal and Disturbed Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angermeyer, Matthias C.; Hecker, Hartmut

A study of formal communication in 30 families each with a schizophrenic son and 28 families, each with a "normal" son was conducted in Germany. By means of factor analysis four types of formal speech behavior were identified using musical terminology: "staccato," a highly fragmented flow of conversation with high turnover rate; "solo" in which…

A Review of the Pharmacotherapy of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Schizophrenia: The Case of Sam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randhawa, Ramandeep S.

2005-01-01

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms are a common feature of schizophrenia, and high rates of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been reported in schizophrenic patients. Effective pharmacotherapeutic options are available for both OCD and schizophrenia, and for some patients combining medications targeted at both conditions may be a helpful…

Investigation of Allegations of the Use of Mind-Altering Drugs to Facilitate Interrogations of Detainees

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-23

his medical records showed that IG-02 had been diagnosed as schizophrenic and psychotic with a borderline personality disorder. Medication he received...hearing a senior official of the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig testified 10 response to a question concerning being injected with LSD that the incident

Exaggerated Leftward Bias in the Mental Number Line of Patients with Schizophrenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavezian, Celine; Rossetti, Yves; Danckert, James; d'Amato, Thierry; Dalery, Jean; Saoud, Mohamed

2007-01-01

Several visuo-motor tasks can be used to demonstrate biases towards left hemispace in schizophrenic patients, suggesting a minor right hemineglect. Recent studies in neglect patients used a new number bisection task to highlight a lateralized defect in their visuo-spatial representation of numbers. To test a possible lateralized representational…

The M.B.A.: A Schizophrenic Graduate Program?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rinehart, Shelley M.

2007-01-01

The term "M.B.A." is globally recognized as referring to a Masters of Business Administration Program, a degree historically perceived as a graduate's ticket to employment opportunities, generous salaries and the business savvy that garners respect across industries. Recently, however, the value of an M.B.A. has come under fire from many…

Development of Computer-Supported Assessment and Treatment Consultation for Emotional Crises (CATCEC) for a Submarine Environment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-01

SCHIZOPHRENIC DISORDER Amphetamine Delusional Disorder PARANOID DISORDER Cannabis Delusional Disorder Hallucinogen Delusional Disorder BRIEF REACTIVE...Intoxication Borderline Personality Disorder Cocaine Intoxication Histrionic Personality Disorder Caffeine Intoxication Narcissistic Personality Disorder... Cannabis Intoxication Dependent Personality Disorder ON, Inhalant Intoxication Schizoid Personality Disorder Minor Tranquilizer Intoxication Compulsive

Bioavailability of oral and intramuscular molindone hydrochloride in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Zetin, M; Cramer, M; Garber, D; Plon, L; Paulshock, M; Hoffman, H E; Schary, W L

1985-01-01

This study was designed to assess the bioequivalence of intramuscular molindone hydrochloride and marketed oral molindone. Ten schizophrenic patients (mean age, 30.2 years) received oral molindone in single daily doses of 100 or 150 mg for four to eight days followed by intramuscular molindone in single daily doses of 50 or 75 mg for four days. On the last day each molindone formulation was given, plasma samples were collected at baseline and at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 hours after administration. The pharmacokinetic measures of area under the curve and maximum concentration show that intramuscular molindone is 1.49 to 1.67 times more bioavailable than oral molindone. This finding indicates that once a patient's acute psychotic episode has been stabilized with intramuscular molindone, therapy can continue without interruption by substituting 1.5 mg of oral molindone for every 1 mg of intramuscular molindone. The time to maximum concentration occurred significantly earlier (P = 0.05) with intramuscular molindone (0.6 hours) than with oral molindone (1.1 hours). Elimination half-life values were approximately two hours for both formulations.

[Creativity and psychiatric disorders: recent neuroscientific insights].

PubMed

Thys, E; Sabbe, B; de Hert, M

2011-01-01

Creativity is an important human characteristic on which many of mankind's achievements are based. For centuries practitioners of various disciplines have deliberated over the possible connection between creativity and psychopathology. Even today the issue is still being investigated, mainly by groups working more or less independently; these range from art experts to psychiatrists and neuroscientists. In this article we bring together the foremost recent neuroscientific findings on the subject. We searched for relevant articles via electronic databases using a broad-band search strategy and concentrating mainly on neuroscientific publications. Our study of relevant articles showed that both the definition and the measurability of creativity are still problematic. Psychometric and psychodiagnostic research supports a link between creativity and the psychopathology of bipolar, schizophrenic and especially schizotypal disorders; the results of imaging techniques are less consistent and genetic research reveals a link between creativity and proneness to psychosis. There seems to be a connection between creativity and psychopathology in the bipolar-schizophrenic continuum. This connection is even more evident within the individual components of creativity and symptom groups of these pathologies. There is a need for accurate definitions, measuring instruments and multidisciplinary collaboration.

The meaning of pharmacological treatment for schizophrenic patients1

PubMed Central

Vedana, Kelly Graziani Giacchero; Miasso, Adriana Inocenti

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: to understand the meaning of medication therapy for schizophrenic patients and formulate a theoretical model about the study phenomenon. METHOD: a qualitative approach was employed, using Symbolic Interactionism as the theoretical and Grounded Theory as the methodological framework. The research was developed between 2008 and 2010 at three community mental health services in the interior of the State of São Paulo - Brazil. Thirty-six patients and thirty-six family members were selected through theoretical sampling. The data were mainly collected through open interviews and observation and simultaneously analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. RESULTS: the meaning of the pharmacotherapy is centered on the phenomenon "Living with a help that bothers", which expresses the patients' ambivalence towards the medication and determines their decision making. The insight, access, limitations for self-administration of the drugs and interactions with family members and the health team influenced the patient's medication-related behavior. CONCLUSION: the theory presented in this study provides a comprehensive, contextualized, motivational and dynamic understanding of the relation the patient experiences and indicates potentials and barriers to follow the medication treatment. PMID:25296152

Blonanserin, a novel antipsychotic, is suitable for treating schizophrenia associated with hyperprolactinemia: a case series.

PubMed

Kawabe, Kentaro; Horiuchi, Fumie; Ueno, Shu-ichi

2013-01-01

Recently, atypical antipsychotic agents have primarily been used in pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia because of the fewer associated adverse effects. Blonanserin is a novel atypical antipsychotic recently introduced to treat patients with schizophrenia in Japan and South Korea. In this study, we examined the efficacy of switching antipsychotic medications to blonanserin monotherapy in patients with chronic schizophrenia with associated hyperprolactinemia. Ten schizophrenic patients (5 males and 5 females) with hyperprolactinemia were recruited. Clinical data before (baseline) and 12 weeks after (end point) switching to blonanserin monotherapy were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale score, Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale, and serum prolactin levels. The mean (SD) blonanserin dosage was 14.8 (3.8) mg/d. After switching to blonanserin, there were significant improvements in the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale in the patients from both sexes. Moreover, serum prolactin levels in the female patients significantly decreased to within reference range. There were no additional adverse effects observed with the blonanserin treatment. Switching to blonanserin can reverse medication-induced prolactin elevations found in female patients- and blonanserin is a suitable antipsychotic for schizophrenic patients.

No association between the protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor-type, Z Polypeptide 1 (PTPRZ1) gene and schizophrenia in the Japanese population.

PubMed

Ito, Yoshihito; Yamada, Shinnosuke; Takahashi, Nagahide; Saito, Shinichi; Yoshimi, Akira; Inada, Toshiya; Noda, Yukihiro; Ozaki, Norio

2008-10-05

NRG1-ERBB signaling influences the risk for schizophrenia pathology. A recent study has reported that MAGI1, MAGI2, and protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor-type, Z polypeptide 1 (PTPRZ1; located on 7q31.3) gene products regulate the NRG1-ERBB4 signaling pathway, and PTPRZ1 is associated with schizophrenia in a Caucasian population. By applying a gene-based association concept, we analyzed any association between PTPRZ1 tagging SNPs and schizophrenia in the Japanese population (576 schizophrenics and 768 controls). After linkage disequilibrium analysis, 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped using a 5'-exonuclease allelic discrimination assay. We found a significant association of one tagging SNP in a genotype-wise analysis (P = 0.007); however, this might be resulted from type I error due to multiple testing (P = 0.17 after SNPSpD correction). No association was observed between schizophrenic patients and controls in either allelic, genotypic, or haplotypic analyses. Our results therefore suggest that PTPRZ1 is unlikely to be related to the development of schizophrenia in the Japanese population.

Are oxidative stress markers useful to distinguish schizoaffective disorder from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder?

PubMed

Bulbul, Feridun; Virit, Osman; Alpak, Gokay; Unal, Ahmet; Bulut, Mahmut; Kaya, Mehmet Cemal; Altindag, Abdurrahman; Celik, Hakim; Savas, Haluk A

2014-04-01

Schizoaffective disorder is a disease with both affective and psychotic symptoms. In this study, we aimed to compare oxidative metabolism markers of schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenic patients. Furthermore, we also aimed to investigate whether schizoaffective disorder could be differentiated from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in terms of oxidative metabolism. Total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS) were measured in the blood samples that were collected from schizoaffective patients (n = 30), bipolar disorder patients (n = 30) and schizophrenic patients (n = 30). Oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated by dividing TOS by TAS. TOS and OSI were found to be higher in patients with schizoaffective disorder compared with those in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients. TAS was not significantly different between the groups. Schizoaffective disorder was found to be different from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in terms of oxidative parameters. This result may indicate that schizoaffective disorder could differ from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in terms of biochemical parameters. Increased TOS levels observed in schizoaffective disorder may suggest poor clinical course and may be an indicator of poor prognosis.

Association between GABA-A receptor alpha 5 subunit gene locus and schizophrenia of a later age of onset.

PubMed

Papadimitriou, G; Dikeos, D; Daskalopoulou, E; Karadima, G; Avramopoulos, D; Contis, C; Stefanis, C

2001-01-01

Heritability is considered to be a major etiologic factor for schizophrenia. Among the genes considered as candidates for the disease, are those related to GABAergic neurotransmission. Our aim was to test for a genetic association between GABA-A receptor alpha 5 subunit gene locus (GABRA(5)) and schizophrenia. Genotyping of the GABRA(5) locus was performed by the use of a dinucleotide (CA) repeat marker in 46 schizophrenic patients and 50 healthy individuals, all unrelated Greeks. Eight alleles were identified, 276-290 bp long. A nonsignificant excess of the 282-bp allele, which was found in a previous study in a Greek population to be associated with bipolar affective disorder, was observed in schizophrenic patients (33.8 vs. 23.9% in the controls). The frequency of this allele was 43.3% among patients with a later age of onset (over 25 years), differing at a statistically significant level from the controls (p < 0.05). These results suggest that common pathophysiological mechanisms may possibly underlie affective disorders and schizophrenia, at least in a subgroup of patients. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel

Expression changes of serotonin receptor gene subtype 5HT3a in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from schizophrenic patients treated with haloperidol and Olanzapin.

PubMed

Shariati, Gholam Reza; Ahangari, Ghasem; Hossein-nezhad, Arash; Asadi, Seyed Mohammad; Pooyafard, Farzaneh; Ahmadkhaniha, Hamid Reza

2009-09-01

Serotonin receptors are involved in pathophysiology of schizophrenia and may mediate other neurotransmitter effects. We investigated serotonin receptors gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of naïve schizophrenic patients, before and after treatment. Also serotonin receptor gene expression was compared in two treatment groups including Haloperidol and Olanzapine. The PBMC was separated from whole blood by Ficoll-hypaque. The total cellular RNA was extracted and the cDNA was synthesized. This process was followed by real-time PCR using primer pairs specific for 5HT(3a) serotonin receptor mRNA and beta-actin as internal control. The results showed the presence of subtype of serotonin receptor in lymphocytes. Serotonin gene expression showed significant changes in Olanzapine treatment group which correlated with Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score improvement. In conclusion, the present study has shown that human PBMC express serotonin receptors 5HT(3a). Moreover, clinical symptom improvement of Olanzapin may be demonstrated by a change in serotonin receptor gene expression.

Cognitive and evoked response measures of information processing in schizophrenics with and without a family history of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Asarnow, R F; Cromwell, R L; Rennick, P M

1978-10-01

Twenty-four male schizophrenics, 12 (SFH) with schizophrenia in the immediate family and 12 (SNFH) with no evidence of schizophrenia in the family background, and 24 male control subjects, 12 highly educated (HEC), and 12 minimally educated (MEC), were assessed for premorbid social adjustment and were administered the Digit Symbol Substitution Test, a size estimation task, and the EEG average evoked response (AER) at different levels of stimulus intensity. As predicted from the stimulus redundancy formulation, the SFH patients were poorer in premorbid adjustment, were less often paranoid, functioned at a lower level of cognitive efficiency (poor digit symbol and greater absolute error on size estimation), were more chronic, and, in some respects, had size estimation indices of minimal scanning. Contrary to prediction, the SFH group had the strongest and most sustained augmenting response on AER, while the SNFH group shifted from an augmenting to a reducing pattern of response. The relationship between an absence of AER reducing and the presence of cognitive impairment in the SFH group was a major focus of discussion.

The effects of cognitive rehabilitation on social knowledge in patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Matsui, Mié; Arai, Hirofumi; Yonezawa, Mineo; Sumiyoshi, Tomiki; Suzuki, Michio; Kurachi, Masayoshi

2009-07-01

This study examined the extent to which cognitive rehabilitation alleviates cognitive deficits in schizophrenia compared to treatment as usual, and explored the mediating and moderating effects on cognitive improvement. Two groups who received cognitive rehabilitation and treatment as usual were assessed at baseline, three months (immediately post-intervention) and at follow-up (three months post-intervention). Cognitive rehabilitation focused on deficits in social knowledge and was conducted once a week for three months. The principles of errorless leaning and scaffolding informed the intervention. Outcomes were assessed using Script Test measures of social cognition. Other cognitive functions (executive functions and memory) and clinical symptoms were also assessed. Script Test for social knowledge and Rule Shift Test for cognitive flexibility scores were significantly better post-intervention in the cognitive rehabilitation group, while in the control group only free recall Script Test scores improved. Cognitive rehabilitation focused on social knowledge deficits can contribute to improvements in the social cognitive abilities of schizophrenic patients. Improvements in social cognitive functioning were durable at three-month follow-up. Cognitive rehabilitation can clearly benefit schizophrenic patients, at least when combined with atypical antipsychotic medication.

[A comparison of characteristics of pathologic hobbies in schizophrenic patients of different age].

PubMed

Sergeev, I I; Deych, R V; Malinochka, S A

2016-01-01

To analyze age-related pathologic hobbies in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Forty-three inpatients, aged from 4 to 16 years, and 31 patients, aged from 18 to 65 years, were studied. Clinical/psychopathological analysis, psychological experiment and clinical statistics were used. Pathological hobbies substantially differed depending on the age (3-6, 7-15 and 18-65 years). In preschool age, hobbies were immature and infantile, arose autochthonously, their course was relatively stable and they had limited maladaptive effects. In junior school/teenager age, hobbies were more distinct and were associated with more diverse and mature realization patterns. Their origin was more depended on environmental factors, the course was persistent or attack-like with more pronounced and steady maladaptive effects. In some cases, there was a trend to pathological hobby progression. Abnormal hobbies in patients of mature age were the most diverse in their subjects and forms of realization as well as in their clinical variants and dynamic types. In the group of mature patients with schizophrenic spectrum disorders, there was a significantly higher percentage of psychotic forms of pathological hobbies.

The meaning of pharmacological treatment for schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Vedana, Kelly Graziani Giacchero; Miasso, Adriana Inocenti

2014-01-01

to understand the meaning of medication therapy for schizophrenic patients and formulate a theoretical model about the study phenomenon. a qualitative approach was employed, using Symbolic Interactionism as the theoretical and Grounded Theory as the methodological framework. The research was developed between 2008 and 2010 at three community mental health services in the interior of the State of São Paulo - Brazil. Thirty-six patients and thirty-six family members were selected through theoretical sampling. The data were mainly collected through open interviews and observation and simultaneously analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. the meaning of the pharmacotherapy is centered on the phenomenon "Living with a help that bothers", which expresses the patients' ambivalence towards the medication and determines their decision making. The insight, access, limitations for self-administration of the drugs and interactions with family members and the health team influenced the patient's medication-related behavior. the theory presented in this study provides a comprehensive, contextualized, motivational and dynamic understanding of the relation the patient experiences and indicates potentials and barriers to follow the medication treatment.

Neuropsychological correlates of sustained attention in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Chen, E Y; Lam, L C; Chen, R Y; Nguyen, D G; Chan, C K; Wilkins, A J

1997-04-11

We employed a simple and relatively undemanding task of monotone counting for the assessment of sustained attention in schizophrenic patients. The monotone counting task has been validated neuropsychologically and is particularly sensitive to right prefrontal lesions. We compared the performance of schizophrenic patients with age- and education-matched controls. We then explored the extent to which a range of commonly employed neuropsychological tasks in schizophrenia research are related to attentional impairment as measured in this way. Monotone counting performance was found to be correlated with digit span (WAIS-R-HK), information (WAIS-R-HK), comprehension (WAIS-R-HK), logical memory (immediate recall) (Weschler Memory Scale, WMS), and visual reproduction (WMS). Multiple regression analysis also identified visual reproduction, digit span and comprehension as significant predictors of attention performance. In contrast, logical memory (delay recall) (WMS), similarity (WAIS-R-HK), semantic fluency, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (perseverative errors) were not correlated with attention. In addition, no significant correlation between sustained attention and symptoms was found. These findings are discussed in the context of a weakly modular cognitive system where attentional impairment may contribute selectively to a range of other cognitive deficits.

Neurologic soft signs in schizophrenic patients treated with conventional and atypical antipsychotics.

PubMed

Bersani, Giuseppe; Gherardelli, Simona; Clemente, Roberta; Di Giannantonio, Massimo; Grilli, Alfredo; Conti, Chiara M V; Exton, Michael S; Conti, Pio; Doyle, Robert; Pancheri, Paolo

2005-08-01

Neurologic soft signs (NSS) are considered a somatic feature associated with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) that are present in neuroleptic-treated, as well as untreated or first-episode patients. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and severity of NSS in groups of schizophrenic patients treated with either a conventional neuroleptic medication, haloperidol (n = 37), or atypical antipsychotic medications, risperidone (n = 19), clozapine (n = 34), and olanzapine (n = 18). NSS were assessed with the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES), whereas extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), which occur more commonly with conventional neuroleptic treatment, were evaluated using the Simpson-Angus Scale. NES scores were not significantly different between groups. Slight differences were found for 2 items only. The haloperidol group showed higher scores for the "Romberg test," whereas the clozapine group showed higher scores for "short-term memory." There were significant correlations between EPS and NES total score in the haloperidol and risperidone groups. These results demonstrate an overall overlapping of NSS among the groups, confirming their substantial independence from neurologic implications of neuroleptic treatment.

Schizophrenia in Croatia: interregional differences in prevalence and a comment on constant incidence.

PubMed Central

Folnegović, Z; Folnegović-Smalc, V

1992-01-01

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to examine why differences exist in schizophrenia prevalence and risk in some areas of Croatia, when schizophrenia incidence rates do not appear to vary. DESIGN--Areas differing by schizophrenia admission rates in patients born in 1953 and admitted by the age of 31 years are compared using a number of indicators relating both to general population characteristics and to those of schizophrenic cases in these populations. SETTING--The study covers the whole of Croatia (4,601,469 inhabitants, 1981 census). SUBJECTS--By the age of 31 years, out of 80,445 individuals born in Croatia in 1953, 464 were admitted for and diagnosed as having schizophrenia. MAIN RESULTS--Admission risk rates are higher in those parts of Croatia where emigration rates are high and lower where immigration rates are high. There is also a positive correlation with schizophrenia prevalence and manic depressive psychosis rates. There is a negative correlation with age of onset of schizophrenia and with schizophrenic reproduction rates. In the study areas, hospital incidence rates are not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS--Economic migration and negative selection in the domestic population are likely to be the most significant factors leading to differences in schizophrenia prevalence. The approximately equal incidence rates in the population, with different prevalence and admission risks, are linked to differences in the disease onset among schizophrenics with a positive family history for this condition. In other words, these patients, when part of the population with a greater prevalence and a greater hereditary loading, experience the onset more often at an earlier age. Thus they have a lower reproduction rate than in a population with a lower prevalence and a lower hereditary loading. Thus incidence rates in populations with different prevalences and different hereditary loads are maintained roughly equal over generations. Images PMID:1645081

Effectiveness of Vitamin D Supplement Therapy in Chronic Stable Schizophrenic Male Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Sheikhmoonesi, Fatemeh; Zarghami, Mehran; Mamashli, Shima; Yazdani Charati, Jamshid; Hamzehpour, Romina; Fattahi, Samineh; Azadbakht, Rahil; Kashi, Zahra; Ala, Shahram; Moshayedi, Mona; Alinia, Habibollah; Hendouei, Narjes

2016-01-01

In this study, the aim was to determine whether adding vitamin D to the standard therapeutic regimen of schizophrenic male patients with inadequate vitamin D status could improve some aspects of the symptom burden or not. This study was an open parallel label randomized clinical trial. Eighty patients with chronic stable schizophrenia with residual symptoms and Vitamin D deficiency were recruited randomly and then received either 600000 IU Vitamin D injection once along with their antipsychotic regimen or with their antipsychotic regimen only. Serum vitamin D was measured twice: first at the baseline and again on the fourth month. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was assessed at the baseline and on the fourth month. During the study, the vitamin D serum changes in vitamin group and control group were 22.1 ± 19.9(95%CI = 15.9-28.8) and 0.2 ± 1.7(95%CI = 0.2-0.8) (ng/mL) (p<0.001) respectively. The changes of PANSS positive subscale score (P) were -0.1±0.7 (95%CI =-0.3-0.1) and 0.00 ± 0.8 (95%CI = -0.2-0.2) in vitamin D and control group respectively (p=0.5). The changes of PANSS negative subscale score (N) were -0.1 ± 0.7 (95%CI = -0.3-0.05) and -0.1 ± 0.5 (95%CI = -0.2-0.04) in vitamin D and control group respectively (p = 0.7) and there was a negative but not significant correlation between serum vitamin D level changes and PANSS negative subscale score (r = -0.04, p = 0.7). We did not find a relationship between serum vitamin D level changes and the improvement of negative and positive symptoms in schizophrenic patients and more randomized clinical trials are required to confirm our findings.

Osteopenia and the physical function in Japanese patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Uchida, Satoru; Ichinose, Tsuyoshi; Iizuka, Yoichi; Okamura, Koichi; Shitara, Hitoshi; Yamazaki, Manabu; Takagishi, Kenji; Iizuka, Haku

2017-10-27

We evaluated the state of osteopenia and the physical function in 121 schizophrenic patients. These factors were worse in the inpatient group than in the outpatient group. The age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and physical function were correlated to the state of osteopenia. Physicians should consider the risk of osteopenia in elderly female psychiatric patients with low BMI. Information about the actual state of osteopenia in patients with schizophrenia is limited. In the present study, we evaluated the factors related to osteopenia and patient's physical function and compared these factors between inpatients and outpatients. A total of 121 schizophrenic patients were included in the present study. We divided the patients into two groups according to the therapeutic form. We collected data on their age, sex, body mass index (BMI), bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine and proximal femur, serum bone metabolic markers, risk of fracture, and physical function. The number of fractured vertebrae, risk of fracture, serum concentration of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP-5b), and score of locomo25 were significantly higher and the BMI and BMD in the lumbar spine and proximal femur significantly lower in the inpatient group than in the outpatient group. A multiple regression analysis showed that the age, sex, BMI, the number of fractured vertebrae, and score of locomo 25 were correlated with the BMD in the lumbar spine and proximal femur. Neither the therapeutic form nor any bone metabolic markers were correlated with the BMD. The inpatient group had a lower average BMI, BMD, and physical function than the outpatient group. However, a multiple regression analysis showed that the therapeutic form was not correlated with the BMD. These findings suggest that physicians should consider elderly female schizophrenic patients with a low BMI to be at risk of developing osteopenia.

Dose reduction of risperidone and olanzapine can improve cognitive function and negative symptoms in stable schizophrenic patients: A single-blinded, 52-week, randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Zhou, Yanling; Li, Guannan; Li, Dan; Cui, Hongmei; Ning, Yuping

2018-05-01

The long-term effects of dose reduction of atypical antipsychotics on cognitive function and symptomatology in stable patients with schizophrenia remain unclear. We sought to determine the change in cognitive function and symptomatology after reducing risperidone or olanzapine dosage in stable schizophrenic patients. Seventy-five stabilized schizophrenic patients prescribed risperidone (≥4 mg/day) or olanzapine (≥10 mg/day) were randomly divided into a dose-reduction group ( n=37) and a maintenance group ( n=38). For the dose-reduction group, the dose of antipsychotics was reduced by 50%; for the maintenance group, the dose remained unchanged throughout the whole study. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Negative Symptom Assessment-16, Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects, and Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery were measured at baseline, 12, 28, and 52 weeks. Linear mixed models were performed to compare the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Negative Symptom Assessment-16, Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery scores between groups. The linear mixed model showed significant time by group interactions on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative symptoms, Negative Symptom Assessment-16, Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects, speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory and total score of MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (all p<0.05). Post hoc analyses showed significant improvement in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative subscale, Negative Symptom Assessment-16, Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects, speed of processing, working memory and total score of MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery for the dose reduction group compared with those for the maintenance group (all p<0.05). This study indicated that a risperidone or olanzapine dose reduction of 50% may not lead to more severe symptomatology but can improve speed of processing, working memory and negative symptoms in patients with stabilized schizophrenia.