title: Brain function in psychiatric disorders. III. Regional cerebral blood flow in unmedicated schizophrenics.
abstract: Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured during resting baseline and the performance of a verbal and a spatial task in 19 unmedicated schizophrenics and 19 matched controls. Abnormalities in rCBF were evident in schizophrenics both for resting and activated measures. Resting flows were higher in the left hemisphere for schizophrenics, supporting the hypothesis of left hemispheric overactivation. This effect was stronger in the more severely disturbed patients. The pattern of rCBF changes during activation with the verbal and spatial tasks was also different in schizophrenics. Laterality of flow changes further supported the hypothesis of left hemispheric overactivation. Furthermore, whereas normals had greater increase in flow for the spatial than the verbal task, schizophrenics showed the reverse pattern. This effect also was more pronounced in the severely disturbed patients. Comparison with an earlier sample of medicated schizophrenics suggested that neuroleptics restore symmetry of resting flows before they produce symptomatic relief. Medication did not affect the abnormalities in pattern of rCBF changes during activation with cognitive tasks.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Gur
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Gur
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Skolnick
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caroff
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Obrist
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Resnick
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reivich
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012146:Rest; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013028:Space Perception; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014705:Verbal Behavior
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents