Schizophrenic auditory hallucinations are associated with increased regional cerebral blood flow during verbal memory activation in a study using single photon emission computed tomography.
Single photon emission tomography with split-dose technetium-99m-d, l-hexamethyl-propylene amine oxime was used to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during a memory-activation paradigm in a group of 18 medicated DSM-III-R schizophrenic patients. The relationship between clinical features of schizophrenia and rCBF patterns was examined. Increased blood flow to the left basal ganglia was revealed during activation in patients reporting hallucinations in the previous month, a finding that was not influenced by medication dose or other confounding variables. This result adds to previous functional imaging studies that have related basal ganglia abnormalities to hallucinatory phenomena and suggests that left basal ganglia hyperactivity may be relevant to an internal monitoring deficit responsible for the appearance of those symptoms in schizophrenia.
Busatto
G F
GF
Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
David
A S
AS
Costa
D C
DC
Ell
P J
PJ
Pilowsky
L S
LS
Lucey
J V
JV
Kerwin
R W
RW
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000098:blood supply; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*
D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime