Blood flow and cerebral laterality in the mescaline model of psychosis.
The psychological, neuropsychological, and neurometabolic effects of the hallucinogenic agent mescaline were investigated in 12 normal male volunteers. Between 3 1/2 and 4 hours after drug intake, mescaline produced an acute psychotomimetic state, as measured by the BPRS and PDS-P. The APZ questionnaire revealed the specific effects of mescaline in the visual system. Neuropsychological effects were studied with a face/non-face decision task with known right hemisphere advantage, in which mescaline induced a decrease in functioning of the right hemisphere. In functional brain imaging using SPECT, mescaline produced a "hyperfrontal" pattern with an emphasis on the right hemisphere, which was correlated with mescaline-induced psychotomimetic psychopathology. Our findings question the validity of the concept of hypofrontality as an explanation for acute psychotic symptomatology.
Hermle
L
L
Department of Psychiatry, Christophsbad, Göppingen, Germany.
Gouzoulis-Mayfrank
E
E
Spitzer
M
M
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects*; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008635:Mescaline / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D006213:Hallucinogens; D008635:Mescaline