Spontaneous oscillations of cerebral blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral arteries of normal subjects and schizophrenic patients.
Although many regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) studies of schizophrenic patients have been carried out, only a few studies have investigated real-time hemodynamic changes in schizophrenic patients. In the present study, we used long-term monitoring of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) by non-invasive transcranial Doppler ultrasonography to obtain real-time CBF data in 55 schizophrenic patients and 20 normal comparison subjects. The mean blood flow velocity and pulsatility index (PI) of the MCA were not constant during long-term monitoring. They showed sinusoidal oscillations similar to those described in previous reports. The amplitude variations of these oscillations in both drug-naive and medicated schizophrenic patients were significantly decreased compared with findings in normal control subjects. The averaged PI values were found to be decreased in patients with illness durations of more than 10 years. After withdrawal of antipsychotic medication, both the amplitude variations of oscillations and the PI values in the drug-withdrawn patients were significantly decreased relative to findings in normal control subjects. Our results show a decreased adjustment ability of cerebral vessel resistance not only in neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients but also in patients with longer illness duration. Neuroleptics could affect the adjustment ability of vessel resistance.
Lee
S M
SM
Military Psychiatry Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yip
P K
PK
Jeng
J S
JS
Lo
H J
HJ
Chang
M
M
D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*