Traumatic dissociation, epileptic-like phenomena, and schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
According to recent evidence, trauma and stress are important etiological factors in pathogenesis of schizophrenia. However, the hypothetical influence of traumatic stress on epileptic-like (or kindling) phenomena in schizophrenia is at this time unclear.


METHODS
In order to discover the influence of trauma, 82 patients with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and 50 healthy controls were assessed for symptoms of dissociation, traumatic stress and psycho-sensory symptoms of epileptic origin.


RESULTS
We have found significant traumatization and dissociation in patients who met the cut-off score for psychosensory epileptic-like symptoms and also significant correlations among these measures have been found.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest a certain role of epileptic-like phenomena in dissociative states in schizophrenia and are in accordance with rare intracranial EEG findings which suggest a certain role of epileptiform events in schizophrenia.
Bob
Petr
P
Centre for Neuropsychiatric Research of Traumatic Stress, and Department of Psychiatry, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. petrbob@netscape.net
Glaslova
Katerina
K
Susta
Marek
M
Jasova
Denisa
D
Raboch
Jiri
J
D000328:Adult; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology