DIFFERENCES IN SEMANTIC INFORMATION-PROCESSING IN SCHIZOPHRENICS

Well-established findings in schizophrenics suggest that they have dif ficulties in interpreting contextual information. We used electrophysi ological means to investigate this hypothesis. The N 400 paradigm was used in 29 acute schizophrenic patients and 28 controls. The main find ings were a changed topographical distribution of amplitude in the sch izophrenic group; that is, a reduced amplitude at the frontal sites an d a pronunciation at the occipital sites. We did not find latency diff erences. When remitted patients (n = 17) were reinvestigated, a negati ve correlation of the amplitude to the total amount of neuroleptics us ed was found. These results are discussed in relation to structural an d functional findings supporting the hypofrontality hypothesis in schi zophrenia.