PREFRONTAL DYSFUNCTION IN YOUNG ACUTE NEUROLEPTIC-NAIVE SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS - A RESTING AND ACTIVATION SPECT STUDY

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured with single photon em ission computed tomography (SPECT) in six neuroleptic-naive, young, ac ute schizophrenic patients and six normal control subjects. We evaluat ed rCBF changes in prefrontal areas at rest and during a prefrontal ac tivation task, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Schizophrenic p atients had significantly higher prefrontal blood flow than did contro l subjects during the resting conditions. During activation, the contr ol group showed significant increases in prefrontal blood flow, wherea s the schizophrenic group did not. These results suggest that at rest there is no evidence of hypofrontality, whereas hyperfrontality seems to be the most frequent pattern in our selected sample of young acute neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients. Furthermore, schizophrenic p atients seem to be unable to increase prefrontal blood flow under cond itions that challenge the prefrontal cortex.