MAGNETOENCEPHALOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT OF SPONTANEOUS BRAIN ACTIVITY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) offers an attractive alternative to elect roencephalography (EEG) in the assessment of psychiatric patients, In this study, a whole-head biomagnetometer equipped with 122 super-coole d sensors was used to assess spontaneous neuromagnetic activity in 11 unmedicated schizophrenic patients and 8 schizophrenic patients medica ted for more than 8 weeks with novel antipsychotics (5 of whom were in itially studied as part of the unmedicated group), Ten normal (nonpsyc hiatric) controls were also examined, For each subject, 5 minutes of d ata were collected in an eyes closed state, Data were visually inspect ed for gross MEG abnormalities, and average power spectra were calcula ted for the data at each sensor, No gross abnormalities were identifie d for control subjects, One unmedicated schizophrenic patient showed e pileptiform sharp waves, and 4 showed abnormal slow waves, No gross ME G abnormalities were found for the medicated schizophrenic group (whic h included 3 patients who had previously shown slow waves in the unmed icated state), Spectral analyses showed that the schizophrenia patient s demonstrated lower alpha power and peak frequency than controls, The data are interpreted within the context of previously reported magnet ic resonance abnormalities of the thalamus.