QUANTITATIVE EEG, BASIC SYMPTOMS AND SMOK ING IN AETIOPATHOGENETICALLY DIFFERENT POPULATIONS OF PARANOID-HALLUCINATORY PSYCHOSES - AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY

We performed an exploratory study of quantitative EEG in aetiopathogen etically different paranoid-hallucinatory psychoses divided into the f ollowing groups: a) patients with familial psychoses (n = 12), b) pati ents with neuropsychological deficits (n = 16), c) patients with alcoh ol and drug abuse (n = 22) and d) patients with so-called sporadic psy choses (n = 12). We found a significant reduction of relative alpha po wer in the group with neuropsychological deficits. In the group with f amilial psychosis there was a significant reduction of absolute delta power and a significant increase of relative beta power and dominant b eta frequency, especially for the frontal leads. Patients with drug ab use showed a reduction of absolute beta power and an increase of absol ute and relative theta power. The group with sporadic psychosis showed a significant slowing of the dominant beta frequency and a significan t increase of the absolute power of fast alpha rhythms. The group with sporadic psychoses showed lowered scores for the paranoid-hallucinato ry basic symptom factor. The group with neuropsychological deficits sh owed the most visceral-somatoform basic symptoms, the highest nicotine consumption, increased dyskinesias and more perinatal complications. This group also showed the highest level of neuroleptic and antiparkin son medication. All in all, the group with neuropsychological deficits showed a complex interaction of somatic-exogenic and medical-iatrogen ic factors. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between paranoid-hallucinatory basic symptoms and nicotine abuse and h igh frequency beta waves.