POSITIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA - RESPONSE TO HALOPERIDOL AND REMOXIPRIDE IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED ALPHA EEG ACTIVITY

Analysable EEGs were recorded from 13 schizophrenic patients (three ta king high-dose remoxipride; five haloperidol; five low-dose remoxiprid e). EEG data did not differ between high-dose remoxipride and haloperi dol patients, so they were combined into a single adequate dosage grou p. There were four clinical responders (two high-dose remoxipride; two haloperidol) and four non-responders (one high-dose remoxipride; thre e haloperidol) on adequate dosage. All low-dose remoxipride patients w ere non-responders. Of those on adequate dosage, responders had the sa me pretreatment EEG alpha activity as non-responders, but their posttr eatment eyes-closed alpha at 8.5 Hz in the right posterior temporal ar ea was higher (p < 0.05). The same was true when they were compared wi th non-responders on inadequate dosage. Alpha activity of all responde rs pretreatment did not differ from all nonresponders, but posttreatme nt it was higher (p < 0.05) at the left frontal, left middle temporal and right posterior temporal sites. In contrast, after treatment the i nadequate dose non-responders had lower voltage (p < 0.05) in almost a ll alpha frequencies in the left frontal, right posterior temporal and occipital areas. These results replicate previous studies of schizoph renia which show that increased alpha activity is the most reliable in dicator of clinical response to haloperidol, and suggest that the same is true of remoxipride.