Nc. Moore et al., POSITIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA - RESPONSE TO HALOPERIDOL AND REMOXIPRIDE IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED ALPHA EEG ACTIVITY, Human psychopharmacology, 12(1), 1997, pp. 75-80
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.