THE DISTRIBUTION AND LATENCY OF THE AUDITORY P300 IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND DEPRESSION

In a study of 19 right-handed patients with positive symptoms of schiz ophrenia. fulfilling DSM-III-R criteria, a deficit in the left central -temporal distribution of the auditory P300 was shown compared to a gr oup of 31 controls. who showed a symmetrical distribution. In contrast , 14 right-handed patients fulfilling DSM-III-R criteria for major dep ressive illness without any psychotic features showed a deficit in the right auditory P300 distribution. These changes did not appear to dep end on either age, gender or amount of medication. There was an increa se in the P300 latency of 22 and 10 ms over that of the controls in sc hizophrenia and depressive patients, respectively. Only for those with schizophrenia was the increased latency statistically significant. Th is increased latency in the schizophrenic group did not appear to be r elated to medication. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv ed.