THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SKIN-CONDUCTANCE HYPORESPONSIVITY AND PERSEVERATIONS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA-PATIENTS

Background: it has been reported that approximately 45% of schizophren ia patients versus 10% of normal comparison subjects are classified as skin conductance hyporesponders (SCOR-HR: the lack of a robust orient ing response) when exposed to innocuous tones. We studied the skin con ductance orienting response (SCOR) of schizophrenia patients during th e exposure to complex and abstract stimuli. We investigated two questi ons: 1) would the same percentage of schizophrenia patients be classif ied as SCOR-HR when the orienting stimuli are complex and abstract as when they are innocuous tones; and 2) whether SCOR-HR schizophrenia pa tients have associated frontally mediated neurocognitive deficits. Met hods: Thirty-one schizophrenia patients and 29 normal comparison subje cts were presented with the Rorschach inkblot test while their SCORs w ere recorded. Schizophrenics were divided in two groups: SCOR-HR and S COR responders. Demographic and clinical comparisons were made between the two groups. Rorschach responses were scored for the presence of p erseverations. Results: Forty-five percent of the schizophrenia patien ts were classified as SCOR-HR versus 10% of the normal comparison subj ects. Among the schizophrenia patients, SCOR-HR was associated with in creased perseverations, which were in turn correlated with the Scale f or the Assessment of Negative Symptoms scores. Conclusions: It appears that SCOR-HR in schizophrenia is not a function of the ''meaningfulne ss'' of the stimuli. When SCOR status was combined with the measure of stuck-in-set perseverations, a pattern of results emerged lending ind irect support to the hypothesis that relates SCOR-HR to frontal impair ment and to the idea that SCOR-HR schizophrenia patients may represent a specific subgroup. (C) 1998 Society of Biological Psychiatry.