Positive and negative symptoms and regional cerebral perfusion in antipsychotic-naive schizophrenic patients: a high-resolution SPECT study

In 17 antipsychotic-naive schizophrenic patients, the scores of positive an d negative symptoms of schizophrenia were correlated with relative regional cerebral perfusion measured by 99m-Tc-ECD (ethyl cysteinate dimer) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Scans were performed in subjec ts at rest. The negative symptom dimension was significantly correlated wit h a decreased level of perfusion in the left thalamic region. Other non-sig nificant trends were also observed; the positive symptom dimension was rela ted to decreased perfusion in the left temporal region and to increased per fusion in the right frontal region, while the negative symptom dimension wa s related to increased perfusion in the left frontal region. These findings suggest that the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia are relat ed to dysfunctions in different regions of the brain and different laterali zed patterns of dysfunction. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rig hts reserved.