[Pathophysiologic mechanisms of psychopathologic phenomena and psychopharmacotherapy]

The paper is concerned with the questions of genesis of psychopathological symptomatics in terms of the theory of Academician G. N. Kryzhanovsky of determinant structures and generator activity. The complexity of experimental modelling of severe psychopathological disorders is indicated since not all psychopathological phenomena possess objective characteristics. It should be keep in mind that the psychopathological method itself is a subjective one. The stability of clinical manifestations of psychoses, e.g. schizophrenia, and reactions to the psychopharmacotherapy in an individual over a long period of time suggests the involvement in pathological process of determinant structures. Variety of clinical manifestations of schizophrenia is predetermined by unequal involvement of the brain hemispheres. In connection with this one may think about the determinant structures and generator mechanisms predominating in either hemisphere. Quantitative EEG investigation in schizophrenia patients with hallucinatory-paranoid and schizoaffective symptomatics showed that in the former group after a week long therapy using stelazine the activation of the left hemisphere prevailed, and in the latter group--of the right one. Stelazine predominantly blocks the hemisphere in which generator processes are weaker (the right one in the case of hallucinatory-paranoid syndrome, and the left hemisphere with the schizoaffective one). This accounts for a great probability of development of postpsychotic depression in the patients with the schizoaffective syndrome after administration of neuroleptic therapy. Phenomenologically similar psychopathological symptomatics, in particular a depressive one, can occur as a result of the activities of various determinant structures. Anxiety, unlike other psychopathological phenomena, is responsive to practically all types of psychotropic compounds with different mechanisms of action.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)