Relationship of lateral ventricular size to psychophysiological measures and short-term outcome

To examine clinical and psychophysiological correlates of lateral ventricular size, computerized tomographic (CT) scans were obtained on a sample of 88 patients who had experienced their first psychotic episode. Patients met DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, or affective disorder with psychotic features. For patients with schizophrenia, large lateral ventricles were associated with unfavorable outcome. No association between outcome and ventricular size was found in patients with affective or schizophreniform disorder. Patients with mood disorders who had large ventricles consumed significantly greater amounts of alcohol than those with small ventricles. No differences were found between patients with large or small ventricles in premorbid functioning, smooth pursuit eye tracking, or electrodermal activity.