Reduced regional brain glucose metabolism assessed by positron emission tomography in electrodermal nonresponder...

This pilot study examined whether electrodermal nonresponder and responder subgroups of schizophrenic patients differ in regional brain metabolism assessed by Positron Emission Tomography during a continuous performance test. In comparison to both normal controls (n = 6) and responder schizophrenics (n = 3), the nonresponder schizophrenics (n = 3) showed about a 20% reduction in metabolic rate across the entire brain. Nonresponder schizophrenics tended to have lower absolute metabolic rates than responders in lateral and medial frontal, thalamic, and hippocampal areas. Nonresponders also had significantly lower relative metabolic rates in medial frontal and hippocampal areas as well as the right amygdala. These data suggest that electrodermal subgroups of schizophrenics differ in both regionally specific brain metabolic processes thought to be involved in electrodermal activity and in generalized brain metabolism.