Using [11C]-deoxy-D-glucose and positron emission tomography (PET), the
authors measured brain metabolism in 18 patients with chronic schizophrenia
to assess which of the metabolic measures from two test conditions was more
closely related to the patients' differing clinical characteristics. The
two conditions were resting and activation, and an eye tracking task was
used. Patients with more negative symptoms showed lower global metabolic
rates and more severe hypofrontality than did the patients with fewer
negative symptoms. Differences among the patients were distinguished by the
task: sicker patients failed to show a metabolic activation response. These
findings suggest that cerebral metabolic patterns reflect clinical
characteristics of schizophrenic patients.Abstract Teaser