Local cerebral metabolic rates were determined by positron emission
tomography and the deoxyglucose method in a group of 10 chronic
schizophrenic subjects before and after somatic treatment and in eight
normal subjects. Before treatment, schizophrenic subjects had markedly
lower absolute metabolic activity than did normal controls in both frontal
and temporal regions and a trend toward relative hyperactivity in the basal
ganglia area. After treatment, their metabolic rates approached those seen
in normal subjects in nearly all regions except frontal. Persistence of
diminished frontal metabolism was manifested as significant relative
hypofrontality. These findings suggest specific loci of aberrant cerebral
functioning in chronic schizophrenia and the utility of positron emission
tomography in characterizing these abnormalities.
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