ISSN:
1432-2072
Keywords:
Schizophrenics
;
Psychophysiology
;
Autonomic
;
Drugs
;
Phenothiazines
;
Arousal
;
Attention
;
Theory
;
Methodology
;
Statistics
;
LIV
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract Studies of psychophysiologic responses of schizophrenics to drugs have involved cardiovascular measures (heart rate, blood pressure, and finger pulse volume), electrical skin activity, digital temperature, pupillary response, muscle activity, and respiration. Drugs included phenothiazines and both sympathetic and parasympathetic agents. Effects of drugs were varied and complex and no simple conclusions are possible. Phenothiazines reduced generally elevated basal levels of psychophysiological activity of schizophrenics (except for heart rate) as well as their reactivity to stimuli. These changes were often accompanied by behavioral improvement, suggesting that schizophrenics can be characterized by excessive levels of arousal which are decreased by phenothiazines to more moderate levels. In contrast, Russian work indicated that the basal levels of schizophrenics are initially low and are generally elevated by drugs, including phenothiazines, with accompanying improvement in psychological functions. These diverse findings were interpreted as showing that the psychological functioning of schizophrenics is a nonmonotonic (inverted-U) function of psychophysiological arousal. A second hypothesis was proposed to account for nonphysiological (cognitive) deficits of schizophrenics, namely, that performance is a positive, monotonic function of attention. Consequently, a two-process theoretical model involving attention and arousal processes was proposed to account for schizophrenic behavior. Several methodological questions prevented clear interpretation of many drug findings. One particular problem involved possible effects from homeostatic restraint mechanisms (law of initial values or LIV effect). A technique for removal of LIV effects was described.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00402911
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