THE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AS INFLUENCED BY DRUGS1

In 14 schizophrenic patients, mescaline, cocaine, sodium amytal, and benzedrine produced changes in personality and brain waves only when psychological changes occurred. Drug effects fell into two categories: those specific to each drug, such as mescaline causing extreme anxiety and a 25 to 30 percent increase in alpha rhythm frequency, and sodium amytal reducing tension while introducing a 15 to 20 per second beta rhythm; and those characteristic of each patient, where psychotic content and reactions to the setting, along with consistent increases or decreases in alpha rhythm percentage, appeared regardless of the drug given.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mescaline, cocaine, sodium amytal and benzedrine were given to 14 schizophrenic patients, and their influence upon personality functions and the electroencephalogram (EEG) was observed. Changes in the EEG were found only when definite psychological changes took place. The effects of the drugs could be classified into two types: 1) Those specific for a given drug. Psychologically these were manifested in changes in attitude, anxiety, mood, etc. Correlated with the most extreme states of anxiety produced by mescaline was a 25 to 30 per cent increase in frequency of the 10-per-second (alpha) rhythm. With sodium amytal the decreased tension was accompanied by the appearance of a 15 to 20-persecond (beta) rhythm. 2) Those characteristic of a given patient. Psychologically these took the form of elaborations within the content of the psychosis and the patient's reaction to the setting, regardless of which drug was used. Similarly, a change in per cent time alpha of the EEG was consistent in a given patient either in the direction of increase or decrease.