Faculty Bibliography

Twenty-five schizophrenic outpatient subjects in a depot neuroleptic discontinuation study received an amphetamine challenge approximately 6 weeks after their last dose. Only five of these showed greater than three-point increases in positive symptoms on the BPRS, and all five relapsed within 30 days of the challenge. The 20 with less than three-point increases in positive symptoms showed extremely variable stability, relapsing from 20- greater than 600 days after the challenge. Thus, increase in positive symptoms after amphetamine may identify a group at risk for rapid relapse after neuroleptic discontinuation, but lack of such a response gives little prognostic information

Blunted responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation have been found consistently in depressed patients, and have been reported in other affective disorders as well. In a smaller number of schizophrenic subjects, TRH tests have generally been normal. Thus, it has been suggested that this test may have diagnostic utility in distinguishing schizophrenia from affective disorders. In the present study the TRH test was performed upon a sample of 51 subjects that included 17 schizophrenics in order to further study the diagnostic or symptom specificity of this endocrine test. Abnormal TRH tests were present in both schizophrenic and affectively disturbed patients. There were no correlations with ratings of depression or other aspects of psychopathology. Factors which may have previously obscured abnormal TRH tests in schizophrenia are discussed

Phospholipids in red blood cells (RBCs) of schizophrenics and controls were determined. Three different RBC preparations and two different extraction methods were used. Phospholipids were separated by thin layer chromatography and by high pressure liquid chromatography, and were quantified by phosphorus analysis and by ultraviolet absorption. Findings were consistent with values previously reported for normals. However, in contrast to recent reports of elevated phosphatidylserine levels in schizophrenics' RBCs, we observed no differences between populations