ABSTRACT
Objective. To explore the Quantitative EEG (QEEG) effects of established clozapine therapy regimes compared to those of previous ineffective antipsychotic regimes among 64 chronic (DSM-IV) schizophrenic patients. Methods. Data from 20 EEG channels referenced to linked ears were collected before and during maintenance clozapine therapy (mean duration 1.4 years). Absolute power was calculated in six frequency bands: delta (0.4-3.6 Hz), theta (4.2-7.8 Hz), alpha (8.2-11.8 Hz), beta1 (12.2-15.8 Hz), beta2 (16.2-19.8 Hz), and beta3 (20.2-23.8 Hz). Results. Clozapine augments power globally in the delta and theta bands, but this effect is more pronounced over frontal areas. Beta3 power was reduced. Alpha showed a frontal increase, more pronounced in the right, coupled with a posterior decrease with no net change in overall power. Conclusion. The demonstration of a significant clozapine-induced alpha topographic shift frontally and to the right is a novel discovery that may serve to encourage further investigations of subcortical structures in attempts to better understand the diverse aetiologies and optimal treatments of the schizophrenias.
ABSTRACT
A 37-item survey covering a variety of somatopsychic domains was constructed to explore patients' subjective response to treatment with clozapine. The survey was administered to 130 patients with diagnoses of chronic schizophrenic or schizoaffective disorders who were on a stable clozapine regimen. The majority reported improvement in their level of satisfaction, quality of life, compliance with treatment, thinking, mood, and alertness. Most patients reported worsening in nocturnal salivation, and smaller numbers reported worsening in various gastrointestinal and urinary symptoms and weight gain. This general health survey highlights the patients' positive regard for clozapine, despite adverse bodily experiences. Subjective reports are a useful component of outcome measures of drug treatment.
Subject(s)
Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use , Clozapine/therapeutic use , Quality of Life , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Schizophrenic Psychology , Adult , Antipsychotic Agents/adverse effects , Chronic Disease , Clozapine/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Compliance/psychology , Patient Satisfaction , Schizophrenia/diagnosisABSTRACT
The study was designed to test whether topographic map data expressed in log power units have a multivariate normal (MVN) distribution in a healthy population, and to determine if any deviation from normality poses serious difficulties for the use of standard multivariate statistical tests in assessing the significance of deformations of the map in individual cases. Data on 361 healthy adults using 20 electrodes in the classic 10/20 configuration were recorded in six frequency bands. The log-transformed power data were shown to deviate markedly from MVN. The actual distributions of multivariate tests were computed for the sample using the 'jackknife' method, and shown to deviate markedly from the F-distributions that would be expected for MVN data. These 'jackknife' sampling distributions were then used to demonstrate significant deformations in the topographic maps of a patient who had sustained traumatic head injury.
