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Skin conductance responsivity during acute episodes of schizophrenia as a predictor of symptomatic improvement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

C. D. Frith ,
Marilyn Stevens ,
Eve C. Johnstone  and
T. J. Crow
C. D. Frith*
Affiliation:
CRC Division of Psychiatry, Harrow, Middlesex
Marilyn Stevens
Affiliation:
CRC Division of Psychiatry, Harrow, Middlesex
Eve C. Johnstone
Affiliation:
CRC Division of Psychiatry, Harrow, Middlesex
T. J. Crow
Affiliation:
CRC Division of Psychiatry, Harrow, Middlesex
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr C. D. Frith, CRC Division of Psychiatry, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex HAI 3UJ.
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Synopsis

Skin conductance responses to a series of tones were measured in 41 patients during an acute episode of schizophrenia before they received treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment with either α-flupenthixol, β-fiupenthixol or placebo. Patients who did not habituate to the tones prior to treatment tended to show no symptomatic improvement during the course of treatment. Patients who habituated and also showed an acute onset of their current symptoms (‘Feighner negative’ patients) showed a marked improvement even without active medication. Skin conductance responsivity did not change with improvement in symptoms alone, but decreased in patients on active medication (α-flupenthixol).

Non-habituation of skin conductance and insidious onset (i.e. fulfilment of the Feighner criteria) were found to be independent predictors of poor outcome. Taken together, these criteria may define a group of patients with particularly poor prognosis.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , February 1979 , pp. 101 - 106
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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