Cerebral Dysrhythmias in Schizophrenics Receiving Phenothiazines: Clinical Correlates

Clinical Electroencephalography and the Study of Suicide Behavior

“…In Table 3‐1, it can be seen that the overall prevalence of physical disease as well as the prevalence of “covert” or previous undetected physical disease among psychiatric patients is high—perhaps higher than conventional clinical wisdom has recognized to date. Similarly, empirical reports of routine EEG testing of psychiatric patients (R. K. Davies, Neil, & Himmelhock, 1975; Gibbs & Novick, 1977; Struve & Pike, 1974; Tucker et al, 1965) point to high yields of EEG abnormalities ranging from 20% to 50%.…”

“…R. K. Davies et al (1975) conducted an interesting study that classified EEGs in a manner similar to our own later studies.…”

“…Assessments of assaultive/destructive behavior and temper dyscontrol were made for very specific reasons. Since it has long been recognized that associations between cerebral dysrhythmia and outward‐directed aggression or violence may exist (Andrulonis, Donnelly, Glueck, et al, 1980; Bach‐y‐Rita, Lion, et al, 1971; R. K. Davies et al, 1975; Elliott, 1981; Maletzky, 1973; Mark & Ervin, 1970; Monroe, 1970; Struve and Struve, 1985), attempts at demonstrating pure suicide–EEG relationships must first involve exclusion of outwardly aggressive patients.…”

“…The studies reviewed and presented so far have only addressed the issue of the relationship of EEG findings to the presence or absence of suicide behavior per se. With the exception of R. K. Davies et al (1975), who suggested that paroxysmal EEG patients may be “impulsively” suicidal, the qualitative characteristics of suicidal behavior as a function of EEG dysrhythmia have received insufficient study.…”

Validity and Clinical Utility of Neuroleptic-Facilitated Electroencephalography in Psychotic Patients

“…,12 Potential advantages of these techniques include: reduction of subject-induced artifact in EEGs of acutely disturbed individuals;'2,13 greater access to obtaining sleep EEG tracings in these patients:" accurate activation of focal and generalized paroxysmal dysrhythmias in epileptics;'3-16 and the possible prediction of individual treatment response to this class of rnedicatlons." Davies,et al,4 in a retrospective study of phenothiazine-associated EEG patterns in 114 unselected schizophrenic inpatients, found that certain broad classes of dysrhythmic alterations correlated with pre-existing symptomatic, behavioral, neurologic, and developmental parameters. They proposed that antipsychotic drugs activate latent abnormalities in the EEGs of certain schizophrenics in a manner analogous to their activation of dysrhythmias in epileptics.…”