Comparison of cortical activity in schizophrenic patients with & without formal thought

Schizophrenia is one of the most prevalent severe psychiatric disorders that including variety of cognitive, emotional & behavioral symptoms in which formal thought problem is one of the determinant factors of prognosis. The aim of the study was comparison of cortical activities in schizophrenic patients with & without formal thought.

60 schizophrenic patients(31 patients with formal thought disorder & 29 patients without formal thought disorder) were selected by goal oriented sampling procedure based on including & excluding criteria. Cortical activities of all participants recorded by 19 channels EEG.

Data showed to schizophrenics without formal thought disorders, the absolute power of delta & beta bands were lower & theta band was higher in patients with formal thought disorder in anterior regions. Also, patients with formal thought disorder revealed decreased absolute power in delta, alpha & beta bands in posterior regions.

Our results are in favor of hypofrontality hypothesis of schizophrenia & indicated that patients with formal thought disorder, had cortical hypo arousal that result in severe cognitive problems.