Psychophysiological prodromal signs of schizophrenic relapse: A pilot study

Dawson, Michael E.; Schell, Anne M.; Rissling, Anthony; Ventura, Joseph; Subotnik, Kenneth L.; Nuechterlein, Keith H.

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2010.07.029

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Volume 123, Issue 1 , Pages 64-67, October 2010

Psychophysiological prodromal signs of schizophrenic relapse: A pilot study

Michael E. Dawson
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, United States
- Corresponding author. Department of Psychology, SGM 501, University Southern California, 3620 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061, United States. Tel.: +1 213 740 2294.
Anne M. Schell
- Department of Psychology, Occidental College, United States
Anthony Rissling
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, United States
- Now at the University of California, San Diego, United States
Joseph Ventura
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
Kenneth L. Subotnik
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
Keith H. Nuechterlein
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States

Received 4 May 2010; received in revised form 22 July 2010; accepted 26 July 2010. published online 19 August 2010.

Abstract

Do physiological changes occur shortly prior to psychotic relapse in schizophrenia outpatients? We addressed this question in a group of schizophrenia outpatients by measuring changes in symptoms and changes in activation of the sympathetic nervous system, as indexed by changes in skin conductance level (SCL), on a biweekly basis for between one and two years. All six outpatients exhibited heightened SCL within two weeks prior to relapse or exacerbation, compared to SCL proceeding continued remission. These results shed light on the psychotic relapse process and are consistent with neural diathesis-stress models of schizophrenia.

Keywords: Diathesis-stress model, Electrodermal activity, Prodromal signs, Relapse, Schizophrenia, Skin conductance