Patients Withschizophrenia Research Articles

Schizophrenia and Panic Disorder

Introduction Patients with schizophrenia mightexperience panic attacks and meet the criteria for both schizophrenia and panicdisorder. Classification of mental disorders with hierarchical approach givesschizophrenia the first position before the panic disorder. The panic attacksmight not be well recognized and adequately treated. The aim of this study isto determine the prevalence of panic disorder in schizophrenic patients, torecognise the impact of comorbidity on the clinical picture and the course ofthe disease, and to determine the appropriate/possible treatment. Method The articles were identified by the keywords “schizophrenia” and “panic disorder”, or “agoraphobia”, using the Medline and Web of Science search. Additional sources were obtained by studying the references of summaries ofimportant articles. Results The prevalence of comorbid panic disorder inpatients with schizophrenia ranges from 16% to 63%, but the results are notconsistent. Etiopathogentical hypothesis of schizophrenia and panic disorderand also the concept of panic psychosis are discussed. There is a limitedbiological evidence to support those hypotheses. Data suggest that patientswith schizophrenia and panic disorder exhibit higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation and increased extrapyramidal side effects. Panic comorbiditymay worsen severity of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and theoverall quality of life. Conclusion Panic disorder and schizophreniaoften occurs comorbid. It is found most commonly in patients with paranoidsubtype. Comorbid panic disorder may worsen positive symptoms and lead todepressive symptoms. It negatively affects the quality of life and add up tohigher level of suicidality. The pharmacotherapy with atypical antipsychoticsis preferred, or their combination with clonazepam or alprazolam.

Working Memory in Schizophrenia

Introduction Working memory refers to a restrictedsystem for the temporary maintenanceand information processing capacity. His exploration inpatients with schizophrenia hasbeen the subject of numerousstudies on different types ofpeople and using a wide range of cognitive tests Objectives Explore workingmemory in patients during thedifferent phases of schizophrenia Materials and Methods We enrolled 15 patients hospitalized for a firstepisode of schizophrenia and 15 hospitalized for schizophrenia according toDSM-IV. The control group consisted of 15 healthy participants matched group ofpatients by sex, age and educational level. Clinical evaluation was performedby the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Working memory was assessed by theboard Corsi for visuo-spatial span. Results For first episode patients: The average age was 26.8years. The average number of years of education is 10.13 years. The score on thegeneral psychopathology scale of the PANSSwas 38.5. The score at the Direct Spanis 4.13. The scoreSpan Indirect is3.2. For multi-episodes patients: The average age was 38.1years. The average years ofeducation is 8.53 years. The score on the overallscale of the PANSS psychopathology is 43.13. The score at the DirectSpan is 3.2. The scorein Indirect Spanis 2.06. Conclusion In recent years, thecognitive dimension in schizophrenia has been increasing interest. Cognitive deficits observed in patientswith schizophrenia are better recognized, tracked and taken into account in the pharmacologicaland psychosocial treatment of the disease

Single word-related changes in cerebral oxy-Hb during discrimination task in schizophrenic patients: comparison with healthy subjects

Event Abstract Back to Event Single word-related changes in cerebral oxy-Hb during discrimination task in schizophrenic patients: comparison with healthy subjects Mamoru Satou1, 2, 3* and Kiichiro Morita1, 2* 1 Kurume University, School of Medicine, Neuropsychiatry, Japan 2 Kurume University, Cognitive and Molecular Research Institute of Brain Diseases, Japan 3 Kurume University, Neuropsychiatry, Japan Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is an optical imaging method that allows non-invasive in-vivo measurements of changes in oxygenated (oxy-Hb) and deoxygenated (deoxy-Hb) hemoglobin concentrations in brain. For the present study,we examine 30 patients with schizophrenia(age: 30.6±7.6) and age, sex- matched 30 healthy volunteers (age: 31.6±7.8) by means of multi-channel NIRS during performance of two kind of Shiritori task (standard and creative word). Two kinds of stimulus were appeared in front TV monitor. Single word (noun) for the target stimulus and and ‘a.i.u’for non-target stimulus with 10-12 s intervals. All subjects were asked to say '‘a.i.u’ as a non-target and do Shiritori as target stimulus. Averaged subtracted (target minus non-target) waveforms for the 20 target were measured, the changes in oxy-Hb were converted to numeric values every 100 ms. the approximated value of area change in oxy-Hb concentration during the performance of each task was also determined as the index [oxy-Hb]. The present data was obtained from the subjects produce more than 16 words. [oxy-Hb] were evaluated from four ROIs (religions of interest) as a frontal pole, middle prefrontal, association and temporal areas. [Oxy-Hb] in patients withschizophrenia were significantly smaller than those in healthy controls on frontal pole and middle prefrontal areas under standard and creative tasks. [oxy-Hb] on the left side were significantly larger than those on the right side in middle prefrontal area in healthy subjects. Single event-related [oxy-Hb] using discriminative Shiritori tasks are useful for evaluating psychophysiological indices. Keywords: Executive Function, Psychophysiology, Schizophrenia, near-infrared spectroscopy, Shiritori Conference: XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 Jul - 31 Jul, 2014. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Cognition and Executive Processes Citation: Satou M and Morita K (2015). Single word-related changes in cerebral oxy-Hb during discrimination task in schizophrenic patients: comparison with healthy subjects. Conference Abstract: XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00321 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 19 Feb 2015; Published Online: 24 Apr 2015. * Correspondence: Prof. Mamoru Satou, Kurume University, School of Medicine, Neuropsychiatry, Kurume, Japan, yshoji@med.kurume-u.ac.jp Prof. Kiichiro Morita, Kurume University, School of Medicine, Neuropsychiatry, Kurume, Japan, Kiichiro@med.kurume-u.ac.jp Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Mamoru Satou Kiichiro Morita Google Mamoru Satou Kiichiro Morita Google Scholar Mamoru Satou Kiichiro Morita PubMed Mamoru Satou Kiichiro Morita Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Clinical and Cost Consequences of Metabolic Effects of Lurasidone Versus Other Atypical Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia

Objective: To estimate the economic burden of hyperglycemia and diabetes associated with lurasidone versus other atypical antipsychotics in schizophrenia. Methods: A discrete event simulation model was developed to conduct the analysis from both US payer and societal perspectives over a 3-year timeframe. The model, based on the values of metabolic parameters at 1 year of treatment, identified patients with hyperglycemia at that point and predicted incident cases of diabetes over 3 years using a risk equation from the Framingham Heart Study. Direct and indirect costs of diabetes and hyperglycemia were estimated, according to patients’ disease status over time. Data on metabolic changes at 1 year were mainly from 4 clinical studies of lurasidone, supplemented with published data for other atypical antipsychotics. Cost inputs (2012 US dollars) were obtained from published sources. Results: Compared with olanzapine, risperidone, and quetiapine XR, lurasidone was predicted to result in 2,785,351, and 847 fewer hyperglycemia cases and 1,142,153, and 67 fewer incident diabetes cases per 10,000 patients over 3 years, respectively. Consequently, there was a reduction in the economic burden of diabetes and hyperglycemia by approximately $23 million, $2.9 million, and $3.4 million from a US payer perspective, and $28 million, $3.6 million, and $3.7 million from a societal perspective. Conclusion: Adverse metabolic effects of atypical antipsychotics could have substantial unfavorable clinical and economic consequences. Lurasidone may reduce these burdens and may be a treatment alternative for patients with schizophrenia.

Working memory networks and activation patterns in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: comparison with healthy controls

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are severe mental disorders with overlapping genetic and clinical characteristics, including cognitive impairments. An important question is whether these disorders also have overlapping neuronal deficits. To determine whether large-scale brain networks associated with working memory, as measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), are the same in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and how they differ from those in healthy individuals. Patients with schizophrenia (n = 100) and bipolar disorder (n = 100) and a healthy control group (n = 100) performed a 2-back working memory task while fMRI data were acquired. The imaging data were analysed using independent component analysis to extract large-scale networks of task-related activations. Similar working memory networks were activated in all groups. However, in three out of nine networks related to the experimental task there was a graded response difference in fMRI signal amplitudes, where patients with schizophrenia showed greater activation than those with bipolar disorder, who in turn showed more activation than healthy controls. Secondary analysis of the patient groups showed that these activation patterns were associated with history of psychosis and current elevated mood in bipolar disorder. The same brain networks were related to working memory in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and controls. However, some key networks showed a graded hyperactivation in the two patient groups, in line with a continuum of neuronal abnormalities across psychotic disorders.

The efficacy and safety of treating hepatitis C in patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia

Treating chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon alpha may induce or exacerbate psychiatric illness including depression, mania and aggressive behaviour. There is limited data regarding treatment in the context of chronic schizophrenia. We sought to establish the safety and efficacy of treating patients with schizophrenia. Patient and treatment data, prospectively collected on the Scottish hepatitis C database, were analysed according to the presence or absence of a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Time from referral to treatment, and the proportion of patients commencing treatment in each group, was calculated. Outcomes including sustained viral response rates, reasons for treatment termination and adverse events were compared. Of 5497 patients, 64 (1.2%) had a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia (PWS) were as likely to receive treatment as those without [28/61(46%) vs 1639/4415 (37%) P = 0.19]. Sustained viral response (SVR) rates were higher in PWS [21/25 (84%) vs 788/1453 (54%) P < 0.01]. SVR rates by genotype were similar [4/8 (50%) vs 239/684 (35%) Genotype 1 (P = 0.56), 17/17 (100%) vs 599/742 (81%) non-Genotype 1 (P = 0.09)]. Adverse events leading to cessation of treatment were comparable [2/25(8%) vs 189/1453 (13%) P: 0.66]. Patients with schizophrenia are good candidates for hepatitis C treatment, with equivalent SVR and treatment discontinuation rates to patients without schizophrenia.

EPA-1650 – Psychoeducation in psychosocial rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia

Acomprehensive survey was carried out of 142 female patients at the age 18 – 35, which have diagnosis the schizophrenia in period of stabilization state. Depending on the leadingpsychopathologic syndrome the patients were divided into 4 clinical groups, each of those has one of the following syndromes: the apathyabulic syndrome, the wihallucinatory-paranoid syndrome, the depressive-paranoid syndrome, andparanoid one. The integrative model ofpsychoeducational work was proposed, which includes application of variousinformation modules, techniques of cognitive-behavioral therapy, trainingeffects, problem-oriented discussions, and family psychotherapy. The psychoeducation was determined tobe superior over conventional complex treatment intended for reduction ofnegative symptoms, productive symptoms and general psychopathological symptomsof patients with schizophrenia. It is supported by dynamic analysis of theclinical disturbances and psychopathological ones on the PANSS. The improvementof psychosocial functioning and quality of life of the patients withschizophrenia who participated in the psychoeducational activities wasdetermined. It is proved that psychoeducation notonly increases the amount of knowledge intensifies confidence in the fightagainst the disease, but solves the problem of social reintegration of thepatient.

Evaluating the impact of a quality of life assessment with feedback to clinicians in patients with schizophrenia: randomised controlled trial

Quality of life (QoL) measurements are increasingly considered to be an important evaluation of the treatment and care provided to patients with schizophrenia. However, there is little evidence that assessing QoL improves patient outcomes in clinical practice. To investigate the impact of a QoL assessment with feedback for clinicians regarding satisfaction and other health outcomes in patients with schizophrenia. We conducted a 6-month, prospective, randomised and controlled open-label study. Patients with schizophrenia were assigned to one of three groups: standard psychiatric assessment; QoL assessment with standard psychiatric assessment; and QoL feedback with standard psychiatric assessment. The primary outcome was patient satisfaction at 6 months. The local ethics committee (Comité de Protection des Personnes Sud-Méditerranéee V, France, trial number 07 067) and the French drug and device regulation agency (Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé, France, trial number A01033-50) approved this study. We randomly assigned 124 patients into groups. Quality of life feedback significantly affected patient satisfaction. Global satisfaction was significantly higher in the QoL feedback group (72.5% of patients had a high level of satisfaction) compared with the standard psychiatric assessment (67.5%) and QoL assessment groups (45.2%). Despite trends towards decreased severity for all clinical outcomes and increased changes to medication in the QoL feedback group at 6-month follow-up, these effects were not significant. Quality of life feedback positively influences patient satisfaction, which confirms the relevance of measuring QoL in clinical practice. The absence of a significant effect of QoL feedback on clinical outcomes also suggests that clinicians did not use these data optimally. Our findings suggest a nocebo effect of QoL assessment without feedback that should be considered by researchers and clinicians.

Omega 3 fatty acids in psychiatry

Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (?-3 LC-PUFAs) are thought to be important for normal dopaminergic, glutamatergic and serotonergic neurotransmission. Depression is less prevalent in societies with high fish consumption, and depressed patients have significantly lower red blood cell ?-3 levels. Studies with ?-3 supplementation have led to controversial results. A significantly longer remission of bipolar symptomatology has been confirmed from a high-dose DHA and EPA mixture. Greater seafood consumption per capita has been connected with a lower prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders. Reduced levels of ?-6 and ?-3 PUFAs were found in patients with schizophrenia.

Working memory encoding and false memory in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in a spatial delayed response task.

Working memory (WM) impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia, but the contributions of different WM components are not yet specified. Here, we investigated the potential role of inefficient encoding in reduced WM performance in patients with schizophrenia (PSZ). Twenty-eight PSZ, 16 patients with bipolar disorder (PBP), 16 unaffected and unmedicated relatives of PSZ (REL), and 29 demographically matched healthy controls (HC) performed a spatial delayed response task with either low or high WM demands. The demands on attentional selection were also manipulated by presenting distractor stimuli during encoding in some of the trials. After each trial, participants rated their level of response confidence. This allowed us to analyze different types of WM responses. WM was severely impaired in PSZ compared to HC; this reduction was mainly due to an increase in the amount of false memory responses (incorrect responses that were given with high confidence) rather than an increase in the amount of incorrect and not-confident responses. Although PBP showed WM impairments, they did not have increased false memory errors. In contrast, reduced WM in REL was also accompanied by an increase in false memory errors. The presentation of distractors led to a decline in WM performance, which was comparable across groups indicating that attentional selection was intact in PSZ. These findings suggest that inefficient WM encoding is responsible for impaired WM in schizophrenia and point to differential mechanisms underlying WM impairments in PSZ and PBP.

COGNITIVE DEFICIT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ITS REMEDIATION

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by a variety of signs and symptoms. Since its earliest conception as “dementia praecox“ (i.e. early onset dementia), impaired cognitive function has also been considered a core feature. Research into cognition and schizophrenia over the past years has recently been growing. Cognitive deficit is a virtually omni-present component of schizophrenic psychopathology, independent of other aspects of schizophrenia. It underlays other symptoms of schizophrenia and affects the success of therapy, ability of social adaptation and patients’ quality of life. Cognitive skills in schizophrenia predict social functioning and may serve as outcome measures in the development of effective treatment strategies. One of the possibilities of non-pharmacological improvement of cognitive function is remediation using computer rehabilitation software. It has been proved as an effective method. In our study we found global positive effect of aproximately bimonthly (20sessions) training of cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia using computer rehabilitation software PSS CogRehab. Except verbal fluency, which appears stationary during training of cognitive function, all others domains of cognitive function improved during rehabilitation using computer training of cognitive function. The biggest improvement we located in these domains: psychomotor speed, auditive reaction time and verbal learning and memory, where improvement in neuropsychological tests reached statistically significant difference.

QUANTITATIVE EXAMINATION OF A NOVEL CLUSTERING METHOD USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE DIFFUSION TENSOR TRACTOGRAPHY

Introduction: MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is the most powerful and currentlythe only way to visualize the organization of white matter fiber tracts in vivo. As this is a relatively newimaging technique, new tools are developed for quantifying fiber tracts, andrequire evaluation. We examined scalar indices of the diffusion tensor with two different tractography methods. We compared a novel clustering approach with a multiple region of interest (MROI) approach in a healthy and disease (schizophrenia) population. Methods: DTI images were acquired in 12 participants (n=6 patients withschizophrenia: 58 ± 12 years; n=6 controls: 57 ± 21 years) on a 1.5 Tesla GE system with diffusion gradients applied in 23 non-collinear directions, repeated three times. Tractography andfiber tract creation was performed using 3D Slicer software. Interraterreliability of the clustering approach and its similarity to the MROI methodwere evaluated. Results: The clustering approach was reliable both quantitatively and spatially (k &gt; 0.8 for all tracts). There was high spatial(voxel-based) agreement between the clustering and MROI methods. Fractionalan isotropy and trace values were highly correlated between the clustering and MROI methods (p &lt; 0.001 for all tracts). Discussion: Our clustering method has excellent interrater reliability and thereis a high level of agreement between our clustering method and the MROI method, both quantitatively and spatially. The clustering method is less susceptible touser bias. Moreover, not limited by a priori predictions, our clustering method may be a more robust and efficient way to identify and measure fiber tracts of interest. (colour figure available in PDF version)

First- v. second-generation antipsychotics and risk for diabetes in schizophrenia: Systematic review and meta-analysis

The increased prevalence of diabetes in schizophrenia is partly attributed to antipsychotic treatment, in particular second-generation antipsychotics, but the evidence has not been systematically reviewed. Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing diabetes risk for different antipsychotics in people with schizophrenia. We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, CINAHL and Web of Knowledge until September 2006. Studies were eligible for inclusion if the design was cross-sectional, case-control, cohort or a controlled trial in individuals with schizophrenia or related psychotic disorders, where second-generation antipsychotics (defined as clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone and quetiapine) were compared with first-generation antipsychotics and diabetes was an outcome. Data were pooled using random effects inverse variance weighted meta-analysis. Of the studies that met the inclusion criteria (n=14), 11 had sufficient data to include in the meta-analysis. Four of these were retrospective cohort studies. The relative risk of diabetes in patients with schizophrenia prescribed one of the second-generation v. first-generation antipsychotics was 1.32 (95% CI 1.15-1.51). There were insufficient data to include aripiprazole, ziprasidone and amisulpride in this analysis. There is tentative evidence that the second-generation antipsychotics included in this study are associated with a small increased risk for diabetes compared with first-generation antipsychotics in people with schizophrenia. Methodological limitations were found in most studies, leading to heterogeneity and difficulty interpreting data. Regardless of type of antipsychotic, screening for diabetes in all people with schizophrenia should be routine.

Monitoring and Managing Weight Gain in the Mentally Ill

Article AbstractMany patients with schizophrenia and other serious mental illness also suffer fromcomorbid medical conditions and overall poor physical health. Physical healthfactors such as obesity contribute greatly to diseases (including heartdisease, other cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes) that cause much of thedeath and disability in the United States. Other factors, includingpsychotropic medications, may complicate and increase obesity in patients withschizophrenia. However, research shows that patients with serious mentalillness are capable of living healthier lifestyles and losing weight. It isessential that mental and physical health care providers work collaborativelyto increase the health and wellness of patients with serious mental illness.See entire activity†‹†‹†‹†‹

Evidence of Switching Antipsychotic Therapy to Improve Metabolic Disturbances

Insomnia is a highly prevalent disorder with consequences for the patient's physical and mental health, daily function, and job performance. Although the exact pathophysiology of insomnia is unknown, recent research has demonstrated that normal sleep and wakefulness are controlled by reciprocal inhibition by different brain regions. This sleep-wake control system offers multiple therapeutic targets for the treatment of insomnia; currently, most research and available hypnotic agents target gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the sleep side of the switch. Historically, drugs have evolved from benzodiazepine receptor agonists to nonbenzodiazepines to, most recently, selective extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptor agonists. However, these drugs have a differential impact on characteristics of sleep. Among the compounds that modulate the benzodiazepine-sensitive GABA(A) receptors, benzodiazepines suppress stage 3-4 sleep, whereas nonbenzodiazepines have no substantial effect on these stages of sleep. Recently, work on GABA agonists indicates that they increase stage 3-4 sleep. This has been demonstrated via sleep-stage scoring as well as with spectral analysis. Further, this increase in stage 3-4 sleep is associated with a decrease in stage 1 sleep and arousals from sleep. Thus, the GABA agonists may not simply promote sleep, but consolidate it as well. The clinical utility of the increase in slow-wave sleep and the sleep consolidation it produces warrants further investigation.

Comparative effectiveness of second-generation antipsychotics and haloperidol in acute schizophrenia

There is little information on the comparative effectiveness of second-generation antipsychotic agents. To determine if any of five second-generation antipsychotics or haloperidol is more effective in treating acutely ill patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or schizophreniform disorder. A sample of 327 newly admitted patients were randomised to open-label treatment with aripiprazole, haloperidol, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone or ziprasidone for a minimum of 3 weeks. Measures of effectiveness were improvement in mental status so that the patient no longer required acute in-patient care, and changes in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores. By the first measure, haloperidol (89%), olanzapine (92%) and risperidone (88%) were significantly more effective than aripiprazole (64%), quetiapine (64%) and ziprasidone (64%). Changes in BPRS ratings were not significant among treatments. Haloperidol, olanzapine and risperidone are superior to aripiprazole, quetiapine and ziprasidone for the acute treatment of psychosis in hospitalised patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or schizophreniform disorder.

Measuring memory impairment in community-based patients with schizophrenia

The majority of memory impairment studies in schizophrenia are cohort studies using laboratory-based tests, which make it difficult to estimate the true extent and relevance of memory impairment in patients with schizophrenia in the community. To examine the extent of memory impairment in community-based patients with schizophrenia using a clinically relevant test. All patients with schizophrenia (n=190) in one catchment area were identified, of whom 133 were potentially eligible for the study; 73 patients volunteered to take part. They were assessed using the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (RBMT), the National Adult Reading Test, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales and the Scales and the Office for National Statistics Classification of Occupation. Their performance on the memory test was compared with that of matched controls (n=71). Patients as a group performed significantly worse (P<0.001) than controls on the RBMT. Using the RBMT normative scores, 81% of patients were found to have impaired memory compared with 28% of controls. Using a clinically relevant test, the majority of community-based patients with schizophrenia may have memory impairment.

Persistent Auditory Hallucinations That Are Unresponsive to Antipsychotic Drugs

ccording to DSM-IV-TR, a hallucination is “a sensoryperception that has a compelling sense of reality of a trueperception, but occurs without external stimulation of therelevant sensory organ.” Thus, an auditory hallucination is afalse perception of sound. These are the most commonforms of hallucinations (1). Auditory hallucinations arefound most often in patients withschizophrenia, with a prevalence of75% in that population (2). However,auditory hallucinations have been de-scribed in conjunction with many lifecircumstances and diseases, includingreligious phenomena, bereavement,drug intoxication, sensory deprivation,and near-death experiences, as well aspsychiatric or neurological disorders.Auditory hallucinations have been esti-mated to occur in 10%–15% of thosewithout neuropsychiatric illness (3).Auditory hallucinations have beenlinked to left-brain alterations in imag-ing studies, more specifically Broca’sarea, the anterior cingulate, the supe-rior temporal lobe, and the primary au-ditory cortex (4). Many historical fig-ures, from Socrates and Caesar toDescartes and Joan of Arc, have beenreported to “hear voices” (5). Although the meaning, signifi-cance, and etiology of these voices depend on their context,auditory hallucinations are most often a symptom of severe,disabling psychiatric or neurological illness. This article re-counts the treatment course of a patient with new-onset au-ditory hallucinations. To highlight the importance of taking athorough history, we present the relevant data longitudinally,in the same manner in which it was obtained.

P.2.074 Is substance use high among patients withschizophrenia in Turkey?

P.2.074 Is substance use high among patients withschizophrenia in Turkey?

S.07.06 Brain volume changes in patients withschizophrenia: A 5-year longitudinal MRI study across the course of illness

S.07.06 Brain volume changes in patients withschizophrenia: A 5-year longitudinal MRI study across the course of illness