Beeinflussung schizophrener Zustandsbilder mit Hypertensiva

Summary

The favourable action of blood transfusions on acute schizophrenics suggests a possible importance of the (cerebral) circulation in the pathogenesis of certain forms of schizophrenia. Reminding this possibility we investigated the effect of hypertensive substances on the psychosis in 23 schizophrenics (repeated intravenous infusions of norepinephrine and hypertensine). As a control 7 schizophrenic subjects received infusions of derivatives of dioxyphenylalanine which are not hypertensive.

Following the infusions we observed in most subjects an improvement which we confirmed by registration of definite symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, stereotyped behaviour, mutism and negativism. The duration of this improvement was at least several days, sometimes the improvement was permanent. Patients in an acute phase of the illness reacted more favourably then chronic patients. The preceding course of the illness made a spontaneous recovery at the time of the infusions unlikely. The derivatives of dioxyphenylalanine had no effect.