Distribution of cerebral activity in chronic schizophrenia.

Abstract Measurements of regional cerebral blood-flow (R.C.B.F.) show that patients with schizophrenia have normal mean hemisphere flows, but that there is a shift in R.C.B.F. distribution so that high flows were relatively less common in frontal structures and relatively more common in postcentral structures. Since frontal structures control intentional behaviour while postcentral structures are concerned with perceptual processes (gnosis) schizophrenia may be thought of as a hypointentional, hypergnostic state; and this state may be caused by defective function of the non-specific mediothalamic frontocortical projection system.