Objective: The authors tested the hypothesis that photic visual stimuli cause a greater blood flow activation response in subjects with schizophrenia than in normal subjects.
Method: Eleven medicated patients with schizophrenia and 10 normal subjects were studied with [15O]H2O positron emission tomography to measure perfusion during photic stimulation at four different rates.
Results: The activation at three out of four rates of visual stimulation was greater for the patients with schizophrenia than it was for the normal subjects.
Conclusions: Further investigation into the mechanisms of activation during sensory stimulation in schizophrenia is warranted.