5 5 6 P,ROGRA~

same drugs produce in non-psycho- ties. at least on acute administration, a decrease of this quantitative EEG parameter,

I t would thus ath-~ear that psycho- pathologT often corresponds to changes in the EEG. However, com- plex methodological problems must be solved before these can be made apparent and significant.

E v o k e d P o t e n t i a l s a n d P s y c h o p a t h o l o g y "

C~a~L~s Srtacass, M.D., Eastern Pennsyh',ania Psychiatric Institute

This presentation will review evoked response findings ha psychia- tric disorders and related data con- cerning psychological correlates of ,alertness, attention, intelligence and personality. An at tempt will be made to place the available results into perspeet/ve in relation to possible psyehophysiologie~d mechanisms ,and to outline some directions for future resear<:h.

Applications of evoked r ~ p o n s e recording methods to s tudy of psycho- pathological conditions generMly in- volve the assumption that tJmse con- ditions ,are associated with some derangement of mechanisms mediat- ing transmission or processing of sen- sory information. Since averaged evoked respon-ses represent the result- ant of many possible influences, ab- normal mechanisms may come into play at several possible leve]s. Inves- tigative approaches ~md interpreta- tions appear to be based on the worker's concept of the way in whicA~ the evoked responses may reflect a particular level. For example, Calla- way's two-tone proeexlure stems from the idea that set is segmented in schizophrenia; essentitdly, he treats

the , zriations ira evoked responses to two tones as normal re, sponses, ob- tained under varying conditions of attention. Grey Waiter 's findimg that contingent negative variation is absent in some psychiatric patients is also interpreted by him as reflecting tdtera- tions in mechanisms involved ira ex- pectancy oz" atteration; however, his interpretation does not preclude a pathophysiological me~ehanism direct- ly related to the response, The author measured recovery functions from the hypothesis that mental disorders are associated with ,'m altercxl state of central excitability, perhaps bascml on reticular formation dysfunetion. His findings of devimat recovery functions in psyehiata-ic disorders are ~ k e n by him as evidence that such patho- pEysiological states exist.

Although there has been much methodological development, many problems still require solution before reliable evoked response results may be obtained. T h e r e is virtually un- limited scope for exploring new stim- ulus parameters. Furthermore, the combination of evoked response in- formation with other neurophysio- logical data, such as EEG, may yield more m~mingful results. Given its relatively early stage of methodolo~- cal development, results obtained by the evoked response approach in studies of psychopathologT appear to be encouraging.

B e h a v i o r a l a n d Af fee t ive R e s p o n s e s to B r a i n $ t i n H t l a t i o n in M a n

F. R. Enxmx-, M.D. and V. H. MAnK, M.D.. Massachnaetts General Hospital During the last 10 ye,'u's, over 100

patients with intractable pain, tern- poral lobe epilepsy, or movement

ABS'r l tacrs 557"

disorder have been t rea ted with s tereotaet ieal ly - p laced electrodes, chronical ly implan ted ha subeorti~al structures. Anatomic conf i rmat ion of e lectrode site is avai lable for some. In the course of the d i a ~ o s l J e therapeu- tie evaluation, the effects of electrical s t imulat ion on subject ive repor t and on observed behavior have been re- corded. Of par t icular haterest for the s tuden t of psychopa tho logy are com- parisons be tween arnygdala, hippo- campus, anter ior and in t ra laminar tha lamie nuclei, and anterior hypo- thalamus: changes in affect, thought processes, mad percep t ion could be rel iably ( r e p r o d u c i b l y ) i n d u c e d by focal, low intensi ty electrieal st imula- tion of subcort ical structures. O f par t icular interest m'e effects on mood and behavior pers is t ing for hours ,after brief s t imulat ion, par t icu lar ly of amygda la and its connec t ions , unac- companied by persis tent eleeta'o- physiologic ehauges. These eaaduring, p r e sumab ly h u m o r ~ , effeets ,are part i- cularly provocat ive in suggesthag gen- eral psychopathological mechanisms.

A u t o n o n a i e and S o m a t i c Reac t iv i ty in R e l a l i o n to P s y c h o p a t h o l o g y

1~. A. STERN BACtI, Ph.D., A. A. ALEx- A~DER, Ph.D., a..~o N. S. GREENFIELD,

Ph.D., Univer.~ity o] W'isconsin Med- ical Center

A eoneeptuM bi-dimensional i ty that has long "dichotomized t h e field of psybhopa tho logy into organic and dynamic points of ~iew is g radua l ly giving way to a more sophis t icated and holistic approach. X Vhat were originally little more than artful slogans regard ing mind -body relation- ships in mental disorders have grad-

ually been fashione~l int~o fundmnen- tal operat ional eonstru,ets wlaich m a y be examined in the labora tory m~d subjected, to tile r igorous scrut iny of e.'q)erim ental .procedure.

In the context o f tills Z e t t g e ~ t ~ "o • a

relat ively new discipline has emerged into f o r m a l focus. Pss 'ehophysiolog3r

is, in a v e r y real sensG a behavioral science which a t t empts to e x a m i n e internal behaviors as they relate to the more t r ad i t i ona l p a r a m e t e r s of ex- ternal behaviors, n o ~ n a l and abnor- mal. T h e s e efforts are in a long tradit ion famil iar }:o many, b u t due to

s t r i k i n g adwanees in the tee.hniques and technology of electronic recording and da ta processing methodology , casual and unrefined efforts have be- come disciplined and sys temat ic . And with increased methodological sophist ication there is a growing fund of conceptual rnateriM f rom which the clinicima and theoret ic ian can draw.

This pape r re~,iews s o m e of the older mater ia l in order to p rov ide the subjec t ~qth an ade,-tuate perspect ive of psychophysiological research. Typi- cally, major a t tent ion has been paid to au tonomic nervous sys tem v,-u-iables as recorded on a po lygraph , aJthough this classical model is r ap id ly be ing ex'panded to include m a n y other as- pects of the internal milieu. ~Iqae p a p e r also goes on to discuss cur rent work and fu ture t rends in tl~e demonst ra- tion of the integral relat ionships be- tween physiologic~al processes and psychopathological states and, using a new conceptual f ramework, at- tempts a r app rochemen t among a w~rieb, of approaches.