CT Scans in Schizophrenia

Abstract

The term ‘dementia praecox’ was used by Kraepelin to emphasise the tendency towards deterioration to a state of impairment resembling a dementia. Early studies looked for structural brain lesions post mortem, and later using pneumoencephalography; there were positive findings (Haug, 1962), but they were not always replicated (Storey, 1966). The risks and limitations of pneumoencephalography gradually led to its being abandoned. However, studies showing minor neurological abnormalities (Rochford et al, 1970) and cognitive impairment (Malec, 1978) continued to suggest an organic component to schizophrenia.