Studies in Schizophrenia

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This report of the development and testing of a new theory of schizophrenia may eventually lead to new therapeutic procedures. The theory in brief is that certain pathways in the brain, whose physiological activity may be studied through electrical recordings, constitute a hypothetical circuit that facilitates mental and bodily processes, while other pathways constitute a circuit that suppresses activity.

To carry out this important and difficult study, Dr. Robert G. Heath assembled at the Tulane University of Louisiana School of Medicine an interdisciplinary team which brought the techniques of psychiatry, psychology, physiology, neurology, biochemistry, and neurosurgery to bear upon the several aspects of this broad problem.

Although considerable successful experimentation has been carried out on animals and human patients, the studies have not yet progressed to a point where the results can be offered as a clinical procedure. The method of investigation opens up broad fields for further research, and the team at Tulane is already exploring the possibilities of therapeutic approaches to other diseases.