In a recent report concerning the reversibility by chlorpromazine of psychoses induced by means of mescaline and d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25), careful attention was given to the clinical and electroencephalographic changes.1 Although the clinical changes of this reversal effect were immediate and striking, the conventional electroencephalographic changes were minimal, and it was difficult to assess them. It was noted in another recent study that mescaline and LSD-25 failed to activate temporal-lobe epilepsy either clinically or electroencephalographically.2 Because of these factors, it was hoped that depth electrographic studies might be fruitful in elucidating the effects of these drugs. It was hoped also that study by means of depth electrography of the effects of adrenochrome might elucidate its reported actions of inducing a psychosis without insight in volunteers 3 and increasing the paroxysmal discharges in the electroencephalograms of epileptics.4 Scalp electroencephalography and depth electrography were undertaken as specific aids to diagnosis and as preliminary measures to definitive surgical treatment in each patient in our study.
METHODAfter the administration of mescaline and LSD-25, two patients who had intractable epilepsy and Received for publication Jan. 9, 1955. From the Rochester State Hospital. psychosis and three who had chronic schizophrenia were studied by means of the techniques of depth electrography developed and defined in this labora¬ tory.* One of the epileptic and two of the schizo¬ phrenic patients also received adrenochrome. Each patient had extensive control studies, lasting as long as two weeks per patient, previous to the time of administration of the drug. Further control obser¬ vations were repeated every day of the study. Elec¬ trocardiograms were recorded simultaneously with depth electrograms in two patients.The dose of mescaline varied between 400 mg. and 1 gm., whereas that of LSD-25 ranged from 507 to 1507. The dose of adrenochrome f varied between 50 and 75 mg. The mescaline and LSD-25 were administered orally ; the adrenochrome was given intravenously as a freshly prepared solution in 10 cc. of sterile water. At the presumed height of the reactions to mescaline and LSD-25, each patient received an intravenous injection of 50 mg. of chlorpromazine dissolved in 10 cc. of sterile water. The mescaline, LSD-25, and adrenochrome were administered during the fasting state in all instances.
CLINICAL RESULTSThe clinical results are summarized in the accompanying Table. This report is based on 18 observations, 6 with mescaline, 6 with LSD-25, and 6 with adrenochrome. With the doses of drugs used, the clinical effects were moderate when compared with the re¬ sponses of a series of volunteers* and a group of epileptics 2 without psychosis, who received substantially smaller doses than were used in this study. Mescaline produced autonomie changes consisting of slight pupillary dilatation and facial flushing. In the psychic sphere, three patients who were negativistic in the...
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