Schizophrenia with impulsive and aggressive behaviors.

Impulsive and aggressive behaviors are important clinical challenges in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. They occur both in the acute phase as well as in the chronic phase of the disorder and call for differentiated treatment interventions. It is important to always first consider behavioral and nonpharmacological interventions.

Diffusion tensor imaging findings in first-episode and chronic schizophrenia patients.

Objective: Comparisons of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data between first-episode and chronic schizophrenia patients assessed in different studies have led to the suggestion that the decreased fractional anisotropy observed in chronic schizophrenia patients is less pronounced in first-episode patients. However, such comparisons of imaging data generated across studies are susceptible to numerous confounders, which may limit the interpretation of any differences. In order to address these issues and determine whether the DTI abnormalities of chronic schizophrenia are present at illness onset, the authors conducted a DTI investigation of the largest cohort of first-episode schizophrenia patients yet reported in conjunction with a group of chronic schizophrenia patients and healthy subjects for comparison.