The authors hypothesized that patients who develop gross EEG
abnormalities during clozapine treatment would have a less favorable
outcome than patients who did not develop abnormal EEGs. The clinical EEGs
and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores of 12 patients with
schizophrenia and 4 patients with schizoaffective disorder were compared
before and during treatment with clozapine. Eight patients developed
significant EEG abnormalities on clozapine; 1 showed worsening of an
abnormal pre-clozapine EEG; none of these subjects had clinical seizures.
BPRS scores improved significantly in the group of patients who developed
abnormal EEGs but not in the group who did not. Findings are consistent
with previous reports of a high incidence of clozapine-induced EEG
abnormalities and a positive association between these abnormalities and
clinical improvement.Abstract Teaser