Abstract
RATIONALE Pavlov1and Cannon2made important contributions to knowledge of the autonomic nervous system, in which they pointed out the significance of this system in the maintenance of a constant equilibrium (homeostasis) in the body. Since then much work has been done to determine the activity of the autonomic nervous system in schizophrenia, with the thought that such a study may throw light on this serious personal and social problem. One has only to mention La Mar3and Henry,4among the many who have worked on this problem. The results of these investigators pointed to certain types of deviations, or at least tendencies to deviations, in the autonomic nervous system of schizophrenic patients which differentiate their mental reactions or behavior patterns from those of other persons. Such workers, however, made their observations on a relatively static condition, while the equilibrium of the autonomic system, as conceived