Correlates of lateral ventricular size in chronic schizophrenia, I: Behavioral and treatment response measures

The ventricle-brain ratio (VBR) of 28 drug-free male schizophrenic inpatients was significantly higher than that of 21 matched normal control subjects and was not related to severity of positive or negative symptoms. Response to haloperidol in an open 6-week trial using a fixed-dose schedule was not predicted by severity of positive or negative symptoms or by VBR. The nine severely deteriorated patients with chronic 'Kraepelinian' schizophrenia had left lateral ventricles 28% larger than their right, whereas the control subjects and other schizophrenic patients did not show ventricular asymmetry.