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Objective: Aim of the study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI) by exploring its construct validity., Setting: 90 voluntary admitted patients with DSM III-R Schizophrenic (n.72) and Schizoaffective (n.18) disorders, age range between 18 and 50 years, treated with typical antipsychotics, able to participate in the study, were selected., Design: Exploratory factor analyses with alpha factoring and maximum-likelihood methods with Varimax Rotation were used to analyse DAI scores., Results: Extraction methods found 7 factors which explained 62.5% of the total variance. The first 2 factors could be labelled as "subjective response to treatment" construct and factors 3 to 7 as "attitude to medication" construct., Conclusion: Although preliminarily, the Italian version of the DAI seems to maintain the original psychometric properties and it can be used easily to get a valid measurement of the patients' attitude to neuroleptic medication.

Our purpose was to test the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2), the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene and the monoamino oxydase A (MAO-A) gene for linkage to schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. We have analyzed seven Italian families with schizophrenia and four families with bipolar disorders for a total of 68 individuals; 32 individuals were affected. Diagnoses were made using the structured clinical interview Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Lifetime version (SADS-L). The results of our study provide no evidence of linkage between alleles at D2 dopamine receptor loci and schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. The markers TH gene and MAO-A gene give slightly positive or negative results suggesting the utility of further analysis on more informative families.

The study reports the preliminary data from a small 12-patient sample assessed at the time of their first psychotic episode and diagnosed as having a schizophreniform disorder. After a 1-year follow-up period all the patients were newly evaluated on clinical and global functioning variables, using clinical diagnosis as an outcome measure. A diagnostic stability in the schizophrenic spectrum was found.

A high resolution cytogenetic study was performed on forty unrelated schizophrenic patients defined by DSM-III-R criteria. We have not included cases with mental retardation, severe dysmorphic features or other characteristic symptoms of chromosomal syndromes in our analysis. No recognizable chromosomal abnormality was found.

A recent study has shown a mutation at codon 713 of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene in a schizophrenic patient. We have analyzed the MaeIII restriction site caused by that mutation in Italian and Russian families with schizophrenia. No mutations were observed suggesting that the APP713 mutation is unlikely to be linked to the pathogenesis of such a psychiatric disorder.

Magnetic resonance (MR) was used to examine the cerebellar vermis in 23 patients with schizophrenia and 16 matched controls. MR midsagittal images were processed with computerized image analysis to control partial volume effects as precisely as possible. No between-group differences were found for vermal-to-cerebrum ratio. When gender differences were examined, male patients showed a lower vermal-to-brain ratio than their female counterparts, mainly because of a reduction of the lobules I-V.

Sixteen bipolar and 10 schizophrenic patients, all male, underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans. Areas derived from five coronal sections were measured separately and then summed to obtain an estimate of temporal lobe volumes. Schizophrenics showed a reduction of temporal lobe areas in those sections corresponding to the hippocampal region. This finding was more pronounced for the left side, although no diagnosis by side interaction was present. Temporal lobe volume was also reduced in schizophrenics. When a lateralized difference was present, the right temporal lobe was larger than the left in both patient groups.

A standardised clinical examination which focused on neurological soft signs (NSS) was used by a neurologist blind to diagnosis to assess the presence of neurological soft signs. A comparison of NSS score was made among three groups of subjects consisting of 58 DSM-III schizophrenics, 31 of their healthy first-degree relatives and 38 normal controls. The schizophrenic group had significantly higher NSS total scores than normal controls but did not differ significantly from their first-degree relatives' group. The relatives' group showed higher NSS total scores than did normal controls although to a lesser extent than schizophrenics.

Twenty-three patients with DSM III chronic schizophrenia, were given the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and had CT brain scans performed in order to measure the size of the 3rd and 4th ventricles and ventricular brain ratio (VBR). CT-scans showed an evident enlargement of the 3rd ventricle and a VBR overall significantly above that found in normal sample. No significant correlation between ventricular size and cognitive impairment was found. Possible meanings of these findings will be discussed in this paper.

Thirty-six chronic schizophrenics and 24 controls, all males, were evaluated by computed tomography (CT) scans. The lateral, third and fourth ventricles, the Sylvian fissure and the largest sulcus from each lobe were measured. In the schizophrenic patients there was a significant increase in third ventricle, ventricular brain ratio (VBR) and cortical measures. The possible implications of these findings in the aetiopathology of schizophrenia are discussed.