Adrenal Activity in Aged Schizophrenics 233 



subjects, but not the patients, show an increase at the oiie- 

 and three-hour points while, as we have seen, both of the 

 older groups show a decrease (Pincus, et al., 1949). 



The cortin/creatinine ratios, again as in the case of the 

 ACTH data, show significantly higher values in the case of the 

 patients. In the younger groups, the reverse is usually true 

 (Pincus et al., 1949). There is no response to the glucose, 

 there being a decrease at the one-hour reading in each case, 

 the trend being the same for both normal and psychotic 

 groups. Ageing seems to play no role in the response to glucose 

 in this function, the younger groups being equally unreactive 

 to glucose (Pincus, 1950). 



The uric acid values in Table VI show initially higher levels 

 of uric acid excretion in the patients, a trend noted in younger 

 subjects (Hoagland et at., 1953). After the ingestion of 

 glucose the normal subjects show an increase in excretion 

 at the one-hour and three-hour readings. The schizophrenic 

 patients at the one-hour show a slight upward trend and at 

 three hours a downward trend. At the three-hour point, the 

 difference between the increase in the normal subjects and 

 the decrease in the schizophrenic patients is statistically 

 significant. This lesser responsivity of elderly schizophrenic 

 patients has been noted also in younger schizophrenic patients 

 (Pincus et al., 1949). The initial levels of uric acid/creatmine 

 excretion bear no relationship to the response following 

 glucose, so that any difference between the trends in the 

 normal and psychotic groups cannot be attributed to the 

 differences in their initial levels. 



In the values for sodium/creatinine ratios (Table VI) the 

 patients have initially higher levels than the normals, but not 

 to a statistically significant degree. During the three-hour 

 test period the normal subjects show, on the whole, a steady 

 mild upward trend. The patients show a marked fall at one 

 hour, with a subsequent levelling off of the values for the next 

 two hours. The difference in trends l)etween the normal and 

 schizophrenic groups is statistically significant at the one-hour 

 and three-hour readings. This difference in trends between 



