A number of investigators, all using the techniques and the methods appropriate to their discipline, have postulated that the schizophrenic patient is in a state of hyperarousal. Among these investigators have been GROMOLL (1961), V~ABL~S (1964) making use of data from psychophysiological experiments; GOLDST~I~ et al. (1965) making use of data from eleetrographic experiments and Ko~Tsxy and MI~S~:Y (1966) making use of both psychological and pharmacological evidence. The conclusion of most of these investigators is that this hyperarousal state is directly related to the functioning of the brain stem reticular formation (RAS).
Indirect psychological evidence of the implication of the RAS is cited by ORZAC~ and Ko~sKY (1966) in a study comparing the performance of normal, schizophrenic, and alcoholic subjects. They found that the schizophrenic performed more poorly on a test of sustained attention than did either of the other two groups. This difference did not exist when subjects were tested on a task requiring a brief but intensive cognitive effort. In fact on the latter test there was no difference between the performance level of the normal and schizophrenic subjects but the alcoholic subjects did significantly poorer than either of the other two groups. M~SKu and ~OR~ETSKu (1964) gave evidence suggesting that the performance on these two types of tests is dependent upon two different neural organizations. Specifically, their hypothesis is that performance on the attention test is more dependent on the functioning of the RAS while performance on the cognitive test is dependent on the functioning of the cerebral cortex. Thus, since the schizophrenic shows impairment on the test that is believed to be dependent on the functioning of the RAS, the thesis that there is some dysfunction in the schizophrenic in that area of the brain that subserves arousal is tenable.