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patients will be conducted using the Mf scale of the MMPI and a battery of neuropsychological tests. It is predicted that patients with a feminine profile on the MMPI will demonstrate more severe right hemisphere impairment, regardless of sex of subject. A 2 (sex)x2 (gender)x2 (hemisphere) analysis of variance will be used to analyze data.

SYMPTOM DIMENSIONS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND CANNABIS ABUSE: A L O N G I T U D I N A L STUDY

D.H. Linszen*, P.M. Dingemans, M.E. Lenior

Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Division of Psychiatry, Tafelbergweg 25, 1105 BC Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Recent studies have shown that symptoms of schizophrenia can best be described by three (positive, negative and disorgani- sation symptoms) or four dimensions (including depression- related symptoms). We sought to examine the relation between cannabis abuse and the course of these symptoms in recent onset schizophrenia and related disorders. In a prospective cohort study using monthly BPRS-E assessments over a year cannabis-abusing patients (n=24) were compared with non abusers (n = 69). Eleven patients were mild and thirteen heavy cannabis-abusing patients. A main effect of cannabis abuse for the course of disorganisation symptoms was found (p = 0.005). Heavy abusers had a higher score on this syndrome than mild and non-abusers (p=0.003). A trend was found for cannabis abuse and negative symptoms (p=0.08). A trend of intensity of cannabis abuse for the course of positive symptom scores was found (p=0.06). Cannabis abuse and particularly heavy abuse can be considered as eliciting the disorganisation syn- drome of schizophrenia and related disorders. Hypotheses about these findings will be discussed.

THE BEHAVIORAL CORRELATES OF DELUSIONS OF CONTROL IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

Brendan A. Maher* , Theo C. Manschreck, Florence Seung, Ming T. Tsuang

Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

A group of carefully diagnosed schizophrenic subjects (n = 15) exhibiting delusions of control was compared with a group of similarly diagnosed subjects (n=35) who either did not exhibit any type of delusion, or exhibited delusions other than that of control. It was hypothesized that there would be differences between these two groups in the nature of the defects in performance; specifically, deluded patients would show defects in laboratory assessments of overt behavioral function, i.e., language and motor behavior. Significant differ-

ences were found in measures of derailment, tangentiality, incoherence and repetitiousness in language utterance. Similar analyses were performed between deluded (delusions of persecu- tion, jealousy, and somatic delusions) and non-deluded subjects. The laboratory performance specific to patients with delusions of control was not found to be associated with other types of delusions. These results are discussed in relation to the hypothe- sis that delusions of control may be understood as attempts to explain anomalous behavior.

CONTEXT MEMORY IN SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER AND SCHIZOPHRENIA

Theo C. Manschreck*, Brendan A. Maher, Scott Beaudette, D e b o r a h R e d m o n d

New Hampshire Hospital 105 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH03301, USA

DSM IV preserves the separation of schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, yet validation for this diagnostic distinction remains incomplete. The prevalent view that schizoaffective disorder is a less serious condition than schizophrenia suggests that cognitive disturbance should be less severe and possibly altogether different from that found in schizophrenia. We investigated a well-characterized and distinctive cognitive difficulty in schizophrenia, the relative lack of gain in recall of verbal material when context is increased, in a sample of patients and normal controls. Subjects with schizophrenia (n = 15) were individually matched for age, sex, and context free recall with patients diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder (n = 15) and major depression (n= 15); and with normal controls (n= 15). Patients were also matched on chronicity. The results indicate that schizophrenic subjects experience smaller gains in recall when context is increased compared to depressed and normal controls, a finding consistent with previous results. Schizophrenic and schizoaffective subjects, however, did not differ in recall gain on this task. We conclude that schizoaffective subjects cannot be distinguished from schizophrenic subjects on this characteristic cognitive feature of schizophrenia.

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: FINDINGS FROM THE DSM-IV FIELD TRIALS

Lynn Marcinko*, Xavier Amador , Michael Flaum, T h o m a s McGlashen , A n a n d a Pandurangi , Delbert Robinson , Mauric io Tohen

Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Unit #2, 722 West 168th Street, New York, N Y 10032, USA

This study examined possible gender differences in socio- demographic variables, symptomatology, premorbid function-