Some relations between psychiatric and psychomotor behavior changes associated with tranquilizing medications

Abstract

Twenty-six severely and chronically disturbed schizophrenic women were placed successively under conditions of regular medication, placebo, an experimental tranquilizer, trifluoperazine, and trifluoperazine-plus-benztropine methanesulfonate medication. Psychomotor performance was obtained on a battery of four tests (reaction time, steadiness, pegboard, and pursuit rotor) twice weekly for 15 weeks. Concurrent observations were made of the psychiatric status of the patients and of their muscular dysfunction. A comparison group of 10 chronic schizophrenic women were tested under conditions of regular medication. Psychiatric status steadily deteriorated under the placebo and SU-3822 regimens but began to improve following the introduction of trifluoperazine and benztropine methanesulfonate. The trifluoperazine caused muscular dysfunction which was partially alleviated by the anti-Parkinsonism agents. The reaction time and steadiness tests were found to be sensitive to the change in psychiatric status, but did not reflect the effects of muscular dysfunction. On the other hand, the pursuit rotor, pegboard, and horizontal alternation tests were not sensitive to change in psychiatric status but did indicate effects due to muscular dysfunction.