Pursuit Rotor Test Research Articles

The Effect Of Automated Component Impaction On The Surgeon’s Ergonomics, Fatigue And Stress Levels In Total Hip Arthroplasty

Background Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) surgery is physically and cognitively challenging. Sub-optimal posture during component impaction may influence surgeon’s ergonomics and fatigue. Methods Thirty THA procedures were executed for 3 days. Only during the first day, manual impaction (MI) was performed. Postural risk was evaluated with Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) score. Three cognitive tasks (Simon, pattern comparison and pursuit rotor test) and five physical tests (isometric wall-sit, plank-to-fatigue, handgrip, supra-postural task, and shoulder endurance) assessed surgeon’s psycho-physiological load in the morning, midday, and afternoon. Surgeon’s cortisol concentration and sound level of the broaching process was also recorded. Results RULA and REBA scores were 1.7 to 3 times lower with automated impaction (AI). Physical exhaustion was lower with AI: isometric wall-sit test (10.6% vs. 22.9%), plank-to-fatigue (2.2% vs. 43.8%), supra-postural task (-0.7% vs. -7.7%), handgrip force production (dominant hand -6.7% vs. -12.7%; contralateral +4.7% vs. +7.7%), and in shoulder endurance (-15s vs. -56s). After AI, the cognitive performance showed faster response times and lower error rates for all cognitive tests compared to MI. The salivary cortisol level decreased during the AI-days by 51% in comparison to a 38% increase following the MI-day. Mean broaching time with AI was 7’3’’ compared to 6’20’’ with MI. The mean sound level with the AI-device was 64.3 dBA compared to 68.2 dBA with manual impaction. Conclusions Automated THA component impaction improved the surgeon’s ergonomics which resulted in reduced hormonal stress levels and lower physical and cognitive exhaustion.

Cognitive Performance and Locomotor Adaptation in Persons With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background. Persons with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) show deficits in gait and neuromuscular control following rehabilitation. This altered behavior extends to locomotor adaptation and learning, however the contributing factors to this observed behavior have yet to be investigated. Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in locomotor adaptation and learning between ACLR and controls, and identify underlying contributors to motor adaptation in these individuals. Methods. Twenty ACLR individuals and 20 healthy controls (CON) agreed to participate in this study. Participants performed four cognitive and dexterity tasks (local version of Trail Making Test, reaction time test, electronic pursuit rotor test, and the Purdue pegboard). Three-dimensional kinematics were also collected while participants walked on a split-belt treadmill. Results. ACLR individuals completed the local versions of Trails A and Trails B significantly faster than CON. During split-belt walking, ACLR individuals demonstrated smaller step length asymmetry during EARLY and LATE adaptation, smaller double support asymmetry during MID adaptation, and larger stance time asymmetry during DE-ADAPT compared with CON. Conclusions. ACLR individuals performed better during tasks that required visual attention and task switching and were less perturbed during split-belt walking compared to controls. Persons with ACLR may use different strategies than controls, cognitive or otherwise, to adapt locomotor patterns.

Multitasking in older adults with type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional analysis.

Background and purposeDeficits in the ability to multitask contribute to gait abnormalities and falls in many at-risk populations. However, it is unclear whether older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) also demonstrate impairments in multitasking. The purpose of this study was to compare multitasking performance in cognitively intact older adults with and without DM and explore its relationship to measures of gait and functional ability.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional analysis of 40 individuals aged 60 and older with type 2 DM and a matched group of 40 cognitively intact older adults without DM. Multitasking was examined via the ambulatory Walking and Remembering Test (WART) and seated Pursuit Rotor Test (PRT). Self-selected normal and fast walking speed and stride length variability were quantitatively measured, and self-reported functional ability was assessed via the Late Life Function and Disability Index (LLFDI).ResultsParticipants with DM walked slower and took more steps off path when multitasking during the WART. No between-group differences in multitasking performance were observed on the PRT. Multitasking performance demonstrated little correlation with gait and functional ability in either group.Discussion and conclusionsOlder adults with DM appear to perform poorly on an ambulatory measure of multitasking. However, we analyzed a relatively small, homogenous sample of older adults with and without type 2 DM and factors such as peripheral neuropathy and the use of multiple comparisons complicate interpretation of the data. Future research should explore the interactions between multitasking and safety, fall risk, and function in this vulnerable population. Clinicians should recognize that an array of factors may contribute to gait and physical dysfunction in older adults with type 2 diabetes, and be prepared to assess and intervene appropriately.

Reliability and validity of neurobehavioral function on the Psychology Experimental Building Language test battery in young adults.

Background. The Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL) software consists of over one-hundred computerized tests based on classic and novel cognitive neuropsychology and behavioral neurology measures. Although the PEBL tests are becoming more widely utilized, there is currently very limited information about the psychometric properties of these measures.Methods. Study I examined inter-relationships among nine PEBL tests including indices of motor-function (Pursuit Rotor and Dexterity), attention (Test of Attentional Vigilance and Time-Wall), working memory (Digit Span Forward), and executive-function (PEBL Trail Making Test, Berg/Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Test, and Mental Rotation) in a normative sample (N = 189, ages 18–22). Study II evaluated test–retest reliability with a two-week interest interval between administrations in a separate sample (N = 79, ages 18–22).Results. Moderate intra-test, but low inter-test, correlations were observed and ceiling/floor effects were uncommon. Sex differences were identified on the Pursuit Rotor (Cohen’s d = 0.89) and Mental Rotation (d = 0.31) tests. The correlation between the test and retest was high for tests of motor learning (Pursuit Rotor time on target r = .86) and attention (Test of Attentional Vigilance response time r = .79), intermediate for memory (digit span r = .63) but lower for the executive function indices (Wisconsin/Berg Card Sorting Test perseverative errors = .45, Tower of London moves = .15). Significant practice effects were identified on several indices of executive function.Conclusions. These results are broadly supportive of the reliability and validity of individual PEBL tests in this sample. These findings indicate that the freely downloadable, open-source PEBL battery (http://pebl.sourceforge.net) is a versatile research tool to study individual differences in neurocognitive performance.

Relationships of Various Coordination Tests

This study aimed to examine the relationships among four coordination tests with different movement styles according to gender difference and hand dominance. The subjects performed the coordinated force exertion test, the moving beans with tweezers test and the Purdue pegboard test for three trials as well as the pursuit rotor test for seven trials with the dominant and non-dominant hands. Significant and low correlations were found between the moving beans with tweezers test and the Purdue pegboard test for both hands in females but not among the other tests. Significant correlations were found for both hands in males and females in all tests, showing a significant gender difference between correlations only in the pursuit rotor test. In conclusion,relationships among the four tests for both hands were low, and each test is highly unique. In addition, females have higher relationships between dominant and non-dominant hands, and the tendency is marked, particularly in tests that involve pursuing a moving target.

Impaired Motor Learning by a Pursuit Rotor Test Reduces Functional Outcomes During Rehabilitation of Poststroke Ataxia

Background. Motor learning is essential to gain skills with neurorehabilitation. Objective. To investigate whether capacity for motor learning affects rehabilitation outcome and its relevant brain activation in ataxic patients with stroke. Methods. Twelve patients presenting with ataxia admitted for inpatient rehabilitation 2 to 3 months after infratentorial stroke and 6 control subjects performed 8 repetitions of 30-second pursuit rotor (PR) task. Cortical oxygenated hemoglobin (oxyHb) signals were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Results. Both patients and controls learned the PR skill, although the gains in PR performance were significantly lower in patients. In patients, the less learning significantly correlated with smaller rehabilitation gains assessed by the Functional Independence Measure. The Fugl-Meyer score for coordination and balance did not change. Center of task-related increase of cortical oxyHb signals shifted from the presupplementary motor area (preSMA) to the supplementary motor area (SMA) with task repetitions in controls but not in patients. Accordingly, serial changes of ratio of oxyHb increase in the preSMA to SMA (preSMA/SMA ratio) were significantly different between the groups. In patients and controls, gains in PR performance and changes of the preSMA/SMA ratio correlated. Conclusions. Impaired motor sequence learning by the PR task was correlated with reduced rehabilitation gains for ataxic patients with stroke.

Elektroenzephalographische und psychoexperimentelle Untersuchungen mit Lithium an gesunden Probanden

In previous experiments with lithium on normal volunteers, in whom plasma levels of 0.8 mmol/l after acute and 0.5-0.6 mmol/l during steady state after two weeks of lithium administration were obtained, we found slight effects on the awake EEG and psychological performance tests which could be interpreted as a decrease in vigilance and activation. The present study was designed to replicate these results with slightly higher plasma levels: 1 mval/l (acute), an 0.7-0.9 mval/l during steady state, in normal subjects selected according to strict EEG criteria. Besides quantitative pharmaco-EEG, the Zerssen scale for mood (Bf-S) and psychosomatic complaints (B-L) were applied; furthermore, subjective time estimation, the digit symbol test, flicker fusion frequency, and the pursuit rotor test were performed. After acute administration only a slight increase in psychosomatic complaints and a tendency towards increase in xxx-power in the EEG could be observed. Under chronic lithium treatment a significant increase in xxx-power and decrease in flicker fusion frequency in comparison to placebo were found. Tendencies for a decrease in performance were obtained by the digit symbol test and by the pursuit rotor test. The subjective time estimation 17 seconds as well as mood and psychosomatic complaints as measured by Bf-S and B-L did not change. The results of this trial confirm that lithium has negative effects on vigilance and activation. However, despite of higher plasma levels, the changes found in comparison to placebo were slight and discrete. Thus, in the routine test battery designed to describe and classify acute effects of classic psychotropic drugs such as 10 mg diazepam, 75 mg chlorpromazinc, 75 mg imipramine, or 20 mg dextroamphetamine, lithium does not induce unambiguous effects. Other test models are required to demonstrate specific psychic effects of lithium. In this context, appropriate criteria for selection of lithium sensitive subjects play an important role.

Health Status, Psychological Symptoms, Mood, and Cognition in L-Thyroxine-Treated Hypothyroid Subjects

Many hypothyroid subjects receiving L-thyroxine (L-T4) complain of psychological symptoms or cognitive dysfunction. However, there is limited validated information on these self-reports. Cross-sectional comparison of 20 euthyroid and 34 treated hypothyroid subjects, aged 20-45 years, with normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. Subjects underwent the following validated measures: Short Form 36 (SF-36); Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R); Profile of Mood States (POMS); and tests of declarative memory (Paragraph Recall, Complex Figure), working memory (N-Back, Subject Ordered Pointing, Digit Span Backwards), and motor learning (Pursuit Rotor). L-T4-treated subjects had higher mean TSH and free T4 levels, but free triiodothyronine (T3) levels were comparable to controls. L-T4-treated subjects had decrements on SF-36 and SCL-90-R summary scales and subscales. These subjects performed slightly worse on N-Back and Pursuit Rotor tests. Neither TSH nor thyroid hormone levels were associated with performance on psychological or cognitive measures. This group of L-T4-treated subjects had decrements in health status, psychological function, working memory, and motor learning compared to euthyroid controls. Higher mean TSH levels suggest this may be related to suboptimal treatment, although there were no correlations between TSH levels and outcomes. These findings are limited by potential selection bias, and randomized studies targeting different TSH levels and memory subdomains would clarify these issues.

The Practice Effect and Its Difference of the Pursuit Rotor Test with the Dominant and Non-dominant Hands

The purpose of this study was to examine the practice effect and what difference it makes in the pursuit rotor test for the dominant and non-dominant hands in 30 right-handed Japanese male adults aged 18 to 23 years (Age 20.8+/-1.4 yrs). The subjects performed the pursuit rotor test for 1 min in 20 trials with a 1-min interval alternately using the dominant and non-dominant hands. After continuing for 10 trials, a 5-min rest was taken. The measurement order was randomly assigned. Contact time of a steel pen and a target was measured in units of 1/10 sec. The measurements showed a constant increasing tendency at every trial until the 6th trial in both hands. Significant linear regressions were identified, but the increase-rate of the dominant hand was significantly larger. Individual differences showed a decreasing tendency at every trial in the dominant hand, but in the non-dominant hand it increased until the 4th trial then decreased. The relationships between measurements of the 1st and 10th trials in both hands and both hands in the 1st or 10th trial were not high. The performance of the pursuit rotor test improves at every trial in both hands, but the improvement rate decreases after the 7th trial. The improvement rate of the dominant hand is high. The change in individual differences differs in both hands and the relationship between the measurements is not high. It can be judged that the practice effect of the pursuit rotor test differs in the dominant and non-dominant hands.

Relationships among Coordinated Exertion of Force and Performance on Pegboard and Pursuit Rotor Tests Using Upper Limbs and Fingers

This study assessed the relationships between coordinated exertion of force and performance on pegboard and pursuit-rotor tests. University students (30 men and 30 women; M=20.4 yr., SD=1.1) matched their submaximal grip strength to changing demand values displayed as either a bar chart or a waveform appearing on the display of a personal computer and performed pursuit-rotor and pegboard tests. Sex differences were not significant. Correlations with maximal grip strength were minimal. Performance on coordinated exertion of force test was moderately correlated (men: r=-.42, women: r=-.70) with performance on the pursuit-rotor test for both sexes, but not with scores on the pegboard test. Scores on the coordinated exertion of force test and these two tests using upper limbs and fingers have little relation to maximal grip strength, and the correlations among them are similar for both sexes.

Procedural memory in schizophrenia assessed using a mirror reading task

The preservation of procedural memory in individuals with schizophrenia has been confirmed by methods such as the Tower of Hanoi, pursuit rotor and mirror reading tests. However, the cognitive procedural memory of Japanese subjects with schizophrenia has never been assessed using mirror reading. To better determine the characteristics of cognitive procedural memory in schizophrenia, a Japanese version of the mirror reading task, consisting of cards with words written in Japanese katakana characters in mirror image, was administered to 18 Japanese patients with schizophrenia and 21 normal controls. The results indicated that the patients indeed learned the skill despite exhibiting lower overall performances in reading time than the controls, their scores displaying correlation with the severity of schizophrenic negative symptoms. This suggests that procedural memory for this task is retained in individuals with schizophrenia. It is important for them to use their preserved procedural memory for efficient rehabilitative efforts.

Acute alcohol tolerance in cognitive and psychomotor performance: Influence of the alcohol dose and prior alcohol experience

Using tests for cognitive performance (the Pauli test) and psychomotor coordination (the Pursuit Rotor test), the interaction between the drinking history of the subjects, the alcohol dose, and acute alcohol tolerance were examined in light and moderate alcohol consumers ( N = 10). Both groups of subjects were tested with doses of alcohol corresponding to 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg. Dose order was random and tests were carried out at an interval of 1 week. Reports of the subjects' previous experience with alcohol indicated that the moderate consumers ingested alcohol in higher quantities than the light consumers. The light consumers were rather inexperienced with frequent alcohol consumption at the quantities investigated, as were the moderate consumers for the higher of the alcohol doses used. Acute tolerance was assessed by comparing performance at equal concentrations of alcohol on the ascending and the descending limbs of the alcohol concentration curve. In the test for cognitive performance, both doses of alcohol in light alcohol consumers yielded significant differences between the ascending and descending limbs of the alcohol concentration curve, suggesting the existence of acute tolerance. In the moderate alcohol consumers, only a tendency to acute tolerance was observed for the higher of the doses tested. In the test for the psychomotor performance, both of the measures of frequency (of misses) and duration (of time outside the target area) were used. The results showed that in the light consumers, acute tolerance was seen for both of the doses, and to some extent for both of the dependent measures (frequency and duration) investigated. However, in the moderate alcohol consumers, acute tolerance was only observed for the higher of the doses and only for the duration measure. Given the difference in drinking history between the two groups of subjects, the implication would be that when the dose of alcohol exceeds the subjects' prior experience, acute tolerance seems inevitable. The present results clearly demonstrate the complexity of the acute tolerance phenomenon, and emphasize the fact that the results are dependent on the subjects' prior experience with alcohol as well as the dose of alcohol ingested, and consequently suggest the interaction between acute and chronic alcohol tolerance.

Preserved Cognitive Skills in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

To describe preserved cognitive skills in patients with dementia. Case series. Community clinic. Five patients who met National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for probable Alzheimer's disease and were claimed to retain a cognitive skill. None. Standard neuropsychological tests and individualized measures of patient's skilled behaviors. For patients who remained skilled at games, performance was compared with that of normal controls in direct competition. For the patient-trombonist, raters compared premorbid and postmorbid recordings of his play. One patient continued to play the trombone in a Dixieland band, although he could not name well-known numbers that he played. Another continued to solve adult jigsaw puzzles. A third patient retained skill at canasta, the fourth at dominoes. The fifth patient remained a skillful contract bridge player, although he could not name the suits or articulate simple bidding rules. Four patients had impaired performance on standard anterograde and remote memory and naming tests but performed normally on pursuit rotor and letter fluency tests. Mini-Mental State Examination scores for these patients ranged from 10 to 22. One patient refused neuropsychological testing but displayed his skill. Together with previous studies of preserved piano playing or painting skills, our findings indicate that a broad range of complex cognitive abilities may be preserved in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type who cannot perform simpler actions.

Residual effects of zopiclone on subsequent daytime functions in normal humans

AbstractThe influence of zopiclone and nitrazepam on arousal level, muscle strength, psychomotor performance and memory function using the photopalpebral reflex (PPR), critical flicker frequency (CFF), tapping test, pursuit rotor test (PRT), choice reaction test (CRT) and memory drum test (MDT) were investigated on the day following drug administration. After the control tests were completed at 1800 h, nine healthy male university students were given zopiclone 10 mg, nitrazepam 10 mg and placebo in a double‐blind, crossover design at 2300 h. The performance on the tests, as well as the recording of subjective assessments, were repeated at 0800, 1100 and 1400 h the next day. Both nitrazepam and zopiclone produced a prolongation of PPR latency and a decrease of CFF. The effects of zopiclone were weaker and shorter in duration than those of nitrazepam. Tapping rate, PRT and CRT improved or did not change, and there were no significant differences between the drugs. The MDT was impaired by both drugs in the morning, with nitrazepam continuing to produce memory impairment, while zopiclone did not produce further deterioration. No significant changes were observed in the subjective assessment of the subjects. These results suggest that a medium dose of zopiclone lowers arousal level and impairs memory, especially during the morning following drug administration, but produces no change in muscle strength, psychomotor performance or self‐assessment. Finally, the residual effects of zopiclone appear to be weaker than those of nitrazepam.

The effects of amoxapine and ethanol on psychomotor skills related to driving: A placebo and standard controlled study

1. 1. Eight normal male volunteers were tested under eight different treatment conditions: amoxapine 50 and 100 mg, amitriptyline 50 mg. and placebo—each condition with and without ethanol—(1.3 g/kg body weight), utilizing a double-blind repeated measures latin square design balanced for carry-over. Motor reflex, pursuit rotor and depth perception tests were conducted when blood levels of the active drugs and alocohol were simultaneously at or near peak. 2. 2. Analyses revealed significant effects of amitriptyline and ethanol on the motor reflex and pursuit rotor but not for depth perception tests, and the effects of ethanol appeared to be potentiated by amitriptyline on the pursuit rotor test; this was not true for amoxapine. 3. 3. Although the effects of 100 mg of amoxapine were consistently greater than for 50 mg or placebo, these differences did not reach a statistical significant level. 4. 4. Since amoxapine did not differ significantly from placebo, these results suggest that the effects of amoxapine on driving skills may not be as pronounced as those produced by amitriptyline.

Ethanol, tobacco and laterality effects on simple and complex motor performance.

Tobacco had no effect on knob turning, hand tapping, foot tapping and pursuit rotor tests in 24 right-handed men, but ethanol influenced left-hand performance more than right.

Effects of Oxypertine and Chlordiazepoxide on Human Motor Co-Ordination

The performance of six normal healthy male volunteers in three simple co-ordination tests has been used to assess the effects of three doses of oxypertine and one dose of chlordiazepoxide. In the first part of the study, single doses of oxpyertine ( 10 and 20 mg) and chlordiazepoxide 10 mg were compared, in the second part of the study, two doses of oxypertine 5 and 10 mg given four hours apart were compared. The tests employed were—braking reaction time in a motor car simulator, spatial co-ordination and pursuit rotor performance. In the first part of the study, oxypertine ( 10 and 20 mg) produced initial improvements in performance in the braking test, followed by deterioration. Performance four hours after 10 mg of oxypertine was normal when compared with the placebo response. Chlordiazepoxide 10 mg produced a deterioration in performance. Statistical analysis of the braking reaction times revealed large subject to subject variations, and in only one case was a statistically significant difference between treatments demonstrated. The second part of the study failed to confirm the improvements in performance noted in the earlier study. No statistically significant changes in performance were detected following the first capsules of oxypertine ( 5 or 10 mg). Three and four hours after consuming the second 5 or 10 mg capsule, significant changes in braking performances were recorded at the 1% and 5% levels of significance respectively. Performance in the pursuit rotor test was enhanced following the ingestion of 5 mg of oxypertine, but was depressed after 10 mg of the drug, these observations were not statistically significant. Dose related drowsiness was detected following dosage with oxypertine and although less obvious outwardly in later studies, it was still apparent in the performance scores of the subjects, particularly those who had consumed the higher ( 20 mg) dose of oxypertine. The braking reaction time experiments suggest that dosage with oxypertine at a frequency of 10 mg every four hours or less, may result in an accumulation of drug and lead to significant motor inco-ordination. It seems unlikely that prolonged dosage with the 5 mg dose of oxypertine will lead to accumulation of the drug.

Manifest Anxiety, Amphetamine, and Performance

Abstract : The major purpose of this research was to determine whether administration of amphetamine, a drug assumed to increase drive level, alters performance in ways consonant with drive theory. The results obtained support earlier findings that high the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS) subjects perform better than low MAS subjects on noncompetitive paired-associates lists, whereas the low MAS subjects are superior on competitive lists. High MAS subjects tended to be superior on the simple and inferior on the difficult coding test, but these effects were not statistically significant. Amphetamine significantly improved performance on the noncompetitive paired-associates list and the simple coding test. The failure of amphetamine to produce a significant effect on either the competitive pairedassociates list or the difficult coding test does not support expectations based on drive theory, but does add to the accumulating evidence that relatively high level intellectual functions are not influenced by amphetamine. The significant improvement in performance on the pursuit rotor test, due to amphetamine, and the progressively greater discrepancy between amphetamine and placebo performance, over time, are both consistent with earlier literature.

Effects of addiction to intravenous heroin on patterns of physical activity in man

Physical activity measurements were made during 30 days of placebo administration followed by 60 days of addiction to intravenous heroin. The experimental design was double‐blind. Five prisoner addicts served as subjects. The daily measures of activity selected were: (a) hours lying horizontal on the bed, (b) hours of sleep, (c) hours off the research ward, and (d) miles recorded on a pedometer.The several activity measurements correlated well. The experiments indicate that techniques may be used to measure major daily activities which require minimal directed participation by the subject and which do not Significantly influence degree and quality of activity. Compared with placebo, heroin increased activity when given in single intravenous doses or in repeated doses for 3 or 4 days, but depressed activity when chronically administered over a longer interval. When patients chronically received heroin they showed a pronounced tendency to retreat from all forms of activity and social contacts, and to go to their rooms to lie alone on their beds, eyes closed, frequently with radios turned on, “nodding” (sedated, but usually not sleeping).Clinical observations and pursuit rotor tests indicate that the depressant effects on activity observed during chronic heroin administration were not due to debility or to psychomotor impairment but rather suggest a reduced responsiveness of the patient to ambient stimuli.

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

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.