Fluctuation of tardive dyskinesia

An Instrumental Measure of Hand and Facial Movement Abnormalities in Patients With Schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION

Movement disorders have been suggested to be a cardinal component of schizophrenia. With increased research interests in this area, instrumental measures are needed. This study was to examine if the motion capture system was reliable in measuring hand and facial bradykinesia and dyskinesia and more sensitive to detecting movement differences between schizophrenia patients and healthy people than traditional rating scales.

METHODS

Sixteen schizophrenia patients and 20 control subjects were recruited. Hand and facial bradykinesia and dyskinesia were measured using the motion capture system and rated using the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale.

RESULTS

The system showed strong test-retest reliability and generated larger effect sizes of group differences than did the rating scales.

CONCLUSIONS

The results may support researchers and clinical practitioners to apply the system to sensitively measuring the hand and facial movement symptoms in schizophrenia patients, which contributes to gaining a deep understanding of movement issues in schizophrenia.

Expanding phenomenologic heterogeneity of tardive syndromes: Time for an updated assessment tool

Tardive syndromes (TDS) are a group of hyperkinetic and hypokinetic movement disorders that occurs after exposure to dopamine receptor blocking agents such as antipsychotic and antiemetic drugs. The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) is a widely used instrument that has become the standard for assessment of tardive dyskinesia (TDD), the most common form of TDS. However, the AIMS has a number of clinimetric limitations and was designed primarily to assess the anatomic distribution and severity of involuntary movements without regard to phenomenology. To build on recent advances in understanding and treatment of TDS, re-evaluation and revision of the AIMS that could aid both clinical practice and research may be worthwhile. Challenges, such as retaining the efficiency of the current AIMS, incorporating evaluation of impairment in daily activities, and re-training clinicians for a revised examination procedure and rating instrument, are very likely surmountable.

[Antipsychotic-induced motor symptoms in schizophrenic psychoses-Part 3 : Tardive dyskinesia]

The treatment of schizophrenic psychoses with antipsychotic drugs (AP) is often associated with an increased risk of delayed occurrence of antipsychotic-associated movement disorders. Persistence and chronicity of such symptoms are very frequent. The risk of developing tardive dyskinesia (TD) is associated with the pharmacological effect profile of a particular AP, with treatment duration and age. This systematic review article summarizes the current study situation on prevalence, risk factors, prevention and treatment options and instruments for early prediction of TD in schizophrenic psychoses. The current data situation on treatment strategies for TD is very heterogeneous. For the treatment of TD there is preliminary evidence for reduction or discontinuation of the AP, switching to clozapine, administration of benzodiazepines (clonazepam) and treatment with vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) inhibitors, ginkgo biloba, amantadine or vitamin E. Although TD can be precisely diagnosed it cannot always be effectively treated. Early detection and early treatment of TD can have a favorable influence on the prognosis and the clinical outcome.

Clinical rating scales and instruments: how do they compare in assessing abnormal, involuntary movements?

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have shown that quantitative instrumental measurements are more sensitive than clinical rating scales to subclinical dyskinesia and parkinsonism. We therefore hypothesized that an instrumental assessment would be more sensitive to the presence of dyskinetic and parkinsonian movements than the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), the Dyskinesia Identification Scale, Condensed User Version (DISCUS), and the Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS). We also hypothesized that the DISCUS, by virtue of its more detailed protocol, would be more sensitive than the AIMS.

METHOD

Using blinded raters, we compared the clinical rating scales with instrumental measurements in 100 patients referred to a movement disorders clinic. We collected demographic data, risk factors for tardive dyskinesia, current medication use, Axis I and III disorders, and an estimate of cognitive functioning using the Mini-Mental Status Examination.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between the AIM and the DISCUS in the identification of dyskinesia. However, an instrumental assessment revealed a significantly greater prevalence of dyskinesia. The Mini-Mental Status Examination was the most prominent predictor of both instrumental and clinical measurements of parkinsonian and dyskinetic movements.

CONCLUSIONS

It appears that even trained raters, utilizing standard rating scales, may underestimate the prevalence of some motor abnormalities. Instrumental ratings may be helpful to both the clinician and investigator, particularly when abnormal movements are not clinically obvious. The relationship between cognitive impairment and motor abnormalities remains an important area for further research.

Tardive dyskinesia and positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. A study using instrumental measures

BACKGROUND

Controversy surrounds the relationship between tardive dyskinesia (TD) and symptoms of schizophrenia. While some studies reported that negative symptoms of schizophrenia may be a risk factor for TD, others reported a relationship between TD and positive symptoms.

METHOD

Eighty-four patients were studied, of whom 47 met criteria for TD. Clinical and instrumental procedures were used to increase the sensitivity of our assessments of the presence and severity of TD. Stepwise logistic and linear regression procedures were used to identify demographic variables, psychopathology, and motor parameters associated with the presence and severity of TD.

RESULTS

A 3-factor model consisting of age, clinical tremor, and negative symptoms explained 25% of the variance in clinical TD severity. A 6-factor model consisting of female gender, instrumental and clinical measures of parkinsonism, positive, and negative symptoms explained 49% of the variance in severity of instrumentally derived dyskinesia.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the presence of TD may be associated with positive symptoms; that the severity of TD may be related to negative symptoms; and that the relationship between negative symptoms and TD severity may be influenced by the presence of parkinsonism.