Music psychopathology. III. Musical expression and psychiatric disease.

Musical expression of the instrumental playing of 61 mentally ill patients and 29 controls recorded several times was assessed by means of a short polarity profile. The performances were reversibly impaired in correlation with the psychopathology. Musical expression followed a systematic variation according to nosological classification. Endogenous-depressive patients could be clearly distinguished from neurotic-depressive patients due to weakened motoric qualities in their playing. In schizophrenia, motoricity did not seem to be so much involved, although the performances were altered in the dimension of musical logic and order. Maniform syndromes had the least effect on musical expression.

Effect of anticholinergics on tardive dyskinesia. A controlled discontinuation study.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, ten chronic schizophrenic patients with pronounced symptoms of tardive dyskinesia (TD) were withdrawn from anticholinergic medication. All patients had previously been under long-term treatment with neuroleptics and anticholinergics for at least two years. The rating-scales used were the AIMS, our own TD Scale, and the Simpson-Angus scale for extra-pyramidal side-effects. The severity of TD decreased significantly in nine patients with in two weeks; this improvement, most pronounced in the oral region (P less than .001), persisted during a six-week placebo period. There was a slight increase in parkinsonian symptoms (P less than .05), which was not a prerequisite for improvement in TD. Hence, discontinuation of anticholinergic medication is a possible therapeutic approach in patients with TD.