title: Left turning (swivel) in medicated chronic schizophrenic patients.
abstract: 34 medicated schizophrenic inpatients, 34 normal control subjects, 18 affective disorder patients (four in manic phase), nine schizoid personality disorder subjects, and nine anxiety/histrionic disorder patients were tested on a two-button task which required turning 180 degrees to collect coin reinforcers. Schizophrenic patients turned consistently left (16 times) significantly more (nine of 34) than normal controls, all of whom turned consistently right (chi 2 = 10.37, P = 0.005). Schizophrenic patients also turned left significantly more than the 18 affective disorder subjects, all of whom turned consistently right (chi 2 = 5.76, P = 0.02). All schizoid personality disorder subjects turned consistently right, and eight of nine anxiety histrionic disorder subjects turned consistently right. Left turning was not correlated with any other variables measured, including handedness, demographic, diagnostic and symptom variables. Left rotation has been previously measured during free ambulation in acute, non-medicated patients (Bracha, Biol. Psychiatry 22 (1987), 995-1003). Left turning bias in a subset of medicated, chronic schizophrenic inpatients may be linked to an underlying asymmetric striatal dopaminergic activity, specifically, an ipsilateral hypoactivity or contralateral hyperactivity, which would lead to left turning and right hemi-spatial neglect.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Los Angeles 90024.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Satz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D009949:Orientation / Q000187:drug effects*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012557:Schizoid Personality Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents