61 BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE ASSESSMENT IN DySTONIA MUBOULORUM DEFORMANS

The assessment of movement disorders necessitates the quantification of abnormal findings. The development of behavior analysis techniques offers a methodology for examining movements. The present study is an attempt to apply behavior analysis techniques to the treatment of disorders. Three patients with Dystonia Musculorum Deformans (age range 16-24y ) were assessed during treatment with artane (8-15mg/d),parsidol (200-400mg/d) (P), tegretol (.4-1.5mg/d) (T) or P+T. The results in one patient are shown. Assessment measures including range of motion, finger dexterity, writing skills, and surface EMG suggests the greatest improvement is on a combination of P+T. This approach suggests that assessment of behavioral changes may provide important information upon which to base clinical decisions. Empirical analysis of behaviors represents a methodology by which treatment efficacy may be quantified and clinical impressions substantiated.