Lateral Asymmetries of Tardive Dyskinesia in Schizophrenia

Investigations of patients with schizophrenia have found evidence of asymmetric brain dysfunction involving primarily the left hemisphere (Gur 1977; Taylor et al. 1979; Piran et al. 1982; Tsai et al. 1983; Guenther et al. 1986). Although not all studies have consistently identified this relationship, sufficient evidence concerning lateralized disturbances exists to warrant further investigation Recently, lateralized dyskinetic movements in schizophrenic patients with tardive dyskinesia (TD) have been reported (Waziri 1980; Myslobodsky et al. 1984; Wilson et al. 1984). These studies have relied on observer rating scales of dyskinetic movements and have involved small numbers of patients. The current study was designed to assess the prevalence of asymmetric dyskinetic movements in a larger number of schizophrenic patients using quantitative electromechanical measures of TD as well as observer rating scales.