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The effects of chlorpromazine and secobarbital on the reaction times of chronic schizophrenics

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Summary

Twelve male schizophrenics were given a simple visual reaction time test (RT) after single doses and chronic (11 days) administration of chlorpromazine and secobarbital. RT was tested under two conditions: irregular, in which preparatory intervals were presented randomly, and regular, in which the same preparatory intervals were given in consecutive order. Results under single doses indicated that secobarbital reduced intra-individual variability, while chlorpromazine did not significantly affect performance. Results under chronic administration indicated that neither drug had a significant effect on RT performance. These findings are different from those obtained by other investigators who have observed facilitation in schizophrenic psychomotor performance after chlorpromazine, and deficit in performance after barbiturates.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catholic University of America, USA

    Ronald D. Wynne M. S. & Conan Kornetsky Ph. D.

  2. Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland

    Ronald D. Wynne M. S. & Conan Kornetsky Ph. D.

  3. New Jersey Neuro-Psychiatric Institute, Box 1000, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

    Ronald D. Wynne M. S.

  4. Department of Pharmacology, Boston University School of Medicine, 80 East Concord Street, Boston 18, Massachusetts, USA

    Conan Kornetsky Ph. D.

Authors
  1. Ronald D. Wynne M. S.
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  2. Conan Kornetsky Ph. D.
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Additional information

This study is a revision of part of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts, from the Catholic University of America, August 1957, by the senior author. Thanks are due Dr. John W, Stafford, who served as thesis advisor.

This study was part of an N.I.M.H. research project run at St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, D.C., under the direction of the junior author, and reported elsewhere (Kornetsky, Pettit, Wynne, and Evarts 1959).

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Wynne, R.D., Kornetsky, C. The effects of chlorpromazine and secobarbital on the reaction times of chronic schizophrenics. Psychopharmacologia 1, 294–302 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404227

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404227

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