FUNCTIONAL CHANGES IN THE PATELLAR REFLEX AS SEEN IN THE PSYCHOSES
Edward A. Strecker 1, and
Joseph Hughes 1
1 Pennsylvania Hospital for Mental and Nervous Diseases, Philadelphia
1. The knee jerk and its response to reinforcement have been studied in the different psychoses.
2. Manic-depressive, depressed, and involutional patients showing symptoms of agitation and depression give large reflex responses. As the mental symptoms subside the size of the reflex decreases.
3. Agitated and depressed patients are unable to reinforce a maximal patellar reflex response. Evidence is presented that this failure of the reinforcing act to increase the size of the knee jerk is a phenomena of occlusion.
4. Hypomanic patients give unpredictable reflex responses.
5. Schizophrenic patients give responses similar to those obtained from normal individuals.
