Abstract
This study was designed to assess vestibular function in persons with chronic schizophrenia and to determine whether a lifestyle characterized by little physical activity is related to existing dysfunction. Four groups of subjects were assembled. One group was composed of persons with the diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia. A second group was composed of spinal pain patients who were assumed to reflect chronically low levels of physical activity, but without suspected neurological involvement. The third group was composed of manic patients being treated with neuroleptic medications, as were the chronic schizophrenics. This group acted as a medication control group. The fourth group was a control group composed primarily of occupational and physical therapists in the community. Tests designed to assess vestibular function and tests designed to assess physical activity level were administered individually to each member of each group. It was hypothesized that if both the chronic schizophrenic group and the spinal pain group manifested low scores on vestibular instruments as well as low scores on the activity instrument when compared to control subjects, then prolonged levels of physical inactivity and not a primary neurological dysfunction could possibly be associated with vestibularly based sensory integrative dysfunctions in these populations. This was not found. However, low levels of physical activity were experimentally confirmed in both the chronic schizophrenic and the spinal pain group. Additionally, similar patterns of vestibular response were found in the chronic schizophrenic and the manic groups suggesting the possible interference of neuroleptic medications when vestibular functions are considered.
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