A study of state-dependent reversal of tardive dyskinesia: phenomenological probe in humans

A longitudinal study of a case report in which bipolar manic-depression was complicated by tardive dyskinesia indicates an antithetical relationship between the severity of tardive dyskinesia and that of depression as well as mania. Reversal of tardive dyskinesia in depression was compatible with the current neurochemical postulates of these disorders. The scarce reports of state-dependent dyskinesias are reviewed in the hope that this can be a useful probe in human studies. Finally, the "undopamine" hypothesis of tardive dyskinesia as a hypernoradrenergic state is discussed and the need for phenomenological-neurochemical characterization of tardive dyskinesia is emphasized.