Differences in muscle activity before, during, and after responding in a simple reaction time task: schizophrenics...

Schizophrenics and normals were presented with a series of simple reaction time (RT) trials. Electromyographic techniques were used to partition RT into peripheral and central components. It was observed that contrary to the previously held assumption of "neuromuscular sameness," schizophrenics displayed a qualitatively different pattern of muscle activity in their motor responding. Differences of the observed sort could account, in part, for differences previously thought to be due solely to central dysfunction.