Relationships between Jenkins Activity Survey scores and responsivity of the dopaminergic system in psychosomatic...

First, the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) was administered to 150 healthy subjects and 127 psychosomatic patients. Next, the responsivity of the dopaminergic system of the hypothalamo-pituitary gland was measured in 81 of these psychosomatic patients by examining the effect of bromocriptine on plasma growth hormone levels. Subjects were classified as either responders or nonresponders based on their secretion patterns. Multidimensional scaling techniques successfully discriminated between healthy subjects, psychosomatic responders and psychosomatic nonresponders using the items of the JAS. Implications for treating nonresponder psychosomatics in Japan are discussed.