Clinical research techniques in tardive dyskinesia

The authors have developed standardized assessment and control techniques designed to provide objective measures of tardive dyskinesia in patients progressing through an experimental treatment program. Standardized videotaping is carried out and blind ratings on the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale are made by a team of psychiatrists and neurologists. Other assessments include several measurements of vocal function and a quantitative acceleration profile standardized on normal subjects. Such measures allow quantifiable determination of response to drug treatment and may provide clues to the etiology and definition of the dyskinetic syndrome.