Quantitative Assessment of Motor Function in Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Objective tests are described for the quantitative assessment of motor function in children with cerebral palsy, and their value is demonstrated in the controlled evaluation of muscular relaxant drugs. Improvement in performance due to practice and the influence of other extraneous factors on test results are measured and excluded by the experimental design employed. Of 10 patients treated with zoxazolamine (Flexin), significant improvements in tests of motor function were observed in 6 patients and some degree of improvement was apparent in one. The efficacy of the drug seemed greater in patients with athetosis and without muscle weakness than in those with spastic paralysis. In limited trials of reserpine and chlorpromazine the rate of voluntary movement was retarded and functional ability was impaired.