Abnormalities of the Caloric test results in Certain Varieties of mental Disorder

Abstract

Statistics are given of the result of the caloric test according to Cawthorne-Fitzgerald and Hallpike in 93 R.A.F. cadets considered as "normals" and of 35 cases of severe anxiety neurosis. In the R.A.F. cadets the curves obtained by plotting the total sensitivity, i.e., the sum of the reactions for cold and hot stimulation of both ears, the left-right sensitivity difference, and the directional preponderance, had a nearly pure gaussian form. In the neurotic patients the curves proved to show much more variance. The neurotics also showed, on an avg., a much longer duration of the nystagmus than the R.A.F. cadets. A tendency to a general increase of the deep and some other reflexes in neurotics may be the cause of this variance.