ABSTRACT
Amphetamine and other psychomotor stimulants, including cocaine, induce characteristic patterns of repetitive or stereotyped movement (Randrup and Munkvad, 1974). In humans, these motor-activation patterns are often accompanied by perseverative thought processes that closely resemble some forms of psychosis (Ellinwood, Sudilovsky and Nelson, 1973; Schiorring, 1981). With repeated stimulant use, certain aspects of both the motor stereotypy and the psychosis are enhanced, suggesting a common neurobiological substrate (Robinson and Becker, 1986; Segal and Janowsky, 1978). Research on stimulant-induced motoractivation patterns, therefore, may have profound psychiatric implications (Rebec and Bashore, 1984; Ridley and Baker, 1982).
