Computerized ultrasonographic craniocorpography and abnormal psychomotor activity in psychiatric patients.

A new version of craniocorpography (CCG), called computerized ultrasonographic CCG (Comp-USCCG), has been clinically applied for objective recording, documentation, and quantitative evaluation of abnormal psychomotor activity in psychiatric patients. Implications of this completely new approach to psychopathology are discussed. An original representation of Comp-USCCG data (introducing the time dimension as a new CCG parameter) is used to illustrate better the atypical abnormal stepping Comp-USCCG movement patterns in psychotic patients, some of which have not been described in neurootological patients to date. These atypical abnormal stepping Comp-USCCG movement patterns are prolonged longitudinal or shortened or backward longitudinal displacement; dysrhythmic longitudinal or lateral sway; and longitudinal or lateral directional changes. Reflecting the abnormal psychomotor activity, Comp-USCCG also provides for possible indirect evaluation of the underlying subjective psychotic experience. The contribution of the approach could be defined as an application of a known neurootological method into a new field of medicine (psychiatry) with a new purpose (to record and measure abnormal psychomotor activity). Our conclusion is that Comp-USCCG could become the first objective and quantitative method available for use in the field of clinical psychiatry.