Catalepsy
| Catalepsy | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Psychiatry  |
- This page is about the medical condition, for the deathcore band, see Catalepsy (band)
Catalepsy is a nervous condition characterized by muscular rigidity and fixity of posture regardless of external stimuli, as well as decreased sensitivity to pain. [1]
Catalepsy is also a term used by hypnotists to refer to the state of making a hypnotised subject's arm, leg or back rigid. "Arm catalepsy" is often a pre-hypnotic test performed prior to an induction into a full trance.
Causes
Catalepsy is a symptom of certain nervous disorders or conditions such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.
It is also a characteristic symptom of cocaine withdrawal.[citation needed]
It can be caused by schizophrenia treatment with anti-psychotics,[2] such as haloperidol.[3]
In some cases, isolated cataleptic instances can also be precipitated by extreme emotional shock.[citation needed]
Protein kinase A has been suggested as a mediator of cataleptic behavior.[4]
Symptoms
Symptoms include: rigid body, rigid limbs, limbs staying in same position when moved (waxy flexibility), no response, loss of muscle control, and slowing down of bodily functions, such as breathing.[5]
Literary depictions
In Alexandre Dumas, père's novel The Count of Monte Cristo, the Abbé Faria suffered from fits of catalepsy from time to time.
In George Eliot's Silas Marner, the main character Silas Marner frequently suffers from cataleptic fits and seizures. It is not mentioned if they are caused by any of the aforementioned factors.
In Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Resident Patient," a doctor attempts to treat catalepsy with amyl nitrite.
In Ford Madox Ford's The Good Soldier, the protagonist Dowell suffers from catalepsy following the death of his wife.
In Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land the main character Valentine Michael Smith is believed to have catalepsy when he is returned to Earth.
In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Premature Burial," the narrator suffers from catalepsy. He fears being mistakenly declared dead and buried alive, and goes to great lengths to prevent this. In another of Poe's short stories, "The Fall of the House of Usher," Madeline Usher suffers from catalepsy, and is buried alive by her unstable brother Roderick.
In Émile Zola's short story La Mort d'Olivier Becaille (The Death of Olivier Becaille), the title character is buried alive and notes that "I must have fallen into one of those cataleptic states that I had read of".
In Film and Television
In Sam Taylor's Kiki (film) (1931) Mary Pickford feigns a case of catalepsy to keep from being removed from the apartment of the man she secretly loves.
In the soap opera La Traición, the main character, Hugo De Medina, suffers from catalepsy. Later in the telenovela it is revealed that his daughter, Aurora, suffers from the same illness.
In Chavo del Ocho, the main character, El Chavo, would have cataleptic-like fits if frightened, where he would curl as if sitting down in a chair and become stiff. However, he could be healed by being splashed with water.
In the 1965 Roman Polanski film Repulsion, Catherine Deneuve's character shows signs of the affliction through her erratic and unexplainable behavior.
In two Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes, "Statistical Probabilities" and "Chrysalis", the character Sarina Douglas, a genetically-enhanced human woman, exhibits cataleptic symptoms. In "Chrysalis", Dr. Bashir promises to do everything he can to cure her of the disorder, and is ultimately successful.
References
- ^ http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11104
- ^ Rasmussen K, Hsu MA, Noone S, Johnson BG, Thompson LK, Hemrick-Luecke SK (2007). "The orexin-1 antagonist SB-334867 blocks antipsychotic treatment emergent catalepsy: implications for the treatment of extrapyramidal symptoms". Schizophr Bull. 33 (6): 1291–7. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbm087. PMID 17660489.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Hattori K, Uchino S, Isosaka T; et al. (2006). "Fyn is required for haloperidol-induced catalepsy in mice". J. Biol. Chem. 281 (11): 7129–35. doi:10.1074/jbc.M511608200. PMID 16407246.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Adams MR, Brandon EP, Chartoff EH, Idzerda RL, Dorsa DM, McKnight GS (1997). "Loss of haloperidol induced gene expression and catalepsy in protein kinase A-deficient mice". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 94 (22): 12157–61. doi:10.1073/pnas.94.22.12157. PMC 23735. PMID 9342379.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Sanberg PR, Bunsey MD, Giordano M, Norman AB. (1998). The catalepsy test: its ups and downs. [Abstract] Retrieved August 22, 2006