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The Effect of Sodium Amytal on Autonomic and Muscle Activity in Patients with Depressive Illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Irene Martin
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Maudsley Hospital, London, S.E.5
Brian M. Davies
Affiliation:
Bethlem Royal Hospital; University of Melbourne

Extract

The two studies described here were concerned with the effect of intravenous sodium amytal on autonomic and muscle activity in groups of female patients admitted to the Bethlem Royal Hospital with a primary depressive illness. The first aimed to repeat certain aspects of the work of Shagass et al. (1956) on sleep thresholds in which reactions to sodium amytal were correlated with clinical groupings. The clinical findings of this experiment have already been reported (Martin and Davies, 1962), and its results suggested some methodological problems which prompted a second experiment employing a modified experimental design.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1965 

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