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This study examined the relationship of neuropsychological deficits and negative symptoms with tardive akathisia in chronic schizophrenic patients. Consecutive volunteers (n = 100) were recruited from Community Health Centres with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of schizophrenic disorder, chronic and on stable medication. Subjects were subgrouped into tardive akathisia (TA), tardive dyskinesia (TD) and control groups using four sets of criteria. Detailed single examinations were performed using the following measures: sociodemographic, illness-related and treatment-related variables, Negative Symptom Rating Scale (NSRS), Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side-Effects (EPSE), Akathisia Rating Scale, Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale, and a brief neuropsychological test battery. Group comparisons and logistic regression analyses were performed in order to test the significance of findings. TA ratings showed a significant association with NSRS subscale scores, and with some neuropsychological test scores (Symbol Digits Modalities Test, and to a lesser extent Trail Making Test and Finger Tapping Test). TD scores showed a consistent association with age, and a less consistent association with gender, and their association with NSRS subscale scores and neuropsychological dysfunction was positive but less significant. Higher EPSE scores predicted TA and limb truncal (LT) dyskinesia. In conclusion, TA showed a more significant association with some clinical indices of organic brain dysfunction than the oral-lingual-buccal-facial dyskinetic syndrome. Prospective studies are necessary to determine whether organicity is a vulnerability factor for TA. Both our data and the published literature suggest that the movement disorder seen in TA and TD is but one feature of complex syndromes that include motor and cognitive features.

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