Early motor developmental milestones and schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

The neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia proposes that impaired brain development is a cause of the illness. Early motor developmental milestones, such as learning to walk, are predictors of later schizophrenia but studies have not been systematically reviewed. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore the association between early motor developmental milestones and the risk of adult schizophrenia. In addition, we updated a systematic review on motor function and risk of schizophrenia. The PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus databases were searched for original research articles published up to July 2015. Motor milestones were measured between ages 0 and 13years. Random effect meta-analysis calculated effect estimates (Hedges' g) for the association between individual motor milestones and schizophrenia risk. An electronic database and selected articles reference list search identified 5990 articles after removing duplicates. Sixty-nine full text articles were assessed for eligibility of which six were included in the review. Five studies provided sufficient data for meta-analyses. The following motor milestones were significantly associated with adult schizophrenia risk: walking unsupported (g=0.46; 95% CI 0.27-0.64; p<0.001), standing unsupported (g=0.28; 0.16-0.40; p<0.001) and sitting unsupported (g=0.18; 0.05-0.31; p=0.007). Results for the milestones 'holding head up' and 'grabbing object' were not statistically significant. Delayed walking, sitting and standing unsupported were associated with adult onset schizophrenia. The findings emphasise the importance of timely achievement of these motor milestones in childhood and can contribute to the identification of individuals at risk of psychosis.

Schizophrenia and Human Self-Domestication: An Evolutionary Linguistics Approach

“…SZ is a latedeveloping condition because important brain changes resulting in the disease (e.g., changes in neural pruning mechanisms) occur during adolescence, whereas domestication mostly results from changes in early developmental stages. Nonetheless, available evidence also suggests that the brain and the cognition of SZ patients develop differentially (compared to development in TD people) from the very beginning, as shown by studies in presymptomatic patients Cannon et al, 2015;Filatova et al, 2017;Sugranyes et al, 2017]. At the same time, developmental changes, brought about by early disturbance of the NC function (and by domestication in general) are expected to have an impact throughout the lifespan, particularly because of its effect on the environment.…”

Early Motor Developmental Milestones and Schizotypy in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort Study 1966

“…The data for psychoses were collected from several nationwide registers: (1) Care Register for Health Care; (2) Finnish outpatient registers; (3) Social Insurance Institution registers: reimbursable medicines, sick days, and disability pensions; (4) Finnish Centre for Pensions: disability pensions and diagnosed according to ICD-8: 295, 2954, 2957, 2960–2969, 297, 298, 2980, 299; ICD-9: 295, 2954, 2957, 2961E, 2962E, 2963E, 2964E, 2967, 297, 2988, 2989; or ICD-10: F20, F22-24, F25, F28-29, F302, F312, F315, F323, F333 and previously reported. 26 , 32 The most recent data on psychoses and mental disability were obtained from the 47 year follow-up (December 2013) by linkage with all available health registers. Schizotypy can be both studied with individuals who developed clinical psychosis and without them.…”

“… 8 , 15 , 16 Motor abnormalities are another common early risk factor between schizophrenia and schizotypy, 1 , 4 , 17–22 and have been suggested to be early sign of schizophrenia liability. 23–25 Also early motor developmental milestones, ie, walking, sitting, or standing unsupported, have been linked in a meta-analysis with subsequent schizophrenia, 26 but have not yet been studied in respect to schizotypy. In this, the risk factors relevant to positive or negative dimensions of schizotypy should be clearly differentiated, but this has not been done previously.…”

Neuroimaging perspectives on fetal motor behavior

“…169 It would be logical to perform a prospective A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T study to investigate for the presence of in utero motor dysfunction coupled with structural and functional imaging biomarkers that might be associated with delayed onset neurological, neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. [172][173][174][175][176] To reiterate, General Movement analysis as the fetus approaches term will require more detailed study and a novel framework, given that over the last 10 weeks of gestation the character of normal fetal movements is fundamentally different from the large amplitude movements present in preterm infants of equivalent age. 50,142 This should proceed in parallel to improving our understanding of intrauterine constraints, regarding which there are two pertinent issues: firstly, how is the uterus imposing mechanical constraints on movement, particularly with increasing gestation, and if so what are the consequences; secondly, are there active feedback pathways (sensorimotor, proprioceptive), that are stimulated by the fetus' interactions with its immediate physical environment, which modulate and shape its motor development.…”