Neurological soft signs significantly differentiate schizophrenia patients from healthy controls

Abstract

The results of the current study confirm that NSS are more frequent in patients with schizophrenia in comparison with normal controls (Wilks=0.622, p<0.0001), but do not support an effect of gender, age, age at onset, paternal or maternal age, education, medication status or clinical subtype of schizophrenia on NES scores.DiscussionOverall these results suggest that NSS constitute an independent (from the rest of symptoms), core (present in the vast majority of patients) and trait (unrelated to age and probably to the stage of schizophrenia) symptom of schizophrenia which could be of value in the clinical assessment and research of schizophrenia. Overall these results are not in full accord with the literature, but they could serve to fill in gaps and inconsistencies observed so far.

Prevalence and correlates of neurological soft signs in healthy controls without family history of any mental disorder: A neurodevelopmental variation rather than a specific risk factor?

“…That study suggested approximately four times lower scores for healthy controls (Fountoulakis et al, 2017b). This discrepancy is because that particular meta-analysis probably included study samples of healthy individuals but at some kind of risk to manifest psychotic disorders.…”

“…This is why it is present already during the early stages of a mental disorder (e.g. schizophrenia) and even during the prodromal phase (Peralta et al, 2011; Gunasekaran et al, 2016; Janssen et al, 2009; Mayoral et al, 2012; Thomann et al, 2009a,b; Fountoulakis et al, 2017b).…”

“…In adults they are most frequently related to schizophrenia (Buchanan and Heinrichs, 1989; Dazzan et al, 2004; Krebs et al, 2000; Chen et al, 2005; Janssen et al, 2009; Mayoral et al, 2008; Zabala et al, 2006; Fountoulakis et al, 2017b; Panagiotidis et al, 2013)…”

“…In adults they are most frequently related to schizophrenia (Buchanan and Heinrichs, 1989;Dazzan et al, 2004;Krebs et al, 2000;Chen et al, 2005;Janssen et al, 2009;Mayoral et al, 2008;Zabala et al, 2006;Fountoulakis et al, 2017b;Panagiotidis et al, 2013) Several authors argue that they constitute 'target features' of schizophrenia and reflect both genetic and neurodevelopmental processes (Tsuang et al, 1991;Tsuang and Faraone, 1999). However the question whether they are specific for schizophrenia or constitute some kind of generic neurodevelopmental vulnerability it is a matter of debate.…”

The effect of baseline antipsychotic status on the 12‐month outcome in initially stabilized patients with schizophrenia

“…The data were gathered in the frame of the doctorate thesis of one of the authors (P. P.), and the study sample is the same with a previous cross-sectional study of our group (Fountoulakis, Gonda, Siamouli, et al, 2018;Fountoulakis, Panagiotidis, Gonda, Kimiskidis, & Nimatoudis, 2018;Fountoulakis, Panagiotidis, Kimiskidis, Nimatoudis, & Gonda, 2018a, 2018b where more details on the characteristics of the sample are given.…”