Positional Stability of the Non-Dominant Hand is Associated with Difficulties in Daily Functioning in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Background: Patients with schizophrenia have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) that require fine motor skills. This study investigated the hand instability of 24 patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls during a finger opposition task. Methods: We evaluated the path length of the hand position during the finger task from a motion capture system. Subjective difficulties in ADLs were assessed using a visual analog scale. Results: The path lengths of both hands were significantly greater for patients with schizophrenia than for healthy controls. Significant associations were found between the path length of the non-dominant hand and subjective difficulties encountered by patients with schizophrenia while performing ADLs. Conclusion:The findings suggest that instability in the non-dominant hand is a potential marker of daily functioning in schizophrenia.