Neurological soft signs in positive and negative subtypes of schizophrenia

Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia, a heterogeneous clinical syndrome, has fascinated researchers since times immemorial. An increasing number of studies have implicated multiple brain regions, variations in the localization, and severity of brain impairments in schizophrenic patients that could ultimately lead to unraveling the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. A direct, easily administered, and inexpensive way of investigating brain dysfunction in schizophrenia is the study of neurological soft signs (NSS). Aim: To document the presence of NSS in positive and negative subtypes of schizophrenia and compare them with normal controls. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 52 schizophrenic patients diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases 10 Diagnostic Criteria for Research and 52 normal controls matched for age and education. All the patients gave written informed consent. NSS were assessed using Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES). Results: The prevalence of NSS in this study was estimated to be 77%. Statistically significant correlations were observed between the negative symptom subscale of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the NES scores among the patients with schizophrenia. Conclusions: The comparison of the mean NES scores among cases and controls in this study reveals a very highly significant difference between the two groups studied. This suggests that NSS are highly prevalent among patients with schizophrenia.