Neurological soft signs with respect to type of symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

Introduction Neurological soft signs have been documented to occur in up to 60% of patients with schizophrenia and have been found even in neuroleptic-naive patients. Aims The aims of the study were to illustrate the presence of neurological soft signs among patients with schizophrenia and to show any relationship between neurological soft signs and type of symptoms. Patients and methods One hundred patients with schizophrenia were selected consecutively in a cross-sectional study. The patients were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) Axis of Disorders, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, complete neurological examination, and Cambridge Neurological Inventory for soft sign examinations (primitive reflexes, repetitive movement, sensory integration), and Trail Making Test. Results The main finding in this study indicates that the patients with schizophrenia have neurological impairment. There are positive correlations between soft neurological signs and positive symptoms in paranoid type, other types, and with the total; these indicate that neurological soft signs are more prominent in patients with positive symptoms than in those with negative symptoms. Conclusion Neurological Soft Signs (NSS) occur in a majority of the schizophrenia patient population and are largely distinct from symptomatic and cognitive features of the illness. Neurological signs in patients with schizophrenia are associated with prominent negative symptoms, relatively poor psychosocial performance, and significantly more cognitive impairment.