Neurological soft signs in never-treated schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
Studies of Neurological Soft Signs (NSS) in schizophrenia are confounded by handedness, inconsistent methodology, and prior treatment with neuroleptics. The study objective is to examine NSS in never-treated schizophrenia.


METHODS
We examined the NSS in treatment-naïve schizophrenia patients (n = 21) and age, sex, education, and handedness matched normal controls (n = 21) using the modified Neurological Evaluation Scale with good inter-rater reliability.


RESULTS
Schizophrenia patients had significantly more NSS than normals. No significant correlation was found between illness duration and NSS.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher neurological signs in never-treated patients and their lack of association with illness duration suggest neurodevelopmental etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia.
Venkatasubramanian
G
G
Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
Latha
V
V
Gangadhar
B N
BN
Janakiramaiah
N
N
Subbakrishna
D K
DK
Jayakumar
P N
PN
Keshavan
M S
MS
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors