title: Brain morphology and neurological soft signs in adolescents with first-episode psychosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adolescents with first-episode psychosis have increased severity of neurological soft signs when compared with controls, but it is unclear whether increased severity of neurological soft signs is an expression of specific structural brain deficits.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether increased severity of neurological soft signs was associated with decreased brain volumes in adolescents with first-episode psychosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Brain scans were obtained for 70 adolescents (less than 18 years of age) with first-episode psychosis (duration of positive symptoms less than 6 months). Volumes were assessed using voxel-based morphometry and through segmentation of anatomical structures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increased severity of sensory integration neurological soft signs correlated with smaller right and left thalamus volume, whereas increased severity of sequencing of complex motor acts neurological soft signs correlated with smaller right caudate volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neurological soft signs may be an easy-to-assess marker of region-specific structural brain deficits in adolescents with first-episode psychosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Psychiatry, Adolescent Unit Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon (AU-HGUGM), 28007 Madrid, Spain. jjanssen@mce.hggm.es
authors.forename: Joost
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: Angeles
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diaz-Caneja
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reig
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bombín
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mayoral
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parellada
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Graell
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Arantzazu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zabala
authors.forename: Veronica García
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Desco
authors.forename: Celso
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arango
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000473:pathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology*