A Comparative Profile of Neurological Soft Signs (NSS) in First Degree Relatives of Schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder

Objectives & Aim of the Study: Evidence for the higher prevalence of NSS in schizophrenics and their 1 degree relatives is substantial whereas evidence for the specificity of the subtypes of the NSS is relatively sparse. This study was performed to find out if there is a subset of NSS discriminating 1 degree relatives of schizophrenic when compared with 1 degree relatives of bipolar disorder patients or control. Subjects & Methods: The study included 52 healthy subjects having first degree relative with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and 20 healthy subjects with no first degree relative suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. These subjects were assessed psychiatrically to ensure that they don’t suffer from any psychiatric disorder and to diagnose their related psychiatric patient. This assessment was done using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the diagnosis was done according to DSM IV TR. Then the subjects were assessed neurologically to ensure that they have no neurological disorders and to detect the presence of NSS using Cambridge Neurological Inventory (part 2). The results showed that the first degree relatives of schizophrenics have significant higher scores on a subset of tests for integration of sensory information (namely graphesthesia & rhythm tapping). Conclusion: This study encourage studying the first degree relatives of the patients to identify endophenotypes of psychiatric disorders, and also further research on the underlying neuroanatomy of the different subsets of NSS. (Egypt J. Neurol. Psychiat. Neurosurg., 2008, 45(1): 129-236)