Neurological soft signs in bipolar disorder in comparison to healthy controls and schizophrenia: A meta-analysis

European Neuropsychopharmacology : the Journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Emre BoraAyşegül Özerdem

Abstract

Neurological soft signs (NSS) are subtle deficits in motor coordination, sensory integration, and sequencing of complex motor acts. Increased NSS is a well-established feature of patients with schizophrenia but a relatively smaller number of studies have investigated NSS in bipolar disorder (BD). Some authors but not others suggested that NSS can distinguish schizophrenia from BD. We conducted a meta-analysis of 18 studies to quantitatively review NSS in BD in comparison to schizophrenia and healthy controls. The current meta-analysis compared NSS scores of 725 BD patients and 634 healthy controls, and 391 BD and 471 schizophrenia patients. Patients with BD had significantly higher NSS scores (d = 1.14, CI = 0.89-1.44) than healthy controls and increased scores in BD was evident in all aspects of NSS (d = 0.88-0.99). BD was associated with a less severe increase in NSS compared to schizophrenia, however, between-group difference was modest (d = 0.42, CI = 0.18-0.65). The results of this meta-analysis demonstrated that BD is characterized by a robust increase in NSS which is only moderately less severe than schizophrenia. Increased NSS is a common feature of both disorders.

Citations

Sep 1, 2020·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Miquel A FullanaJoaquim Radua
Oct 15, 2020·Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry·Adrian Andrzej ChrobakDominika Dudek
Feb 9, 2020·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Stefan KloiberAndre F Carvalho

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