Although confirmatory studies are needed, our findings would support the idea that environmental factors, in this case severe OCs, might partly contribute to ventricular abnormalities in schizophrenia.
The results seem to confirm the hypothesis that obstetric complications may contribute to increased vulnerability to the disease, in addition to genetic risk factors.
complications and neurological soft signs in male patients with schizophrenia.Objective: The study investigated the relationship between neurological soft signs (NSS) and obstetric complications (OCs) in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Sixty-three male patients with schizophrenia were divided into two subgroups, based on the OCs presence or absence, which were compared in relation to NSS prevalence. After that, a Person's correlation test was performed to explore the correlation between NSS and OCs severity. Results: The subgroup with OCs showed more NSS, but there were not significant correlations between NSS and OCs severity. Conclusions: It seems that any OC, without distinction in typology and severity, could unspecifically impair the neurodevelopment and inducing NSS expression. Our findings confirm the hypothesis that neurodevelopment alterations, such as those probably induced by OCs, can contribute to a premorbid brain dysfunctional state expressed by NSS.
Significant outcomes• Neurological soft signs (NSS) and obstetric complications (OCs) show higher incidence in schizophrenic male patients. We used a homogeneous sample of male patients. • This study suggests a role of OCs in neurodevelopment alterations. • The results suggest the meaning of NSS as markers of the neurodevelopment impairment.
Limitations• We used a small sample of schizophrenic patients. • The sample was not antipsychotic naïve. • We relied on maternal recall to retrospectively ascertain a history of OCs.
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