Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-m8qmq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T10:10:23.025Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Neurological soft signs and dermatoglyphic anomalies in twins with schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Brendan D. Kelly ,
David Cotter ,
Cian Denihan ,
Deirdre Larkin ,
Peter Murphy ,
Anthony Kinsella ,
Dermot Walsh ,
John Waddington ,
Conall Larkin  and
Eadbhard O’Callaghan
...Show all authors
Brendan D. Kelly
Affiliation:
The Stanley Research Unit, Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Cluain Mhuire Service, Co Dublin, Ireland
David Cotter
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Cian Denihan
Affiliation:
The Stanley Research Unit, Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Cluain Mhuire Service, Co Dublin, Ireland
Deirdre Larkin
Affiliation:
The Stanley Research Unit, Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Cluain Mhuire Service, Co Dublin, Ireland
Peter Murphy
Affiliation:
The Stanley Research Unit, Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Cluain Mhuire Service, Co Dublin, Ireland
Anthony Kinsella
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland
Dermot Walsh
Affiliation:
The Health Research Board, Dublin, Ireland
John Waddington
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Conall Larkin
Affiliation:
The Stanley Research Unit, Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Cluain Mhuire Service, Co Dublin, Ireland
Eadbhard O’Callaghan*
Affiliation:
The Stanley Research Unit, Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Cluain Mhuire Service, Co Dublin, Ireland Department of Psychiatry, University College Dublin, Ireland
Abbie Lane
Affiliation:
The Stanley Research Unit, Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Cluain Mhuire Service, Co Dublin, Ireland
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail address: eadbhard.ocallaghan@sjog.ie (E. O’Callaghan).
Get access

Abstract

Schizophrenia is associated with altered neural development. We assessed neurological soft signs (NSS) and dermatoglyphic anomalies (total a–b ridge count (TABRC) and total finger ridge count) in 15 pairs of twins concordant and discordant for schizophrenia. Within-pair differences in both NSS and TABRC scores were significantly greater in discordant compared to concordant monozygotic pairs. There was no significant difference in NSS and TABRC scores between subjects with schizophrenia and their co-twins without the illness. However, monozygotic discordant twins with schizophrenia had higher ABRCs on their right hands compared to their co-twins without the illness. These findings suggest that an unidentified environmental event acting between weeks 6 and 15 of gestation affects the development of monozygotic twins who go on to develop schizophrenia but does not have a corresponding effect on their co-twins who do not develop the illness. The effect of such an event on dermatoglyphic profiles appears lateralised to the right hand in affected twins.

Keywords

SchizophreniaAetiologyNeurological soft signsDermatoglyphicsTwins
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , May 2004 , pp. 159 - 163
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 European Psychiatric Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alter, MSchulenberg, R. Dermatoglyphics in the rubella syndrome. JAMA 1966;197:685–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
American Psychiatric Association. DSM-III-R: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 3rd ed. Washington (DC): APA; 1987.Google Scholar
Baare, WFvan Oel, CJHulshoff Pol, HESchnack, HGDurston, SSitskoorn, MM et al. Volumes of brain structures in twins discordant for schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001;58:33–40.Google Scholar
Babler, W. Embryologic development of epidermal ridges and their configurations. In: Plato, CCGarruto, RMSchaumann, BA editors. Dermatoglyphics: science in transition Birth defects: original article series, vol 27. New York: Wiley-Liss; 1991.Google Scholar
Browne, SClarke, MGervin, MLane, AWaddington, JLLarkin, C et al. Determinants of neurological dysfunction in first episode schizophrenia. Psychol Med 2000;30:1433–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buchanan, RWHeinrichs, DW. The neurological evaluation scale: a structured instrument for the assessment of neurological signs in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 1989;27:335–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cantor-Graae, EMcNeil, TFRickler, KCSjostrom, KRawlings, RHiggins, ES et al. Are neurological abnormalities in well discordant monozygotic co-twins of schizophrenic subjects the result of perinatal trauma? Am J Psychiatry 1994;151:1194–9.Google ScholarPubMed
Cannon, TDThompson, PMvan Erp, TGToga, AWPoutanen, VPHuttunen, M et al. Cortex mapping reveals regionally specific patterns of genetic and disease-specific gray-matter deficits in twins discordant for schizophrenia. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2002;99:3228–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, SMLudwig, AM. Neurological soft signs and psychopathology. J Nerv Ment Dis 1979;167:161–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crow, TBall, JBloom, SBrown, RColter, NFrith, C et al. Schizophrenia as an anomaly of development of cerebral asymmetry. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1989;46:1145–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cummins, HMidlo, CFinger prints palms and soles. Philadelphia: Blakiston; 1943.Google Scholar
Davis, JOBracha, HS. Prenatal growth markers in schizophrenia: a monozygotic co-twin control study. Am J Psychiatry 1996;153:1166–72.Google ScholarPubMed
Fananas, LMoral, PBertranpetit, J. Quantitative dermatoglyphics in schizophrenia: study of family history subgroups. Hum Biol 1990;62:421–7.Google ScholarPubMed
Fananas, LVan Os, JHoyos, CMcGrath, JMellor, CSMurray, RM. Dermatoglyphic a–b ridge count as a possible marker for development disturbance in schizophrenia: replication in two samples. Schizophr Res 1996;20:307–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fearon, PLane, AAirie, MScannell, JMcGowan, AByrne, M et al. Is reduced a–b ridge count a reliable marker of developmental impairment in schizophrenia? Schizophr Res 2001;50:151–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gupta, SAndreasen, NCArndt, SFlaum, MSchultz, SKHubbard, WC et al. Neurological soft signs in neuroleptic-naive and neuroleptic-treated schizophrenic patients and in normal comparison subjects. Am J Psychiatry 1995;152:191–6.Google ScholarPubMed
Heinrichs, DWBuchanan, RW. Significance and meaning of neurological soft signs in schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 1988;145:11–8.Google Scholar
Kenard, MA. Value of equivocal signs in neurological diagnosis. Neurology 1960;10:753–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lane, AKinsella, AMurphy, PByrne, MKeenan, JColgan, K et al. The anthropometric assessment of dysmorphic features in schizophrenia as an index of its developmental origins. Psychol Med 1997;27:1155–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Niethammer, RWeisbrod, MSchiesser, SGrothe, JMaier, SPeter, U et al. Genetic influence on laterality in schizophrenia? Am J Psychiatry 2000;157:272–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prechtl, HFR. Neurological sequelae of prenatal and perinatal complications. BMJ 1967;4:763–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reilly, JLMurphy, PTByrne, MLarkin, CGill, MO’Callaghan, E et al. Dermatoglyphic fluctuating asymmetry and atypical handedness in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2001;50:159–7.Google Scholar
Rosa, AFananas, LBracha, HSTorrey, EFVan Os, J. Congenital malformations and psychosis: a twin study. Am J Psychiatry 2000;157:1511–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rossi, ADe Cataldo, SDi Michele, VManna, VCeccoli, SStratta, P et al. Neurological soft signs in schizophrenia. Br J Psychiatry 1990;157:735–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schroder, JNiethammer, RGeider, FJReitz, CBinkert, MJauss, M et al. Neurological soft signs in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 1992;6:25–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spitzer, RLWilliams, JB. Structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R—patient version (SCID-P). New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute, Biometrics Research; 1986.Google Scholar
SPSS Inc. SPSS user guide base statistics 6.1. Chicago: SPSS Inc; 1994.Google Scholar
Turek, S. Dermatoglyphics and schizophrenia: analysis of quantitative traits. Coll Anthropol 1990;14:137–50.Google Scholar
Torrey, EFTaylor, EHBracha, HSBowler, AEMcNeil, TFRawlings, RR et al. Prenatal origin of schizophrenia in a subgroup of discordant monozygotic twins. Schizophr Bull 1994;20:423–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilber, ENewell-Morris, LStreissguth, AP. Dermatoglyphic asymmetry in fetal alcohol syndrome. Biol Neonate 1993;64:1–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.