Cerebellar soft signs similar in schizophrenia, bipolar

Cerebellar soft signs are common symptoms in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, a study suggests.

“While many authors used [neurological soft signs] scales to measure severity and progression of [schizophrenia ] and [bipolar disorder], we propose [cerebellar soft signs] scale as an accurate measure of cerebellar signs, which seems to co-occur in both diseases,” Adrian Andrzej Chrobak and his colleagues wrote.

The study included 30 patients with bipolar disorder, 30 patients with schizophrenia, and 28 individuals who had not been diagnosed with either bipolar or schizophrenia. The criteria for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patient participation in the study included being in a state of symptomatic remission, as defined as scoring less than 3 on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and being treated with antipsychotic drugs from the dibenzoxazepine class (clozapine, quetiapine, and olanzapine). Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients treated with lithium or who had a history of alcohol or drug abuse; severe, acute or chronic neurologic and somatic diseases; and severe personality disorders were not allowed to participate in the study.

The researchers used the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES) and the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) to determine the presence and severity of neurological soft signs and cerebellar soft signs, respectively, in all of the study participants.

The average ICARS scores for the schizophrenia and groups were significantly higher than the mean ICARS score of the control group. No significant differences were found between the schizophrenia group and bipolar disorder group’s total ICARS and ICARS subscales scores. While the schizophrenia group scored significantly higher in all ICARS subscales than the control group, the bipolar disorder group only scored significantly higher than controls in the ICARS subscales of posture, gait disturbances, and oculomotor disorders.

The NES scores for the schizophrenia and bipolar groups also were significantly higher than that of the control group. No statistically significant differences between the schizophrenia group and bipolar group’s total NES and NES subscales were found.

“Our results suggest that there is no significant difference in both [neurological soft signs] and [cerebellar soft signs] scores between [bipolar disorder] and [schizophrenia] groups. This stays in tune with the theory of schizophrenia-bipolar disorder boundary and points to [the] cerebellum as a possible target for further research in this field,” according to the researchers.

Read the full study in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry (doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2015.07.009).

[email protected]

Cerebellar soft signs are common symptoms in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, a study suggests.

“While many authors used [neurological soft signs] scales to measure severity and progression of [schizophrenia ] and [bipolar disorder], we propose [cerebellar soft signs] scale as an accurate measure of cerebellar signs, which seems to co-occur in both diseases,” Adrian Andrzej Chrobak and his colleagues wrote.

The study included 30 patients with bipolar disorder, 30 patients with schizophrenia, and 28 individuals who had not been diagnosed with either bipolar or schizophrenia. The criteria for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patient participation in the study included being in a state of symptomatic remission, as defined as scoring less than 3 on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and being treated with antipsychotic drugs from the dibenzoxazepine class (clozapine, quetiapine, and olanzapine). Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients treated with lithium or who had a history of alcohol or drug abuse; severe, acute or chronic neurologic and somatic diseases; and severe personality disorders were not allowed to participate in the study.

The researchers used the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES) and the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) to determine the presence and severity of neurological soft signs and cerebellar soft signs, respectively, in all of the study participants.

The average ICARS scores for the schizophrenia and groups were significantly higher than the mean ICARS score of the control group. No significant differences were found between the schizophrenia group and bipolar disorder group’s total ICARS and ICARS subscales scores. While the schizophrenia group scored significantly higher in all ICARS subscales than the control group, the bipolar disorder group only scored significantly higher than controls in the ICARS subscales of posture, gait disturbances, and oculomotor disorders.

The NES scores for the schizophrenia and bipolar groups also were significantly higher than that of the control group. No statistically significant differences between the schizophrenia group and bipolar group’s total NES and NES subscales were found.

“Our results suggest that there is no significant difference in both [neurological soft signs] and [cerebellar soft signs] scores between [bipolar disorder] and [schizophrenia] groups. This stays in tune with the theory of schizophrenia-bipolar disorder boundary and points to [the] cerebellum as a possible target for further research in this field,” according to the researchers.

Read the full study in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry (doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2015.07.009).

[email protected]

Cerebellar soft signs are common symptoms in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, a study suggests.

“While many authors used [neurological soft signs] scales to measure severity and progression of [schizophrenia ] and [bipolar disorder], we propose [cerebellar soft signs] scale as an accurate measure of cerebellar signs, which seems to co-occur in both diseases,” Adrian Andrzej Chrobak and his colleagues wrote.

The study included 30 patients with bipolar disorder, 30 patients with schizophrenia, and 28 individuals who had not been diagnosed with either bipolar or schizophrenia. The criteria for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patient participation in the study included being in a state of symptomatic remission, as defined as scoring less than 3 on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and being treated with antipsychotic drugs from the dibenzoxazepine class (clozapine, quetiapine, and olanzapine). Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients treated with lithium or who had a history of alcohol or drug abuse; severe, acute or chronic neurologic and somatic diseases; and severe personality disorders were not allowed to participate in the study.

The researchers used the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES) and the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) to determine the presence and severity of neurological soft signs and cerebellar soft signs, respectively, in all of the study participants.

The average ICARS scores for the schizophrenia and groups were significantly higher than the mean ICARS score of the control group. No significant differences were found between the schizophrenia group and bipolar disorder group’s total ICARS and ICARS subscales scores. While the schizophrenia group scored significantly higher in all ICARS subscales than the control group, the bipolar disorder group only scored significantly higher than controls in the ICARS subscales of posture, gait disturbances, and oculomotor disorders.

The NES scores for the schizophrenia and bipolar groups also were significantly higher than that of the control group. No statistically significant differences between the schizophrenia group and bipolar group’s total NES and NES subscales were found.

“Our results suggest that there is no significant difference in both [neurological soft signs] and [cerebellar soft signs] scores between [bipolar disorder] and [schizophrenia] groups. This stays in tune with the theory of schizophrenia-bipolar disorder boundary and points to [the] cerebellum as a possible target for further research in this field,” according to the researchers.

Read the full study in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry (doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2015.07.009).

[email protected]