NEUROLOGICAL SOFT SIGNS IN NEUROLEPTIC-NAIVE AND NEUROLEPTIC-TREATED SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS AND IN NORMAL COMPARISON SUBJECTS

Objective: The goal of this study was to assess neurological soft sign s and developmental reflexes in schizophrenic patients who had never r eceived neuroleptic medication and those who were receiving neurolepti c medication. Method: Neurological soft signs and developmental reflex es were examined in 26 schizophrenic patients who had never received a neuroleptic, 126 schizophrenic patients who were currently receiving neuroleptics, and 117 normal subjects. Results: Soft signs were presen t in 23% of the neuroleptic-naive and 46% of the medicated schizophren ic patients. Developmental reflexes were present in 19% of the neurole ptic naive and 12% of the medicated patients. Both soft signs and deve lopmental reflexes were absent in the normal subjects. There were sign ificant differences between patients and normal subjects in neurologic al soft signs and developmental reflexes. The possibly confounding var iables of age, age at onset, duration of illness, number of hospitaliz ations, Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) scores, and Simpson -Angus Scale extrapyramidal symptom scores were assessed by using logi stic regression in the patients who were receiving neuroleptics. AIMS scores and Simpson-Angus Scale scores correlated with soft signs in th ese patients. Conclusions: The presence of neurological soft signs in schizophrenic patients who had never received neuroleptics indicates t hat these signs are present independent of medication effects, but it is possible that neuroleptics contribute to the prevalence of these ab normalities, as demonstrated by the patients who were receiving neurol eptics.