Objective and subjective extrapyramidal side effects in schizophrenia: Their relationships with negative and depressive symptoms

The aim of this study was to show that objective extra pyramidal symptoms ( O-EPS) were strongly correlated to negative and depressive symptoms while s ubjective extrapyramidal symptoms (S-EPS) were not, Ninety-one schizophreni c patients were evaluated by the Extrapyramidal Symptoms Rating Scale (ESRS ), Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), While significant correlations were found between OEPS and SANS (r = 0.51; p < 0.001) and between O-EPS and MA DRS (r = 0.26; p < 0,01), no significant relationship existed between S-EPS and SANS (r = 0.19) or MADRS (r = 0.19), Similar results regarding the rel ationships between EPS and SANS were found in stabilized and acute subgroup s and in deficit and nondeficit subgroups. A stepwise multiple regression s howed that 41% of the variance of the SANS scores was due to facial mask an d bradykinesia, and that 17% of the variance of the MADRS scores was due to facial mask and akathisia. This study shows the interest of evaluating subjective parkinsonism symptom s over objective ones since they are less interrelated to other symptoms, i n particular to negatives ones, Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.