Motor dysfunction as research domain across bipolar, obsessive-compulsive and neurodevelopmental disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Developmental Disorders

Background:

• Genuine motor abnormalities (GMA) are observed in schizophrenia and other disorders like bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and early-onset neurodevelopmental conditions.
• These transnosological observations suggest a shared underlying neural pathophysiology across these diverse conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review evidence on GMA and their neuroanatomical substrates in bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
• To explore the potential for a common motor network dysfunction contributing to these disorders.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review focusing on genuine motor abnormalities (GMA).
• Analysis of neuroanatomical substrates associated with GMA in selected psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Synthesis of evidence to identify common patterns of motor circuit dysfunction.

Main Results:

• Evidence supports a common pattern in GMA expression across bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
• This pattern is linked to dysfunction in cerebello-thalamo-cortical, fronto-parietal, and cortico-subcortical motor circuits.
• Motor network dysfunction may correlate with early neurodevelopmental deviations preceding clinical symptoms.

Conclusions:

• A common motor network dysfunction underlies GMA in several mental health conditions.
• This finding supports a developmental risk factor model for these disorders.
• Further analysis can advance the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Motor System construct and inform novel therapeutic strategies.