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[Inconsistent motor dominance in schizophrenic patients. Evidence in favor of neurodevelopmental changes]
R Tabarés1, J Sanjuán, M Gómez-Beneyto
1Departament de Medicina, Universitat de València.
Introduction:
Motor left lateralization preference and lateralization inconsistencies have often been reported in schizophrenia and interpreted as an expression of a neurodevelopmental deficit in this disorder. However, the reported findings are contradictory and plagued by methodological errors.
Method:
The aim of this work is to examine functional motor lateralization preferences and lateralization inconsistencies in a sample on 78 schizophrenic patients by using a reliable method and comparing them with a nonclinical sample as a control group. We also study the potential associations between lateralization and several clinical, neuropsychological and neuroimage variables.
Results:
No significant differences are found between schizophrenics and the control group in functional motor preferences. Other relevant finding are: absence of correlation between crural, ocular and hand preference; an association between the severity of negative symptoms and lateralization inconsistency; and an earlier clinical onset and a smaller brain volume in right-handed schizophrenics with ocular crossed lateralization as compared with right-handed schizophrenics with consistent ocular lateralization.
Conclusion:
These findings back up the hypothesis of a neurodevelopmental deficit in schizophrenia.