In schizophrenia, objective measurement can enhance patient care and aid research into how various sign groups reflect different aspects of psychiatric illness.
Since the 1980s, we have known that neurological soft signs (NSS) can distinguish people with schizophrenia from psychiatrically healthy individuals.NSS are subtle neurological impairments that principally manifest as decreased sensory integration (trouble receiving and responding to information transmitted to the brain through the senses) and difficulties with balance, rapid successive movements, and right–left orientation.
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Abnormalities in language processing, psychological distress, and subtle neurodevelopmental features called neurological soft signs (NSS) are expressed by people with dyslexia and those scoring highly on schizotypy. We investigated whether the expression of NSS, distress, and schizotypy predicted dyslexia status. Participants (N = 96, 48 dyslexic) selected to be age and sex matched, completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire, Neurological Evaluation Scale, and the National Adult Reading Test (NART; a measure of verbal intelligence). Dyslexia status was predicted by higher total NSS and disorganized schizotypy scores in the absence of NART. However, even with the inclusion of NART, disorganized schizotypy remained a significant predictor. The findings suggest that disorganized features of schizotypy could be a significant factor for those with dyslexia. Conversely, more attention needs to be given to developmental language disorders in those who sc