Neurologic features and psychopathology in schizophrenic disorders.

Evidence of neurologic disturbance is widely reported in schizophrenic disorders. Few studies have attempted to determine the specificity of these abnormalities to schizophrenic disorders or their relationship to particular psychopathologic features. We assessed neurologic and psychopathologic features in a sample of 53 schizophrenic, 21 affective, and 20 normal subjects. The results indicate that neurologic (motor and sensory) disturbances occur with the highest frequency (92%) and severity in schizophrenic subjects. Affective subjects showed a high frequency (52%) but less severe abnormalities and normal controls had a frequency (5%) comparable to prior reports. Schizophrenic phenomenologic subtypes were not associated with distinguishable patterns of neurologic abnormality. Schizophrenic subjects and affective subjects tend to produce more right sensory errors although few of the latter produced errors. Neurologic abnormalities are highly correlated with evidence of disturbed thinking and cognitive performance. A noteworthy association between disturbed thinking and neurologic motor abnormality was detected in schizophrenic disorders. Anomalous laterality preferences also occur more frequently among schizophrenics and are associated with greater frequency of neurologic disturbance, formal thought disorder, and impaired cognitive performance than among schizophrenics with right laterality preferences.