FINGERPRINT PATTERNS AND THEIR BILATERAL DIFFERENCES IN PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS AND HEALTHY CONTROLS

Abstract

Background: Patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BD) type ² display an increased prevalence of apparently innocent changes in their patterns and count of their dermatoglyphics. Aim: The aim of the present study is to assess the variability and bilateral asymmetry of fingerprint patterns in healthy individuals and mentally diseased patients and established their relationship with disease. Methods: The study included 344 subjects of Bulgarian ethnicity, aged 18-64 years, 285 mentally healthy and 59 schizophrenia and BD Type I patients. The patients met DSM-V criteria for schizophrenia and BD Type I. Fingerprints were obtained by the typographic method, in a rotating manner. Papillary patterns were classified into four main types. The data were analyzed statistically with SPSS 17.0 software. Results: The differences in fingerprint patterns on both hands of healthy and mentally diseased males show a trend of statistical significance in their distribution (p = 0.065). We found that Furuhata and Poll’s indices are lower in mentally diseased males, that seems logical from the standpoint of lower frequency of whorls and higher frequency of ulnar loops presented in them. Our results show the greater asymmetry between fingerprint images of homologous digits of the diseased males on the second finger, and of the diseased females – on second and on the third finger. Conclusion: The results of this study provide a perspective on potential biomarkers and support neurodevelopmental concepts of the etiology, pathogenesis and diagnosis of psychotic disorder.