Correlations between obstetric complications and neurological soft signs in Tunisian patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the correlations between a history of obstetric complications (OC) and neurological soft signs (NSS) in Tunisian patients with schizophrenia. Forty-six patients were assessed using the Krebs et al. NSS scale. History of OC was obtained from the patients' mothers using the McNeil-Sjöström scale. Although there was no significant difference in NSS between patients with and without OC, there were negative correlations between OC total score and motor coordination and integration sub-scores. These negative correlations suggest that OC could enhance the effects of genetic risk factors for schizophrenia. © 2010 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2010 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.