Foetality in schizophrenia

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate common morphological and neurological features of schizophrenia from an ontogenetic perspective and to propose a new conceptual approach to schizophrenia, in which early foetal marks persist without diminishing in comparison to other people.

Material and Methods: Fifty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia from the Bakyrköy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery were chosen for the study group. The control group consists of fifty healthy male subjects. The ages of all subjects varied between 18 and 65. All of the subjects were informed about the study and their written consents were obtained. Sociodemographic data of all subjects were recorded and the Waldrop Minor Physical Anomalies Scale, the NES ( neurological evaluation scale), and the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory were applied.

Results: We found significantly higher scores among schizophrenic patients in comparison to healthy subjects both in the NES total and all four sub-categories of the scale. The minor physical anomalies scores, head circumference, and hypertelorism were significantly higher in the schizophrenic group. In addition, for hand-eye dominancy, we observed more tendency to be crosswise.

Conclusion: Some characteristics of schizophrenia such as hypertelorism, large head circumference, high palate, thin muscle and bone structure, primitive reşexes, mental and behavioral characteristics could be evaluated as a separate ontogenetic entity.Evaluating schizophrenia within the context of a neurodevelopmental hypothesis, as an evolutionary process, in which foetal traits persist, would contribute to our understanding of the disorder's ambigous nature and phenomenology.