Impaired gesture performance in schizophrenia: particular vulnerability of meaningless pantomimes

Walther, Sebastian; Vanbellingen, Tim; Müri, René Martin; Strik, Werner; Bohlhalter, Stephan (2013). Impaired gesture performance in schizophrenia: particular vulnerability of meaningless pantomimes. Neuropsychologia, 51(13), pp. 2674-2678. Elsevier 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.08.017

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Schizophrenia patients frequently present with subtle motor impairments, including higher order motor function such as hand gesture performance. Using cut off scores from a standardized gesture test, we previously reported gesture deficits in 40% of schizophrenia patients irrespective of the gesture content. However, these findings were based on normative data from an older control group. Hence, we now aimed at determining cut-off scores in an age and gender matched control group. Furthermore, we wanted to explore whether gesture categories are differentially affected in Schizophrenia. Gesture performance data of 30 schizophrenia patients and data from 30 matched controls were compared. Categories included meaningless, intransitive (communicative) and transitive (object related) hand gestures, which were either imitated or pantomimed, i.e. produced on verbal command. Cut-off scores of the age matched control group were higher than the previous cut-off scores in an older control group. An ANOVA tested effects of group, domain (imitation or pantomime), and semantic category (meaningless, transitive or intransitive), as well as their interaction. According to the new cut-off scores, 67% of the schizophrenia patients demonstrated gestural deficits. Patients performed worse in all gesture categories, however meaningless gestures on verbal command were particularly impaired (p = 0.008). This category correlated with poor frontal lobe function (p < 0.001). In conclusion, gestural deficits in schizophrenia are even more frequent than previously reported. Gesture categories that pose higher demands on planning and selection such as pantomime of meaningless gestures are predominantly affected and associated with the well-known frontal lobe dysfunction.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > DCR Unit Sahli Building > Forschungsgruppe Neurologie
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy > Management
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > Forschungsbereich Pavillon 52 > Forschungsgruppe Perzeption und Okulomotorik
04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Head Organs and Neurology (DKNS) > Clinic of Neurology
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy > Psychiatric Neurophysiology [discontinued]

UniBE Contributor:

Walther, Sebastian, Vanbellingen, Tim, Müri, René Martin, Strik, Werner, Bohlhalter, Stephan

Subjects:

500 Science
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0028-3932

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Sebastian Walther

Date Deposited:

24 Jan 2014 09:25

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:27

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.08.017

PubMed ID:

24001392

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Action planning; Hand gestures; Intransitive; Meaningless; Transitive

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.39928

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/39928

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