ArticleAnnals of general psychiatry2017
Neurological soft signs in Tunisian patients with first-episode psychosis and relation with cannabis use.
Article in Annals of general psychiatry, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Are cannabis-using and non-using patients different groups? Towards understanding the neurobiology of cannabis use in psychotic disorders.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2018Pooled it
- Replicable subcortical alterations linked to neurological soft signs in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.Psychological medicine · 2026Article
- Cannabis use in patients with early psychosis is associated with alterations in putamen and thalamic shape.Human brain mapping · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNeurological soft signs (NSS) are minor non-localizing neurological abnormalities that are conceptualized as neurodevelopmental markers that mediate the biological risk for psychosis. We aimed to explore the relationship between NSS and cannabis use, an environmental risk factor of psychosis.
methodsThis was a cross-sectional study in consecutively admitted patients hospitalized for first-episode psychosis. NSS were assessed by the NSS scale (23 items exploring motor coordination, motor integrative function, sensory integration, involuntary movements or posture, quality of lateralization). Presence of NSS was defined as a NSS scale total score ≥9.5. Cannabis use was ascertained with the cannabis subsection in the Composite International Diagnostic Interview.
resultsAmong 61 first-episode psychosis patients (mean age = 28.9 ± 9.4 years; male = 86.9%, antipsychotic-naïve = 75.4%), the prevalence of current cannabis use was 14.8% (heavy use = 8.2%, occasional use = 6.6%). NSS were present in 83.6% of the sample (cannabis users = 66.7% versus cannabis non-users = 85.5%,
conclusionsThis study demonstrated a negative association between cannabis use and NSS, especially regarding motor discoordination. This finding supports the hypothesis that a strong environmental risk factor, such as cannabis, may contribute to the onset of psychosis even in the presence of lower biological and genetic vulnerability, as reflected indirectly by lower NSS scores. Nevertheless, additional studies are needed that explore this interaction further in larger samples and considering additional neurobiological and environmental risk factors.
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