Katatone symptome und soft signs

Motor disorders in schizophrenia can be subdivided into three partly overlapping categories: 1) neuroleptic-induced movement disorders, 2) catatonic symptoms, and 3) more minor motor anomalies as part of neurological soft signs. This article describes the definition and range of catatonic symptoms and motor soft signs in schizophrenia and summarizes some of the newer research findings, with special regard to prevalence rates in various diagnostic populations, clinical correlates and possible causations. Also, improvements in the assessment of catatonic symptoms and motor soft signs are described, such as the development of standardized rating scales and computerized methods for the kinematic analysis of motor performance. While catatonic symptoms remain an important topic for the clinician, motor soft signs have become a fascinating challenge for the neurobiologically oriented researcher.