To compare grip strength across individuals with schizophrenia, current depression, remitted depression, and healthy controls, and to examine associations with specific clinical symptoms such as negative symptoms in schizophrenia and depressive symptoms in depression.
Key Findings:
Grip strength was significantly lower in schizophrenia, current depression, and remitted depression compared to healthy controls, indicating a potential biomarker for these conditions.
Current and remitted depression groups showed lower grip strength than schizophrenia, with no significant difference between the two depression groups.
Grip strength negatively correlated with overall negative symptoms in schizophrenia, particularly in avolition, affect, and alogia, suggesting a link between motor function and symptom severity.
Interpretation:
Reduced grip strength may indicate transdiagnostic mechanisms involving motor control and motivation, with persistent reductions in depression suggesting residual symptoms during remission, which could inform treatment strategies.
Limitations:
Did not adjust for body mass index, occupation, physical activity, hormonal status, and medication use.
Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.
Data pooled from two study sites may introduce variability.
Conclusion:
Low grip strength may serve as a transdiagnostic biomarker for motor and motivational dysfunction, highlighting the need for further research in other psychiatric disorders, which could enhance early detection and intervention strategies.
by Sofie von Känel, Anastasia Pavlidou, Niluja Nadesalingam, Victoria Chapellier, Melanie G. Nuoffer, Lydia Maderthaner, Alexandra Kyrou, Alexios Malifatouratzis, Florian Wüthrich, Stephanie Lefebvre, Victor Pokorny, Zachary Anderson, Stewart A. Shankman, Vijay A. Mittal, Sebastian Walther
