Exploring the Relationship of Transdiagnostic Mood and Psychosis Symptom Domains with Motor Dysfunction

Background: A number of motor abnormalities have been reported in psychotic disorders, including dyskinesia and psychomotor slowing. There is also evidence for many of the same motor abnormalities in biological first-degree relatives and accruing evidence for motor abnormalities in bipolar disorder. In addition to motor dysfunction, there are also shared symptom domains amongst these populations.

Objectives: We explored the associations of (1) current and lifetime psychosis and mood symptom domains and (2) domains of psychosis proneness with various domains of motor function in a transdiagnostic sample (n = 149).

Method: Individuals with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder, biological first-degree relatives of individuals with a psychotic disorder, and controls completed measures of psychomotor speed and movement fluidity, and neural activity related to motor preparation (stimulus-locked lateralized readiness potential, S-LRP) and execution (response-locked LRP) was assessed using EEG. All participants completed the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; patients were additionally assessed for lifetime psychosis and mood episode symptoms, and relatives and controls completed the Chapman psychosis proneness scales.

Results: Multiple regression revealed levels of current negative symptoms and mania were significantly positively associated with psychomotor slowing even after accounting for current antipsychotic medication dosage and duration of illness. S-LRP onset latency was significantly positively associated with magical ideation.

Conclusion: Domains of motor function are associated with various mood and psychosis symptom domains in a transdiagnostic sample, which may provide insight into brain abnormalities relevant to the expression of symptoms across disorders.