The Motor Neurological Soft Signs (MNSS) in Persons With Schizophrenia

The aim is to contribute to the knowledge of the relationship between Motor Neurological Soft Signs (MNSS) and schizophrenia, as well as to point out the implications and recommendations for clinical and rehabilitative practices, in order to contribute to the identification of these signs as potential facilitators of prevention and a better follow-up in the psychosocial rehabilitation processes of the person with schizophrenia.

It is therefore important to answer the following starting questions:

• How can MNSS be assessed and analysed in the Portuguese population with schizophrenia?
• How does the manifestation of MNSS differ between people with and without schizophrenia?
• Do the MNSS of people with schizophrenia vary according to their functionality level including the following areas of activity (Cognition, Mobility, Self-Care, Interpersonal Relations, Daily Activities and Participation) and their motor experiences?
• How can the information obtained by applying a validated assessment tool for this purpose be made operational as a procedure for psychomotor assessment and intervention with this population?

The following objectives have been defined to answer these questions, which guide the work:

1. Translate, adapt and validate the BMS instrument (Jahn et al., 2006) for the Portuguese population with schizophrenia;
2. Explore the relationship of MNSS with demographic variables (e.g.: age, gender, education), clinical-therapeutic variables (e.g.: age of diagnosis, number of hospitalizations, medication, type of support) and psychosocial variables (e.g.: functionality, satisfaction and well-being, motor experiences);
3. Test a multifactorial model of the relationships between MNSS, demographic variables, functional clinical-therapeutic and psychosocial;
4. Compare MNSS in people with schizophrenia and people from a healthy control group.