Dermatoglyphics in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

• BACKGROUND: There are controversial evidences on the association between fingerprint traits and schizophrenia. We compared fingerprint traits of patients with schizophrenia and normal individuals in Iranian population.
• METHODS: Fingertip dermal ridge of 290 patients with schizophrenia and 290 normal subjects were studied for four dermal traits. Data was analyzed with Pearson correlation and t-student tests.
• RESULTS: Fingerprint patterns and secondary creases were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05). Although mean ridge counts of left and right index fingers in the case group were greater than the control group (p < 0.05), the difference was not significant in females.
• CONCLUSIONS: Probably left index ridge counts and fluctuating asymmetry in schizophrenic patients are different from those of the normal population. This difference may serve as a diagnostic biological marker for screening people susceptible to schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to determine the predictive value of fingerprint trait as a schizophrenia biomarker.
• KEYWORDS: Schizophrenia, Fingerprint Pattern, Biomarker, Dermatoglyphics, Fluctuating Asymmetry, Ridge Counts