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Our aim was to investigate the rate and topological profile of minor physical anomalies (MPAs) in adult patients with epilepsy with the use of the Méhes Scale, a comprehensive modern scale of dysmorphology. Consecutive epilepsy patients admitted for outpatient evaluation were included. Patients with comorbidities of neurodevelopmental origin (such as autism, severe intellectual disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, tic disorder, Tourette syndrome, bipolar disorder, specific learning disorder and specific language impairment) were excluded. All participants underwent physical examination with the use of the Méhes Scale for evaluation of MPAs, including 57 minor signs. The frequency and topological profile of MPAs were correlated to clinical patient data using Kruskal-Wallis, chi2 tests and logistic regression model. 235 patients were included, according to the following subgroups: acquired epilepsy (non-genetic, non-developmental etiology) [N = 63], temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE with HS) [N = 27], epilepsy with cortical dysgenesis etiology [N = 29], cryptogenic epilepsy [N = 69] and idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) [N = 47]. As controls, 30 healthy adults were recruited. The frequency of MPAs were significantly affected by the type of epilepsy [H(6) = 90.17; p < 0.001]. Pairwise comparisons showed that all patient groups except for acquired epilepsy were associated with increased frequency of MPAs (p < 0.001 in all cases). Furrowed tongue and high arched palate were more common compared to controls in all epilepsy subgroup except for TLE (p < 0.001 or p = 0.001 in all cases). A positive association was detected between the occurrence of MPAs and antiepileptic drug therapy resistance [Exp(B) = 4.19; CI 95% 1.37-12.80; p = 0.012]. MPAs are more common in patients with epilepsy, which corroborates the emerging concept of epilepsy as a neurodevelopmental disorder. Assessment of these signs may contribute to the clarification of the underlying etiology. Moreover, as increased frequency of MPAs may indicate pharmacoresistance, the identification of patients with high number of MPAs could allow evaluation for non-pharmacological treatment in time., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Minor physical anomalies (MPAs) are external markers of abnormal brain development, so the more common appearence of these signs among bipolar I and bipolar II patients can confirm the possibility of a neurodevelopmental deficit in these illnesses. The aim of the present study was to investigate the rate and topological profile of minor physical anomalies in patients with bipolar I and - first in literature - with bipolar II disorders compared to matched healthy control subjects. Using a list of 57 minor physical anomalies (the Méhes Scale), 30 bipolar I and 30 bipolar II patients, while as a comparison 30 matched healthy control subjects were examined. Significant differences were detected between the three groups comparing the total number of minor physical anomalies, minor malformations and phenogenetic variants and in the cases of the ear and the mouth regions. The individual analyses of the 57 minor physical anomalies by simultaneous comparison of the three groups showed, that in the cases of furrowed tongue and high arched palate were significant differences between the three groups. The results can promote the concept, that a neurodevelopmental deficit may play a role in the etiology of both bipolar I and bipolar II disorders., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The increased prevalence of minor physical anomalies (MPAs) and the abnormalities of dermatoglyphic patterns may be physical manifestations of neurodevelopmental disruption in affective disorders. This paper aims to review the current state of knowledge on the frequency of MPAs and dermatoglyphic abnormalities in mood disorders. A MEDLINE, PsychInfo and Web of Science search was carried out to collect all publications on the frequency of MPAs and on dermatoglyphic traits in bipolar disorder and unipolar depression. 24 studies on MPAs, 19 on dermatoglyphics, and 5 dealing with both were found with discrepant findings. The relative contribution of neurodevelopmental retardation to the aetiology of affective disorders remains undetermined, the field is open for further research. Increased recognition of neurodevelopmental processes in the origin of affective disorders may allow for earlier and more effective intervention and prevention.

Objective: The prevalence of minor physical anomalies (MPAs) (prenatal errors of morphogenesis) was evaluated in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder., Method: A new modification of the Waldrop-scale was used to detect the presence or absence of 57 MPAs in 30 patients with schizophrenia, 30 with bipolar disorder, and in 30 matched normal controls., Results: Patients with schizophrenia compared to normal controls had significantly higher rates of three minor malformations (furrowed tongue, flat occiput, primitive shape of ears) and those of one phenogenetic variant (wide distance between toes 1 and 2), and they also had a significantly higher rate of one minor malformation (primitive shape of ears), as compared to patients with bipolar disorder. In patients with bipolar disorder, furrowed tongue was significantly more common than in controls., Conclusions: These results support an 'early' neuro-developmental model of schizophrenia.