Neurological Soft Signs In College Students With Cognitive Vulnerability To Depression

Objective:(1) To investigate the prevalence and the characteristic of Neurological Soft Signs (NSS) in college students and to estimate the difference of neurological soft signs between students with cognitive vulnerability to depression and those of the normals.(2) To explore the relationship between cognitive vulnerability and Neurological Soft Signs.(3) To investigate whether Neurological Soft Signs have prediction function to cognitive vulnerability to depression.Method:Cognitive style questionnaire was administered to1440college students.146students were selected according to the weakest link approach. Finally,66students were randomly selected and66demographically matched healthy controls took part in the study. The soft signs examinations of the Cambridge Neurological Inventory were administered to all participants to assess neurological soft signs. The soft signs examinations contain three factors, namely motor coordination, sensory integration and disinhibition. Higher scores in each subscale and total soft signs scale reflected greater levels of neurological soft signs. Compare the results by SPSS16.0statistical software to explore the relationship between cognitive vulnerability to depression and neurological soft signs.Results:(1) The prevalence of individual neurological soft signs was from0to59.1%. The most common neurological soft signs were abnormal rhythm tapping (59.1%), left fist-edge-palm (45.5%), finger agnosia of left hand (45.4%), rhythm-tapping test (40.9%), right fist-edge-palm (39.4%), and abnormal left-right orientation (39.4%).(2) Vulnerable group obtained more than three neurological soft signs of the three factors and the total score.(3) Vulnerable group obtained significant higher scores in the total score of neurological soft signs [(3.99±2.67) vs.(2.21±.01)], motor coordination [(1.83±1.57) vs.(0.83±1.29)] and sensory integration [(1.82±1.59) vs.(1.22±1.23)] than the scores of healthy controls. The scores had the significant difference among the two groups (P<0.001). Although the disinhibition score [(0.35±0.79) vs.(0.16±0.41)] of vulnerable group is higher than the scores of healthy controls, the scores had no significant difference among the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion:(1) The current findings indicate that college students show some degrees of neurological soft signs. Students with cognitive vulnerability to depression have significantly more neurological soft signs than normal students.(2) Cognitive vulnerability to depression is correlated with neurological soft signs. It can be regarded as a clinical index, which has important implication for the early identification for individuals with cognitive vulnerability to depression.