The slant of the forehead as a craniofacial feature of impulsiveness

Objective: Impulsiveness has been the subject of much research, but little is known about the possible relationship between craniofacial anatomy and impulsiveness. The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between one aspect of craniofacial structure (the angle of inclination of the forehead) and impulsiveness. Method: Photographs in profile were obtained from 131 volunteers who had been fined for driving at high speed and were undergoing a court-mandated driving license point-recovery course. They completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), the Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS-P), and Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale (V). The angle of the slant of the forehead was measured with a photographic support and a protractor. Results: High positive concordance was found between forehead inclination and 14 out of the 15 impulsiveness factors studied. Conclusions: The angle of inclination of the forehead was significantly associated with self-reported impulsiveness in this sample of traffic violators.

Somatotipo ectomórfico e hiperlaxitud articular como marcadores potenciales para la ansiedad comórbida en la esquizofrenia / Ectomorphic somatotype and joint hypermobility as potential markers for co-morbid anxiety in schizophrenia

Objetivo: Evaluar si la asociación descrita entre los trastornos de ansiedad y el síndrome de hiperlaxitud articular se mantiene en presencia de esquizofrenia y determinar su importancia clínica. Métodos: Se comparan 20 pacientes casos (10 hombres y 10 mujeres) con esquizofrenia y ansiedad comórbida y 20 pacientes de control, emparejados por sexo, con esquizofrenia sin ansiedad y diagnosticados mediante SCID-I. Se valoran las características sociodemográficas, las escalas de sintomatología positiva y negativa de la esquizofrenia (PANSS), Ansiedad Social de Liebowitz (LSAS) y Adaptación Social (SAS), el somatotipo (método Heath-Carter), las anomalías físicas menores (escala de Waldrop) y los criterios del Hospital del Mar para la hiperlaxitud articular. Resultados: No hubo diferencias significativas por sexo entre los casos y controles en cuanto a edad y características sociodemográficas (estado civil, nivel educativo y situación laboral). Los hombres con ansiedad fueron significativamente más ectomórficos (U = 20; p =0.023), más hiperlaxos (U = 21; p = 0.025) y con menos anomalías físicas menores (U = 14.5; p = 0.007) que los hombres del grupo control. Las mujeres con ansiedad fueron significativamente más ectomórficas (U = 17; p = 0.009) y más hiperlaxas (U = 19; p = 0.017). En toda la muestra, tras ajustar por edad y sexo, únicamente la hiperlaxitud articular se asocia de manera independiente con la ansiedad social (odds ratio [OR] = 1.1; intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%: 1.02-1.2). Discusión: En los pacientes con esquizofrenia, la asociación entre hiperlaxitud articular, somatotipo ectomórfico y ansiedad comórbida parece persistir.Es un probable marcador clínico-biológico de interés.

To evaluate whether the reported link between anxiety disorders and joint hypermobility syndrome still holds in the presence of schizophrenia, and to ascertain its clinical relevance. Methods: Twenty schizophrenic case-patients (10 men and 10 women) with a comorbid anxiety disorder diagnosed by SCID-I were compared to 20 schizophrenic control-patients without anxiety, matched by gender. Socio-demographic characteristics, positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia (PANSS), Liebowitz Social Anxiety scale (LSAS), Social Adjustment Scale (SAS), somatotype (Heath-Carter method), minor physical anomalies (Waldrop scale), and Hospital del Mar criteria for joint hypermobility were also assessed. Re-sults: There were no significant differences by gender between cases and controls in terms of age and sociodemographic characteristics (educational level, marital status and labor situation). Men displaying anxiety were significantly more ectomorphic (U = 20; p = 0.023), more hypermobile (U = 21; p = 0.025) and had fewer minor physical anomalies (U = 14.5; p = 0.007) than controls. Women with anxiety were significantly more ectomorphic (U = 17; p = 0.009) and more hypermobile (U = 19; p = 0.017) than con-trols. In the entire sample, after adjusting for age and sex, joint hypermobility was independently related to social anxiety (odds ratio [OR] = 1.1; 95%CI: 1.02-1.2). Discussion: In patients with schizophrenia, the association between JHS, ectomorphic somatotype and co-morbid anxiety seems to persist. It is a probable clinical biological marker of interest.