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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Nov 19, 2025; 15(11): 112206
Published online Nov 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i11.112206
Published online Nov 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i11.112206
Dermatoglyphics and schizophrenia: A comprehensive review of neurodevelopmental biomarkers
Elie Bou Farah, Zeinab Chokor, Issam El Fassih, Serena Akiki, Razan Moghnieh, Department of Dermatology, University of Balamand, Beirut 0000, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Karen Beydoun, Lynn Nasr, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Georges University of Beirut, Beirut 0000, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Safaa Ghanem, Department of Dermatology, Beirut Arab University, Beirut 0000, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Yehya Tlaiss, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of Balamand, Beirut 0000, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Hadi Farhat, Department of General Surgery, University of Balamand, Beirut 0000, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Author contributions: Bou Farah E, Beydoun K, Nasr L, Chokor Z, Ghanem S, El Fassih I, Akiki S, Moghnieh R, Tlaiss Y, and Farhat H contributed substantially to the conception and design of the study, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, and drafting and revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yehya Tlaiss, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of Balamand, Hazmieh, Beirut 0000, Beyrouth, Lebanon. yehyatlaiss@hotmail.com
Received: July 21, 2025
Revised: August 11, 2025
Accepted: September 2, 2025
Published online: November 19, 2025
Processing time: 106 Days and 12.1 Hours
Revised: August 11, 2025
Accepted: September 2, 2025
Published online: November 19, 2025
Processing time: 106 Days and 12.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This review highlights dermatoglyphics, the study of fingerprint and palm patterns, as a promising, non-invasive biomarker for early neurodevelopmental disturbances linked to schizophrenia. Formed during the same gestational period as critical brain structures, these patterns remain unchanged postnatally. Findings from monozygotic twin studies reveal dermatoglyphic abnormalities in affected individuals, even among genetically identical pairs, suggesting a strong role for prenatal environmental factors. Integrating dermatoglyphic analysis with genetic and neuroimaging tools may enhance early risk detection strategies in psychiatry.