Background: The increased frequency of MPAs may be external markers of abnormal brain development in affective disorders.
Methods: A MEDLINE, psychInfo and Web of Science search was evaluated to collect all publications on the prevalence of minor physical anomalies in bipolar affective disorder and unipolar major depression.
Aims: As reports on the prevalence of MPAs in affective disorders were controversial, were based on highly different number of patients and were evaluated by the use of scales with different sensitivities, we considered as important to review the current state of knowledge and to recommend directions to further research.
Results: 14 publications on 12 studies were found after a careful literature search. 5 studies have dealt with the prevalence of MPAs in bipolar affective disorder, 3 have reported on examinations among patients with unipolar major depression, while 5 publications on 3 studies combined patients with bipolar affective disorder, schizoaffective disorder and unipolar major depression. 1 study was published on the prevalence of MPAs among mood disorders, without the differentiation of the data of patients with bipolar affective disorder and unipolar major depression.
Limitations: Few studies with relatively small size were published, there is no data on the distinction between bipolar I and bipolar II disorders.
Conclusion: The reviewed data suggest a higher probability of the role of an aberrant neurodevelopment in bipolar affective disorder and a smaller in unipolar major depression.