Birgitte Klee Burton1, Signe Vangkilde2, Anders Petersen3, Lene Theil Skovgaard4, Jens Richardt Jepsen5, Nicoline Hemager6, Camilla Jerlang Christiani7, Katrine Soeborg Spang8, Ditte Ellersgaard7, Aja Greve9, Ditte Gantriis9, Heike Eichele10, Ole Mors9, Merete Nordentoft7, Anne Amalie Elgaard Thorup8, Kerstin Jessica Plessen11. 1. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services Capital Region, Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark. Electronic address: Birgitte.Klee.Burton@regionh.dk. 2. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services Capital Region, Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; Center for Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark. 3. Center for Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark. 4. Section of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark. 5. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services Capital Region, Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; Centre for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research and Centre for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital Centre Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark. 6. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services Capital Region, Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Mental Health Services Capital Region, Hellerup, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark. 7. Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Mental Health Services Capital Region, Hellerup, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark. 8. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services Capital Region, Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark. 9. Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark. 10. Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. 11. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services Capital Region, Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Given the partially shared genetic liability between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, we aimed to assess whether 7-year-old children with a familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder display specific deficits of sustained attention and interference control compared with each other and with control children. METHODS: An observational cohort was identified through Danish registries and consisted of 522 children 7 years of age with no, one, or two parents with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Control subjects were matched based on age, sex, and municipality. Sustained attention and interference control were assessed using Conners' Continuous Performance Test II and a modified Eriksen flanker task. Assessors were blinded to group membership of participants. The effect of higher genetic loading was not considered in the statistical models owing to low numbers. RESULTS: At 7 years of age, children with a familial high risk of schizophrenia displayed deficits of sustained attention and subtle deficits in interference control compared with control children and children with a familial high risk of bipolar disorder. Children with a familial high risk of bipolar disorder displayed similar abilities of sustained attention and interference control as control children except in terms of a lower accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest distinct neurodevelopmental characteristics in middle childhood of sustained attention and interference control for children of parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
BACKGROUND: Given the partially shared genetic liability between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, we aimed to assess whether 7-year-old children with a familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder display specific deficits of sustained attention and interference control compared with each other and with control children. METHODS: An observational cohort was identified through Danish registries and consisted of 522 children 7 years of age with no, one, or two parents with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Control subjects were matched based on age, sex, and municipality. Sustained attention and interference control were assessed using Conners' Continuous Performance Test II and a modified Eriksen flanker task. Assessors were blinded to group membership of participants. The effect of higher genetic loading was not considered in the statistical models owing to low numbers. RESULTS: At 7 years of age, children with a familial high risk of schizophrenia displayed deficits of sustained attention and subtle deficits in interference control compared with control children and children with a familial high risk of bipolar disorder. Children with a familial high risk of bipolar disorder displayed similar abilities of sustained attention and interference control as control children except in terms of a lower accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest distinct neurodevelopmental characteristics in middle childhood of sustained attention and interference control for children of parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Authors: Anne Amalie Elgaard Thorup; Nicoline Hemager; Vibeke Fuglsang Bliksted; Aja Neergaard Greve; Jessica Ohland; Martin Wilms; Sinnika Birkehøj Rohd; Merete Birk; Anette Faurskov Bundgaard; Andreas Færgemand Laursen; Oskar Hougaard Jefsen; Nanna Lawaetz Steffensen; Anna Krogh Andreassen; Lotte Veddum; Christina Bruun Knudsen; Mette Enevoldsen; Marie Nymand; Julie Marie Brandt; Anne Søndergaard; Line Carmichael; Maja Gregersen; Mette Falkenberg Krantz; Birgitte Klee Burton; Martin Dietz; Ron Nudel; Line Korsgaard Johnsen; Kit Melissa Larsen; David Meder; Oliver James Hulme; William Frans Christiaan Baaré; Kathrine Skak Madsen; Torben Ellegaard Lund; Leif Østergaard; Anders Juul; Troels Wesenberg Kjær; Carsten Hjorthøj; Hartwig Roman Siebner; Ole Mors; Merete Nordentoft Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2022-04-04 Impact factor: 5.435