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The design of the prenatal determinants of schizophrenia study
E S Susser1, C A Schaefer, A S Brown
1Division of Epidemiology, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York 10032, USA. ess8@columbia.edu
Insights
The Prenatal Determinants of Schizophrenia (PDS) Study investigated early risk factors for schizophrenia using archived prenatal data. This research provides a unique dataset for understanding schizophrenia
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Schizophrenia is a complex disorder with suspected prenatal origins.
- Understanding early life factors is crucial for prevention and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the Prenatal Determinants of Schizophrenia (PDS) Study design and methodology.
- To outline the process of case ascertainment and diagnosis for schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
- To detail the analytical strategies for investigating prenatal determinants of schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a birth cohort from 1959-1967 with extensive archived prenatal data, including maternal sera.
- Employed health plan registries to identify and diagnose 71 cases of schizophrenia and related disorders.
- Described data sources, diagnostic procedures, and bias assessment strategies.
Main Results:
- The PDS Study successfully ascertained and diagnosed cases within the cohort.
- Detailed the available prenatal data and its relevance to schizophrenia etiology.
- Presented data addressing potential biases and the dataset's strengths and limitations.
Conclusions:
- The PDS Study offers a unique, rich dataset for exploring prenatal influences on schizophrenia.
- Methodological descriptions and bias considerations are crucial for interpreting findings from this cohort.
- This foundational paper enables future research into the early antecedents of schizophrenia.
Abstract:
This paper describes the Prenatal Determinants of Schizophrenia (PDS) Study; three companion papers report the first results. The PDS Study was designed to study early antecedents of schizophrenia in a birth cohort of 1959-1967 for whom a wealth of archived prenatal data--including maternal sera--was available. Making use of the registries of a health plan into which the cohort was born, we ascertained and then diagnosed 71 cases of schizophrenia and spectrum disorders in the cohort. We describe herein the available prenatal data, the process of case diagnosis, and the strategies used to analyze prenatal determinants of schizophrenia in this cohort. Data are presented that bear on the main sources of potential bias and are important to understanding the strengths and limitations of this unique data set.