[Effects of 22q11 deficit syndrome on mental symptoms and cognitive function in children and adolescents with...

To investigate the expression of 22 q11 deletion syndrome in children and adolescents with schizophrenia and its effect on mental symptoms and cognitive function.

Case-control method was used. 134 cases of children and adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia in hospital from April 2016 to December 2018 were selected as the case group, and the patients in the case group were divided into the two groups including 22 q11 deletion group and the non-deletion group. The control group included 418 healthy children with no history of mental illness or family history. In situ hybridization was used to diagnose 22 q11 microdeletion syndrome, and positive and negative symptom scales and Chinese version of schizophrenia cognitive function battery test were used to score the patients in the case group.

The expression of 22 q11 microdeletion was more significant in children and adolescents with schizophrenia(χ~2=33. 52, P<0. 0001). The negative symptoms(P=0. 034), general condition(P=0. 005) and total score(P=0. 001) were significantly increased in the 22 q11 deletion group. The five indicators of attachment test, verbal memory, spatial span, emotional management, continuous operation and total score in the 22 q11 deletion group were significantly lower than those in the non-deletion group(P<0. 05). Among children and adolescents with schizophrenia, there was a significant decrease in the FA value in the 22 q11 deletion group compared with the non-deletion group, mainly distributed in the corpus callosum, the knee and the cingulate tract(P<0. 05), and no increase in the FA value was observed in other brain areas. FA value of corpus callosum somatic white matter in the absence group was positively correlated with visual memory and language fluency. FA value of the knee in corpus callosum was positively correlated with language fluency. FA value of the buckle was positively correlated with spatial width(all P values were less than 0. 05).

22 q11 microdeletion is more common in children and adolescents with schizophrenia, which may affect visual memory, language fluency and spatial span by reducing FA values in corpus callosum, knee and cingulate tract.