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Ancestral, Pregnancy, and Negative Early-Life Risks Shape Children's Brain (Dis)similarity to Schizophrenia

Peter Kochunov1, Yizhou Ma1, Kathryn S Hatch1

  • 1Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Biological Psychiatry
|March 22, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Familial and environmental risks for schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) can alter brain development in children, creating patterns similar to adult SSD patients before symptoms appear. This suggests early brain changes may indicate future risk.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) is linked to familial, obstetric, and early-life environmental risks that disrupt normal brain development.
  • These risks may lead to brain deficit patterns resembling those in adult SSD patients, even before symptom onset in children.

Approach:

  • Utilized data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N=8940) including children with a family history of SSD (N=727).
  • Employed a regional vulnerability index to assess alignment of children's brain patterns with adult SSD deficit patterns.
  • Evaluated effects of ancestral SSD history, pre/perinatal environment, and early-life experiences on brain development.

Key Points:

  • The regional vulnerability index captured more variance in ancestral SSD history compared to traditional brain measurements in children with a family history of SSD.
  • This index also better explained variance related to negative pre/perinatal and early-life environments in children, regardless of family history.
  • Findings indicate that genetic and environmental risks can subtly alter brain patterns in children, mirroring those seen in adult SSD.

Conclusions:

  • Familial, pre/perinatal, and early developmental risks can shift brain patterns in children towards those observed in adult schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
  • Individual similarity to adult SSD brain patterns may serve as an early biomarker for the impact of genetic and developmental risks.
  • These alterations occur prior to the emergence of psychotic or prodromal symptoms, highlighting potential for early identification.
Abstract

Keywords:
AdolescenceBig dataBrain developmentImagingIndividual predictionSchizophrenia

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