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Executive Control and Associated Brain Activity in Children With Familial High-Risk of Schizophrenia or Bipolar

Line Korsgaard Johnsen1,2, Kit Melissa Larsen1,2, Søren Asp Fuglsang1

  • 1Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Schizophrenia Bulletin
|September 27, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Children at high risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder show increased reaction time variability, suggesting a potential early marker for these conditions. This variability may indicate difficulties with sustained attention, independent of current illness.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Executive control is a potential prognostic and endophenotypic marker for schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP).
  • Assessing children with familial high-risk (FHR) for SZ or BP can identify early risk markers.
  • Hypothesis: FHR children exhibit impaired executive control and aberrant brain activation compared to population-based controls (PBC).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine executive control and brain activation in children at familial high-risk for SZ or BP.
  • To identify potential early endophenotypic markers of SZ and BP risk in children.
  • To compare executive control and neural responses between FHR-SZ, FHR-BP, and PBC children.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a flanker task and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  • Included 11- to 12-year-old children: FHR-SZ (n=85), FHR-BP (n=63), and PBC (n=98).
  • Analyzed reaction time (RT) variability (coefficient of variation, CVRT) and task-related brain activation.

Main Results:

  • No group differences were found in executive control for resolving spatial visuomotor conflict.
  • Significantly higher RT variability (CVRT) was observed in both FHR-BP and FHR-SZ groups compared to PBC children (Bayesian ANOVA, BF10 = 6.82).
  • fMRI analyses showed no evidence of between-group differences in task-related brain activation; results remained consistent after excluding children with psychiatric illness.

Conclusions:

  • Children aged 11-12 with FHR-SZ and FHR-BP demonstrate intact conflict resolution and neural efficiency.
  • Increased RT variability, independent of psychiatric illness, may indicate difficulties in sustained attention and serve as a potential endophenotypic marker of risk.
  • These findings highlight subtle executive function differences in at-risk youth, potentially preceding overt psychopathology.
Abstract

Keywords:
cohort studyendophenotypeflanker taskfunctional magnetic resonance imaginggenetic predispositionneurocognitive functioningtask-related BOLD responsevisuomotor response conflict

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