Related Experiment Videos
Anticipation in schizophrenia
A Heiden1, U Willinger, J Scharfetter
1Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital for Psychiatry, Vienna, Austria.
Schizophrenia Research
|February 16, 1999
Summary
Anticipation, a genetic phenomenon, was observed in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Later generations showed earlier onset and increased illness severity compared to earlier generations.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Anticipation, characterized by increased disease severity and earlier onset in successive generations, is noted in genetic disorders.
- The schizophrenia spectrum encompasses a range of related psychotic disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phenomenon of anticipation in families with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
- To determine if earlier generations exhibit later onset and less severe illness compared to index generations.
Main Methods:
- Studied 15 families with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (123 individuals total).
- Compared illness severity and age at onset between the parental generation (PG) and index generation (IG).
- Controlled for potential birth cohort effects using a separate patient sample.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in illness severity (p = 0.001) and age at onset (p = 0.0001) were found between IG and PG.
- Index generation (IG) showed significantly earlier onset (21.6 years) than the parental generation (PG) (40.2 years).
- A control sample confirmed that birth cohort did not influence age at onset.
Conclusions:
- Anticipation is a significant factor in the familial form of schizophrenia.
- Further molecular research, particularly on trinucleotide repeats, is warranted to understand the mechanisms of anticipation in schizophrenia.