Different vulnerability indicators for psychosis and their neuropsychological characteristics in the Northern Finland 1986 Birth Cohort

Abstract

This study is one of very few that has investigated the neuropsychological functioning of both familial and clinical high risk subjects for psychosis. Participants (N = 164) were members of the Northern Finland 1986 Birth Cohort in the following four groups: familial risk for psychosis (n = 62), clinical risk for psychosis (n = 20), psychosis (n = 13), and control subjects (n = 69). The neurocognitive performance of these groups was compared across 19 cognitive variables. The two risk groups did not differ significantly from controls, but differed from the psychosis group in fine motor function. Neuropsychological impairments were not evident in a non-help-seeking high-risk sample.

Figure 1.

The Northern Finland 1986 Birth Cohort. ^aThe Finnish Hospital Discharge Register. ^bThe Social Insurance Institute of Finland. ^cOne of the 13 subjects did not fulfill the criteria for psychotic disorder. ^dSee the text and Veijola et al. (2010) for criteria. ^eNot meeting the criteria for any other group that were invited. ^fClinical risk for psychosis. ^gFamilial risk for psychosis. ^hSee the text for exclusion criteria.

Figure 2.

Neuropsychological profiles of familial risk, clinical risk, and psychosis group compared to controls. CVLT = California Verbal Learning Test; RVP = Rapid Visual Information Processing; SOC = Stockings of Cambridge; SWM = Spatial Working Memory.