Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan 3;49(1):185-195.
doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbac134.

Neurocognitive Subgroups in Children at Familial High-risk of Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorder: Subgroup Membership Stability or Change From Age 7 to 11-The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study

Christina Bruun Knudsen  1   2   3 , Aja Neergaard Greve  1   2 , Jens Richardt Møllegaard Jepsen  2   4   5   6 , Rikke Lambek  7 , Anna Krogh Andreassen  1   2   3 , Lotte Veddum  1   2   3 , Julie Marie Brandt  2   4   8 , Maja Gregersen  2   4   8 , Mette Falkenberg Krantz  2   4   5 , Anne Søndergaard  2   4   8 , Anders Helles Carlsen  3   9 , Nanna Lawaetz Steffensen  1   2 , Anette Faurskov Bundgaard  1   2 , Birgitte Klee Burton  5   8 , Anne Amalie Elgaard Thorup  2   5   8 , Merete Nordentoft  2   4   8 , Ole Mors  1   2 , Vibeke Fuglsang Bliksted  1   2   3 , Nicoline Hemager  2   4   5
Affiliations

Neurocognitive Subgroups in Children at Familial High-risk of Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorder: Subgroup Membership Stability or Change From Age 7 to 11-The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study

Christina Bruun Knudsen et al. Schizophr Bull. .

Abstract

Background and hypothesis: Subgroups with distinct levels of neurocognitive functioning exist in children of parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. However, studies investigating the temporal stability of subgroup membership are currently lacking. We hypothesized that a minority of children at familial high-risk of schizophrenia (FHR-SZ) or bipolar disorder (FHR-BP) would transition to a different neurocognitive subgroup from age 7 to 11 and that most transitions would be to a more impaired subgroup.

Study design: Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups at two assessments (age 7 and 11) based on the performance of 320 children at FHR-SZ or FHR-BP across eight neurocognitive functions. Temporal stability in subgroup membership was evaluated with latent profile transition analysis. Population-based controls (age 7, n = 199; age 11, n = 178) were included as a reference group. Children transitioning to a more impaired subgroup were compared with nontransitioning children on sex, FHR-status, global functioning, and psychopathology.

Study results: At both assessment points, we identified three subgroups based on neurocognitive performance: a moderately-severely impaired, a mildly impaired, and an above-average subgroup. A total of 12.8% of children transitioned to a different subgroup, of which the majority (85.2%) moved to a more impaired subgroup. Parental diagnosis of schizophrenia, but neither parental diagnosis of bipolar disorder, global functioning at age 7, psychopathology, nor sex significantly differentiated children transitioning to a more impaired subgroup from nontransitioning children.

Conclusions: During pre-adolescence, neurocognitive developmental lag is associated with being at FHR-SZ. Close attention to these children's neurocognitive development is indicated.

Keywords: cognitive development; latent profile transition analysis; pre-adolescence; severe mental disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Number of children transitioning across subgroups from baseline (age 7) to follow-up (age 11). The figure illustrates number of children staying in their original neurocognitive subgroup at follow-up, and number of children transitioning to a different neurocognitive subgroup from baseline to follow-up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

  • Childhood Schizotypy and Adolescent Mental Disorder.
    O'Hare K, Watkeys O, Dean K, Laurens KR, Tzoumakis S, Harris F, Carr VJ, Green MJ. O'Hare K, et al. Schizophr Bull. 2024 Jan 1;50(1):69-77. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbad132. Schizophr Bull. 2024. PMID: 37665656 Free PMC article.

References

    1. Trotta A, Murray R, MacCabe J.. Do premorbid and post-onset cognitive functioning differ between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2015;45(2):381–394. - PubMed
    1. Bora E, Pantelis C.. Meta-analysis of cognitive impairment in first-episode bipolar disorder: comparison with first-episode schizophrenia and healthy controls. Schizophr Bull. 2015;41(5):1095–1104. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Green MF, Horan WP, Lee J.. Nonsocial and social cognition in schizophrenia: current evidence and future directions. World Psychiatry. 2019;18(2):146–161. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baune BT, Malhi GS.. A review on the impact of cognitive dysfunction on social, occupational, and general functional outcomes in bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disorders. 2015;17: 41–55. - PubMed
    1. Wykes T, Huddy V, Cellard C, McGurk SR, Czobor P.. A meta-analysis of cognitive remediation for schizophrenia: methodology and effect sizes. Am J Psychiatry. 2011;168(5):472–485. - PubMed

Publication types