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. 2024 Mar;9(3):265-274.
doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.10.012. Epub 2023 Nov 17.

Cognition and Educational Achievement in the Toronto Adolescent and Youth Cohort Study: Rationale, Methods, and Early Data

Lena C Quilty  1 , Wanda Tempelaar  1 , Brendan F Andrade  1 , Sean A Kidd  1 , Yona Lunsky  1 , Sheng Chen  2 , Wei Wang  2 , Jimmy K Y Wong  2 , Chloe Lau  3 , Andrew B Sedrak  2 , Rachel Kelly  2 , Harijah Sivakumar  2 , Melanie Jani  2 , Stephanie H Ameis  1 , Kristin Cleverley  1 , Benjamin I Goldstein  1 , Daniel Felsky  1 , Erin W Dickie  1 , George Foussias  1 , Nicole Kozloff  1 , Yuliya S Nikolova  1 , Alexia Polillo  2 , Andreea O Diaconescu  1 , Anne L Wheeler  4 , Darren B Courtney  1 , Lisa D Hawke  1 , Martin Rotenberg  1 , Aristotle N Voineskos  5 ; TAY Cohort Study Team
Collaborators, Affiliations
Free article

Cognition and Educational Achievement in the Toronto Adolescent and Youth Cohort Study: Rationale, Methods, and Early Data

Lena C Quilty et al. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2024 Mar.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Both cognition and educational achievement in youths are linked to psychosis risk. One major aim of the Toronto Adolescent and Youth (TAY) Cohort Study is to characterize how cognitive and educational achievement trajectories inform the course of psychosis spectrum symptoms (PSSs), functioning, and suicidality. Here, we describe the protocol for the cognitive and educational data and early baseline data.

Methods: The cognitive assessment design is consistent with youth population cohort studies, including the NIH Toolbox, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Wechsler Matrix Reasoning Task, and Little Man Task. Participants complete an educational achievement questionnaire, and report cards are requested. Completion rates, descriptive data, and differences across PSS status are reported for the first participants (N = 417) ages 11 to 24 years, who were recruited between May 4, 2021, and February 2, 2023.

Results: Nearly 84% of the sample completed cognitive testing, and 88.2% completed the educational questionnaire, whereas report cards were collected for only 40.3%. Modifications to workflows were implemented to improve data collection. Participants who met criteria for PSSs demonstrated lower performance than those who did not on numerous key cognitive indices (p < .05) and also had more academic/educational problems.

Conclusions: Following youths longitudinally enabled trajectory mapping and prediction based on cognitive and educational performance in relation to PSSs in treatment-seeking youths. Youths with PSSs had lower cognitive performance and worse educational outcomes than youths without PSSs. Results show the feasibility of collecting data on cognitive and educational outcomes in a cohort of youths seeking treatment related to mental illness and substance use.

Keywords: Cognition; Educational attainment; Functioning; Psychosis spectrum symptoms; Suicidality; Trajectories.

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Conflict of interest statement

SHA currently receives funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Academic Scholars Award from the Department of Psychiatry, the University of Toronto, and the CAMH Foundation. MA currently receives funding from the CIHR, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression at CAMH. BFA currently receives funding from the CIHR, the CAMH Foundation, the Peter Gilgan Foundation, and the Les Lois Shaw Foundation. MB currently receives funding from the CIHR, the CAMH Foundation, and the Cundill Foundation. IB currently receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, the CIHR, the Department of National Defence, and the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research. KC currently receives funding from the CIHR, the Government of Ontario (Early Researcher Award), and the University of Toronto. DBC currently receives funding from the CIHR, the University of Toronto, the Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression, and the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health. AOD currently receives funding from the CIHR, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the CAMH Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Novartis Foundation. EWD currently receives funding from the NIMH, the CIHR, the CAMH Foundation, and Wellcome Trust. DF currently receives funding from the CIHR, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the CAMH Foundation, the University of Toronto, and Brain Canada. GF currently receives funding from the CIHR, the CAMH Foundation, and the University of Toronto. VG currently receives funding from the CAMH Foundation and the University of Toronto. JDG currently receives funding from the Krembil Foundation, the Labatt Family Foundation, the CAMH Foundation, the Branchout Foundation, the University of Toronto, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council–CIHR–Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada UK–Canada Artificial Intelligence Initiative, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the CIHR. LDH currently receives funding from the CIHR and the CAMH Discovery Fund. MOH currently receives funding from the CIHR, the University of Toronto, and the Slaight Family Center for Youth in Transition at the CAMH. BIG acknowledges research funding from Brain Canada, the CIHR, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the NIMH, the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and the CAMH Foundation. BIG acknowledges his position as RBC Investments Chair in Children’s Mental Health and Developmental Psychopathology at CAMH, which is a joint Hospital-University Chair between the University of Toronto, CAMH, and the CAMH Foundation. JDG acknowledges research funding support from the Krembil Foundation, the CAMH Discovery Fund, the Labbatt Foundation, and the Tri-Council UK-Canada Artificial Intelligence Initiative. SH currently receives funding from the Krembil Foundation, the CAMH Discovery Fund, Brain Canada, the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, and CANARIE Inc. SAK currently receives funding from the CIHR, the McConnell Foundation, the CAMH Foundation, the University of Toronto, and the Canadian Network Centres of Excellence. NK currently receives funding from the Ontario Brain Institute, the Standards Council of Canada, the CIHR, Brain Canada, the CAMH Foundation, Making the Shift, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. CL currently receives funding from the CIHR, Mitacs, the CAMH Discovery Fund, womenmind, and Mental Health Research Canada. M-CL currently receives funding from the CIHR, the CAMH Foundation, and the University of Toronto. H-YL currently receives funding from the CAMH Foundation and the University of Toronto. AP currently receives funding from the CIHR. MR currently receives funding from the Miner’s Lamp Innovation Fund in Prevention and Early Detection of Severe Mental Illness at the University of Toronto. SR-K receives salary support from the O’Brien Scholar’s Program within the Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the CAMH and the Hospital for Sick Children. PS currently receives funding from the CIHR, the CAMH Foundation, and the University of Toronto. RDL currently receives support from the Cameron Parker Holcombe Wilson Chair in Depression Studies at the University of Toronto and the CIHR. YSN currently receives funding from the CAMH Foundation, the University of Toronto, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. MR currently receives funding from the Miner’s Lamp Innovation Fund in Prevention and Early Detection of Severe Mental Illness at the University of Toronto. LCQ currently receives funding from the CIHR, the CAMH Foundation, and the Ontario Brain Institute. AI-RV currently receives funding from womenmind, KNAW Ter Meulen beurs, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Arcus Foundation. NV currently receives funding from the Azrieli Foundation, the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Ontario Research Fund, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and CurePSP. ELV receives funding from the CAMH Foundation. ANV currently receives funding from the NIMH, the CIHR, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the CAMH Foundation, the University of Toronto, Brain Canada, and Wellcome Trust. WW currently receives funding from the CIHR, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, the Miner’s Lamp Innovation Fund, and the CAMH Foundation. ALW currently receives funding from the CIHR, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Hospital for Sick Children, and Brain Canada. All other authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

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