Cognitive impairment and formal thought disorders in parents of early-onset schizophrenia patients.

Background: Both cognitive impairment and formal thought disorder (communication disturbances) found in patients with schizophrenia are also commonly observed in their relatives. Recently, the role of such deficits as putative endophenotypes of schizophrenia has been proposed. However, in a majority of studies, the families of adult patients were assessed whereas the relatives of early-onset psychotic subjects were rarely studied. The aim of our study was to evaluate the presence of cognitive impairment and formal thought disorders in parents of adolescents with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) and in matched healthy controls.
Method: Thirty-eight parents of 29 SSD adolescents and 38 healthy controls were assessed with a battery of neurocognitive tests and the Thought, Language and Communication Scale.
Results: Parents of schizophrenia patients showed an increased tendency for perseverative thinking when compared to matched healthy controls. No statistically significant differences in cognitive functioning were observed between the groups.
Conclusion: These results may suggest the need for further exploration of communication disturbances as a potential endophenotypic marker of early-onset schizophrenia.
(Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.)