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Congenital anomalies and early functional impairments in a prospective birth cohort: risk of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder in adulthood

Stanley Research Unit, Molecular & Cellular Therapeutics and RCSI Research Institute, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland

Alan S. Brown, MD

New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA

Abbie Lane, MB, MRCPsych

Stanley Research Unit, St John of God Hospital, Co. Dublin, Ireland

Catherine A. Schaefer, PhD

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, California, USA

Raymond R. Goetz, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA

Michaeline Bresnahan, PhD and Ezra S. Susser, MD, DrPH

New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA

Correspondence: Dr John L. Waddington, Molecular & Cellular Therapeutics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland. Email: jwadding{at}rcsi.ie

Declaration of interest

None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background

Adversities operating over intrauterine life have been associated with risk of schizophrenia, but the biology of resultant developmental perturbation is poorly understood.

Aims

To examine the relationship of congenital anomalies and related functional impairments in infancy to risk of schizophrenia.

Method

Using the Congenital Anomalies data-set from the Prenatal Determinants of Schizophrenia birth cohort, congenital anomalies and related functional impairments were categorised and related to subsequent risk of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder.

Results

The presence of any hypothesis-based congenital anomaly or related functional impairment was associated with a doubling of risk of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder. In contrast, having any other congenital anomaly or related functional impairment was not associated with risk of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder.

Conclusions

These findings constitute evidence for early events, which may result from both genetic predisposition and environmental insults, in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

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BJP 2008 192: A14. [Full Text]