Abstract
Background22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is associated with a high risk of childhood as well as adult psychiatric disorders, in particular schizophrenia. Childhood cognitive deterioration in 22q11.2DS has previously been reported, but only in studies lacking a control sample.AimsTo compare cognitive trajectories in children with 22q11.2DS and unaffected control siblings.MethodA longitudinal study of neurocognitive functioning (IQ, executive function, processing speed and attention) was conducted in children with 22q11.2DS (n = 75, mean age time 1 (T1) 9.9, time 2 (T2) 12.5) and control siblings (n = 33, mean age T1 10.6, T2 13.4).ResultsChildren with 22q11.2DS exhibited deficits in all cognitive domains. However, mean scores did not indicate deterioration. When individual trajectories were examined, some participants showed significant decline over time, but the prevalence was similar for 22q11.2DS and control siblings. Findings are more likely to reflect normal developmental fluctuation than a 22q11.2DS-specific abnormality.ConclusionsChildhood cognitive deterioration is not associated with 22q11.2DS. Contrary to previous suggestions, we believe it is premature to recommend repeated monitoring of cognitive function for identifying individual children with 22q11.2DS at high risk of developing schizophrenia.
Highlights
22q11.2DS we examined whether reliable cognitive deterioration was associated with meeting criteria for any psychiatric disorder using Fisher's exact test
In children with 22q11.2DS no relationship was found between deterioration in raw score and the presence of any psychiatric diagnosis at either T1 and T2, there was no relation between reliable cognitive deterioration and the presence of any psychiatric disorder at T1 or T2
We found no evidence that the group trajectory associated with 22q11.2DS represented developmental deterioration
Summary
22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is associated with a high risk of childhood as well as adult psychiatric disorders, in particular schizophrenia. Childhood cognitive deterioration in 22q11.2DS has previously been reported, but only in studies lacking a control sample. Aims To compare cognitive trajectories in children with 22q11.2DS and unaffected control siblings. Method A longitudinal study of neurocognitive functioning (IQ, executive function, processing speed and attention) was conducted in children with 22q11.2DS (n = 75, mean age time 1 (T1) 9.9, time 2 (T2) 12.5) and control siblings (n = 33, mean age T1 10.6, T2 13.4)
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