Social cognition, language, social skills, and social functioning in 7-year-old children at familial high risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder – The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study – VIA 7

Poster B36, Tuesday, October%209, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom

Camilla Austa Jerlang Christiani; M.Sc.1,3, Jens Richardt Moellegaard Jepsen; Ph.D.2,3,8, Anne Thorup, MD., Ph.D.1,3, Nicoline Hemager, M.Sc.1,2,3, Ditte Ellersgaard, MD.1,3, Birgitte Klee Burton, MD., Ph.D.2,3, Aja Greve, M.Sc.3,5, Ditte Gantriis, Ph.D.3,5, Maja Gregersen, M.Sc.1,3, Anne Soenderga,ard, M.Sc.1,3, Gry Poulsen, Ph.D.3,6, Jamal Uddin, Ph.D.3,6, Larry J. Seidman, Ph.D.†7,9, Ole Mors, MD., Ph.D.3,5, Kerstin Plessen, MD., Ph.D.2,3,4, Merete Nordentoft, MD., Ph.D.1,3,4; 1Mental Health Services – in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, 2Mental Health Services – in the Capital Region of Denmark, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, 3The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, 4University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, 5Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, 6University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health – Section of Biostatistics, 7Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 8Mental Health Services - Capital Region of Denmark, Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research and Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research, 9Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston

Background Our aim was to characterize social cognition, language, social skills, and social functioning in children at familial high risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder compared to children without familial high risk for these two mental disorders. Methods The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study – VIA 7 is a prospective cohort study of 522 children, age seven, at familial high risk for developing schizophrenia (FHR-SZ, N=202) or bipolar disorder (FHR-BP, N=120) compared to a population-based control group (PBC, N=200). The cohort was stratified from the Danish National Registers. Children at FHR-SZ were matched on age, gender, and urbanicity to the PBC group. The children at FHR-BP were a non-matched group. All children were assessed with comprehensive, well-validated tests and questionnaires using multiple sources. Social cognition was measured on two dimensions, theory of mind and emotion recognition, including social cognitive processing speed. Also, receptive and pragmatic language, creative generativity, social skills and social functioning were investigated. Results Children FHR-SZ showed significant deficits in their theory of mind, receptive and pragmatic language as well as in their social skills and social functioning compared to the PBC group. Children at FHR-BP showed significant social skills impairments. None of the familial high risk groups presented with deficits in emotion recognition or in social cognitive processing speed. Discussion Early in neurodevelopment children at FHR-SZ present with impairments within the social cognitive and language domain as well as in their social skills and social functioning. These results enhance the importance of early detection and preventive interventions.

Topic Area: Neurodevelopmental

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