Young Offspring at Genetic Risk of Adult Psychoses: The Form of the Trajectory of IQ or Memory May Orient to the Right Dysfunction at the Right Time

2011

IQ and Memory Development in Children at Risk for Psychosis

Sample size: 65 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Maziade Michel, Rouleau Nancie, Cellard Caroline, Battaglia Marco, Paccalet Thomas, Moreau Isabel, Gagnon Valérie, Gingras Nathalie, Marino Cecilia, Gilbert Elsa, Roy Marc-André, Mérette Chantal

Primary Institution: Laval University and Centre de Recherche Université Laval Robert-Giffard, Laval, Québec, Canada

Hypothesis

Do IQ and memory impairments exhibit different developmental courses from childhood to young adulthood in terms of stability or fluctuations?

Conclusion

In these offspring at genetic risk, the developmental trajectory of global IQ impairment may not apply to specific domains of cognition such as episodic memory.

Supporting Evidence

The childhood IQ deficit displayed stability until young adulthood.
The delay in visual memory exhibited a non-linear two-stage trajectory.
No data suggested deterioration between ages 7 and 22.
Different cognitive dysfunctions would mark different developmental courses.
The shape of the trajectories might provide leads for targeting dysfunctions in prevention research.

Takeaway

Kids who might get serious mental health issues later in life show different patterns in how their IQ and memory develop as they grow up.

Methodology

The study used a stepwise sampling approach to analyze cognitive differences in offspring at genetic risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder across different age periods.