Velo-cardio-facial syndrome and psychotic disorders: implications for psychiatric genetics.
Psychiatric disorders have been reported in over 10% of patients with velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS) in long-term follow-up. To further explore the behavioral and psychiatric findings associated with VCFS in adulthood, detailed clinical histories of two patients--one with VCFS who developed a psychotic illness, and one with schizophrenia who was found to have dysmorphological features associated with VCFS--are described in the current report. The observed overlap of physical and psychiatric symptoms in these two patients suggests that VCFS and psychotic disorders may share a pathogenetic mechanism. This could be consistent with a contiguous gene model for VCFS and psychosis, suggesting chromosome 22q11 as a possible candidate region for genetic studies of schizophrenia.
Chow
E W
EW
Department of Psychiatry, Queen Street Mental Health Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Bassett
A S
AS
Weksberg
R
R
D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D002892:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22; D005145:Face / Q000002:abnormalities; D005260:Female; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D013577:Syndrome