Childhood-onset schizophrenia: biological markers in relation to clinical characteristics.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between clinical and neurobiological measures of childhood-onset schizophrenia. It was hypothesized that there would be a more striking pattern in the rare cases with very early onset than is seen in subjects with later onset.


METHODS
Premorbid, clinical, prenatal, perinatal, and magnetic resonance imaging brain measures were examined in 29 children and adolescents who met the DSM-III-R criteria for schizophrenia with onset before age 12. Specifically, gender, premorbid adjustment, and clinical symptoms were examined in relation to cerebral volume, ventricular volume, and maternal obstetrical complications.


RESULTS
Males were more likely to have had an insidious onset than females. There was a significant negative correlation between score on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and total cerebral volume.


CONCLUSIONS
These neurobiological associations support the continuity of early-onset schizophrenia with the later-onset disorder; the striking association between smaller cerebral volume and negative symptoms suggests a more homogeneous or more potent neurobiological basis for very early-onset schizophrenia.
Alaghband-Rad
J
J
Child Psychiatry Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Hamburger
S D
SD
Giedd
J N
JN
Frazier
J A
JA
Rapoport
J L
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D015415:Biomarkers; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012561:Schizophrenia, Childhood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment
D015415:Biomarkers