Intellectual asymmetry and genetic liability in first-degree relatives of probands with schizophrenia.
Intellectual asymmetry with superiority of verbal skills to spatial skills frequently characterises patients with schizophrenia, but it is unclear whether this pattern also reflects genetic susceptibility to the disorder. We examined the association of a continuous measure of genetic liability to schizophrenia with Verbal-Spatial Contrast IQ (an index of intellectual asymmetry) in 108 first-degree relatives without psychosis of probands with schizophrenia. Higher genetic liability was significantly associated with greater intellectual asymmetry in favour of verbal skills. Intellectual asymmetry with a relative superiority of verbal skills to spatial skills represents a putative endophenotype of schizophrenia.
Kravariti
Eugenia
E
Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Psychological Medicine, Box 63, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. e.kravariti@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Toulopoulou
Timothea
T
Mapua-Filbey
Francesca
F
Schulze
Katja
K
Walshe
Muriel
M
Sham
Pak
P
Murray
Robin M
RM
McDonald
Colm
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014705:Verbal Behavior