Foetal brain development in offspring of women with psychosis.
Cerebral ventricular enlargement and reduced cortical volume are correlates of chronic schizophrenia. We investigated whether genetic risk for psychosis related to differences in foetal brain development as measured by prenatal ultrasonography. Routine foetal cerebral measures at 19-23 weeks of gestation were compared between the offspring of 35 women with a history of psychosis and 105 control women matched for gestational age. Overall, no significant differences were found between the high-risk and control groups. There was a non-significant trend in the adjusted analysis towards increased lateral ventricular width in the offspring of mothers with psychosis.
Clarke
Mary C
MC
Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland. maryclarke@rcsi.ie
Cannon
Mary
M
Hogg
Matthe W
MW
Marks
Maureen N
MN
Conroy
Sue
S
Pawlby
Susan J
SJ
Greenough
Anne
A
Nicolaides
Kypros
K
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000196:embryology*; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*