title: Can age at sexual maturity act as a predictive biomarker for prodromal negative symptoms?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Puberty and reproductive hormones have been identified as having a potential role in schizophrenia. Earlier reports have suggested associations between later age at puberty and schizophrenia in males. Similarly, associations have been reported between testosterone levels and psychotic symptoms. In this report, we examined the association between age at puberty and prodromal symptoms of psychosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  58 child or adolescent family members of individuals with schizophrenia were interviewed using the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms and the Tanner Maturational Scale. Age at Tanner pubertal stage was determined and regression analyses were used to explore associations between prodromal symptoms and age at puberty.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among males, delayed age at puberty was associated with greater severity of prodromal symptoms; the association between negative prodromal symptoms and delayed age was significant (p=0.001). In females, the association was not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that delayed age at puberty may be associated with negative prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia in males. Our findings suggest that delayed age at puberty could potentially be a predictive biomarker for psychopathology in males at risk for schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Hutchings Psychiatric Center, Syracuse, NY, United States; SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, United States.
authors.forename: Seethalakshmi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramanathan
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miewald
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Montrose
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address: mkeshava@bidmc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Matcheri S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Keshavan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062706:Prodromal Symptoms; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Biomarker; Negative symptoms; Psychosis; Puberty; Tanner stage