title: Familial aggregation of schizotypy in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and its relation to clinical and neurodevelopmental characteristics.
abstract: This study explored schizotypy as a familial liability marker for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) by examining: 1) the aggregation of schizotypy in families with a SSD patient, 2) whether familial resemblance of schizotypy is associated with ridge dissociations (RD), another SSD liability marker, 3) whether schizotypy aggregation patterns influence patients' psychopathology.
  
  
  
  The sample comprised 30 SSD patients and 82 healthy first-degree relatives. Schizotypy was assessed using the Structured Interview for Schizotypy-Revised (SIS-R). Patients' psychopathology was evaluated using the Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History (CASH). RD were identified as anomalies of the dermal ridge junction. Familiality of SIS-R was investigated using a linear mixed model (LMM) and its strength was assessed using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Another LMM using the absolute differences in SIS-R scores between all possible pairs of relatives as the dependent variable was fitted to obtain an intra-family resemblance score, a family-specific indicator of resemblance of SIS-R scores within each family.
  
  
  
  1) Schizotypy was familial (ICC = 0.30); families with high resemblance displayed low schizotypy, whereas families with low resemblance included at least one healthy relative with high schizotypy (p < 0.001). 2) Relatives with RD had higher SIS-R scores (p = 0.018) and belonged to families with discordant schizotypy scores among members (p < 0.001). 3) Patients from high schizotypy families showed more severe disorganized symptoms at the psychotic episode (p = 0.035) and 1 year later (p = 0.011).
  
  
  
  Schizotypy is a marker of vulnerability for SSD that runs within a subgroup of families. The schizotypy familial aggregation pattern correlates with RD in relatives and with patients' psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.affiliation: Athens University Medical School, 2nd Department of Psychiatry, Attikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferentinos
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain; Instituto De Salud Carlos III, Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prats
authors.affiliation: Instituto De Salud Carlos III, Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain; Servei de Salut Mental, Psiquiatria i Addiccions, Hospital Universitari de Santa Maria, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica, Lleida, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miret
authors.affiliation: Àrea d'Adolescents, Complex Assistencial en Salut Mental, Benito Menni, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giralt
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Psiquiatría, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra, Instituto de Investigación Sanitária de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Peralta
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain; Instituto De Salud Carlos III, Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fañanás
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain; Instituto De Salud Carlos III, Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain; FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: mar.fatjovilas@ub.edu.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fatjó-Vilas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dermatoglyphics; Disorganized symptoms; Familial aggregation; Ridge dissociations; Schizophrenia; Schizotypy