This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Families with schizophrenia share heritability among neurocognitive domains

A single set of principal components of heritability is highly heritable and genetically linked with schizophrenia, according to a study.

For one group of eight of nine neurocognitive domains, PCH1, control individuals performed significantly higher than individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder or their nonpsychotic relatives. PCH1 included deficits in spatial processing and emotion recognition, and its unadjusted heritability was 68%.

Researchers analyzed a range of neurocognitive dimensions using the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery that was completed by 2,288 individuals from 745 families.

“The etiology of [schizophrenia] remains enigmatic,” the researchers wrote. “Genetic factors apparently underlie a substantial portion of risk, yet only a small fraction of these factors have been identified.”

Disclosure: Research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health. Genotyping services provided by the Center for Inherited Disease Research. Some study authors may receive royalties from future commercial use of the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery.