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Genetic risk for schizophrenia linked to poorer neuromotor development

Genetic risk for schizophrenia, but not bipolar disorder, was associated with poorer neuromotor development in infancy, according to recent findings.

“While research shows that impaired motor coordination can have an association with schizophrenia, there are limited data on childhood development preceding [bipolar disorder]. Murray et al proposed a developmental model for similarities and dissimilarities between schizophrenia and [bipolar disorder], but it remains unknown if dissimilarities exist in early infancy and if they covary with genetic liability for these disorders,” Fadila Serdarevic, MD, DSc, of Erasmus Medical Center–Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues wrote.

To assess associations between genetic risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and neuromotor development in infancy, researchers identified a pediatric sample of European ancestry from the Generation R Study by genotype data (n = 2,830). Of these, 1,174 infants underwent neuromotor examination at age 2.9 months. Research nurses assessed neuromotor development with an adapted version of the Touwen Neurodevelopmental Examination at home visits.

A higher polygenic risk score for schizophrenia was associated with nonoptimal overall infant neuromotor development at age 2 and 5 months (OR = 1.15; 95% CI, 1.01-1.3).

A polygenic risk score for bipolar disorder was not consistently associated with nonoptimal overall infant neuromotor development (OR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.84-1.08).

“To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that genetic liability for schizophrenia may covary with altered neuromotor development in infancy. Future research will show whether early neuromotor development can support early screening of susceptible groups possibly defined by genetic risk,” the researchers concluded. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.