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Childhood Attentional Dysfunctions Predict Social Deficits in Unaffected Adults at Risk for Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2018

Barbara A. Cornblatt ,
Mark F. Lenzenweger ,
Robert H. Dworkin  and
L. Erlenmeyer-Kimling
Barbara A. Cornblatt*
Affiliation:
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Elmhurst Hospital Center, 79-01 Broadway, Elmhurst, New York 11373
Mark F. Lenzenweger
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Robert H. Dworkin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York
L. Erlenmeyer-Kimling
Affiliation:
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York
*
Correspondence
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Extract

Converging lines of evidence suggest that attentional dysfunctions are indicators of a biological susceptibility to some forms of schizophrenia. More specifically, following the criteria outlined by Holzman (1983), impaired attention can be considered a potential biological marker because of the: (a) well replicated association between schizophrenia and attentional dysfunctions in patients, both when in episode and in remission (Nuechterlein & Dawson, 1984); (b) evidence that attentional problems can be detected in unaffected first-degree adult relatives of schizophrenic patients (Wood & Cook, 1979; Keefe et al, 1989, Steinhauer et al, 1991) (c) reports from a number of high-risk studies that attentional deficits pre-date clinical symptoms by many years (Rutschmann et al, 1977; Nuechterlein, 1983; Cornblatt & Erlenmeyer-Kimling, 1985; Mirsky et al, 1986; Erlenmeyer-Kimling & Cornblatt, 1987b; Mirsky, 1988) and (4) preliminary results suggesting that attention per se is genetically transmitted (Cornblatt et al, 1988).

Type
Risk factors
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 161 , Issue S18: Onset and Course of Schizophrenic Disorders: Dynamic Interactions between Relevant Factors , October 1992 , pp. 59 - 64
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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