NEURODEVELOPMENTAL & SOCIOEMOTIONAL ANTECEDENTS OF SCHIZ

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The research described in this proposal is concerned with identifying developmental precursors of schizophrenia and examining the relation between developmental factors and neuropsychological and neuroanatomical characteristics of schizophrenia. The research uses a methodology that is best described as an archival, observational approach; childhood home- movies will serve as the primary data-base on neuromotor and socioemotional aspects of development, beginning in infancy and extending through early adolescence. Subjects are individuals who succumbed to schizophrenia in late adolescence/early adulthood. There will be three comparison groups; patients diagnosed with affective disorder, healthy siblings of patients, and subjects from nuclear families with no mental illness. In addition to the childhood home-movies, extensive developmental and family history data are collected on all subjects. Patients and their sibling controls will also receive a neuropsychological assessment and magnetic resonance image (MRI) scan of the brain. Previously awarded grants will cover the collection of archival data and assessments of subjects. This proposal requests funds to cover the costs of personnel for extensive observational analyses of videotapes and organization, storage and analyses of data. The chief goals of the project are to: 1) chart the development trajectories leading to schizophrenia, 2@determine the relation between potential etiologic factors (perinatal complications and family history of mental illness) and developmental characteristics, and 3) examine the relations among etiologic factors, developmental characteristics, and neuropsychological and neuroanatomical aspects of the subjects as adults. Because the methodology of the study will allow for direct microlevel analyses of behavior across the childhood years, it holds promise for yielding a broader view of preschizophrenic development than has been possible with previous approaches.