Association of maternal genital and reproductive infections with verbal memory and motor deficits in adult schizophrenia

作者：Brown Alan S^*; Vinogradov Sophia; Kremen William S; Poole John H; Bao Yuanyuan; Kern David; McKeague Ian W

来源：Psychiatry Research, 2011, 188(2): 179-186.

DOI：10.1016/j.psychres.2011.04.020

• Infection
• Cognition
• Epidemiology
• Risk factors
• Environment
• Exposure
• Neurodevelopment

Maternal exposure to genital and reproductive infections has been associated with schizophrenia in previous studies. Impairments in several neuropsychological functions, including verbal memory, working memory, executive function, and fine-motor coordination occur prominently in patients with schizophrenia. The etiologies of these deficits, however, remain largely unknown. We aimed to assess whether prospectively documented maternal exposure to genital/reproductive (G/R) infections was related to these neuropsychological deficits in offspring with schizophrenia and other schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The cases were derived from a population-based birth cohort; all cohort members belonged to a prepaid health plan. Cases were assessed for verbal memory, working memory, executive function, and fine-motor coordination. Compared to unexposed cases, patients exposed to maternal genital/reproductive infection performed more poorly on verbal memory, fine-motor coordination, and working memory. Stratification by race revealed associations between maternal G/R infection and verbal memory and fine-motor coordination for case offspring of African-American mothers, but not for case offspring of White mothers. Significant infection-by-race interactions were also observed. Although independent replications are warranted, maternal G/R infections were associated with verbal memory and motor function deficits in African-American patients with schizophrenia.

• 出版日期2011-7-30