Craniofacial dysmorphology in Swedish schizophrenia patients

Summary, in English

Objective: To perform detailed assessments of craniofacial dysmorphology in individuals with schizophrenia and controls in Sweden, in order to further elucidate the neurodevelopmental origins of schizophrenia. Method: We performed detailed, anthropometric assessments of craniofacial dysmorphology in male patients with schizophrenia (n = 24), healthy controls (n = 16), and patients' siblings with schizophrenia (n = 2) in Sweden, while remaining as blind as possible to schizophrenia/control status. Results: Individuals with schizophrenia evidenced significantly more craniofacial dysmorphology than controls, especially in the ears and mouth. At a group level, there was a dose-response type relationship between total dysmorphology score and patient/control status. Conclusion: The consistency of results across multiple studies supports the hypothesis that individuals with schizophrenia have increased rates of prenatal developmental disturbances. The presence of a dose-response type relationship between total dysmorphology score and patient/control status supports the importance of neurodevelopmental disturbance as a contributory cause of schizophrenia.

• Author: B D Kelly; A Lane; I Agartz; Karin Henriksson; Thomas McNeil
• Department/s: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University
• Publishing year: 2005
• Language: English
• Pages: 202-207
• Publication/Series: Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
• Volume: 111
• Issue: 3
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2004.00473.x
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Topic: Psychiatry
• Keywords: schizophrenia; aetiology; human development
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1600-0447