Elise Riquin, Thomas Le Nerzé, Natwin Pasquini, Magalie Barth, Clément Prouteau, Estelle Colin, Patrizia Amati Bonneau, Vincent Procaccio, Patrick Van Bogaert, Philippe Duverger, Dominique Bonneau, Arnaud Roy, Nantes Université, Bibliothèque universitaire, Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (LPPL), Université d'Angers (UA)-Nantes Université - UFR Lettres et Langages (Nantes Univ - UFR LL), Nantes Université - pôle Humanités, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Humanités, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers (CHU Angers), PRES Université Nantes Angers Le Mans (UNAM), MitoVasc - Physiopathologie Cardiovasculaire et Mitochondriale (MITOVASC), and Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Background: Mitochondrial disorders (MD) are a group of clinically heterogeneous genetic disorders resulting from dysfunction of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Cognitive impairment is a common feature in adults with MD and psychiatric symptoms are associated with MD in up to 70% of the adult population. The aim of this study is to describe the psychiatric profile in children and adolescents with MD by focusing on the description of psychiatric symptoms.Methods: A cohort of 12 children and adolescents was prospectively recruited between February 2019 and February 2020 in the Reference Center for Mitochondrial Disorders of Angers (France). Participants and their parents completed an anamnestic form to provide socio-demographic data and completed the Global Assessment of Functioning scale, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Child Depression Inventory, the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and the Conner's Rating Scale to evaluate the inattention/hyperactivity symptoms as well as the Quality of Life scale.Results: Four children (33.3%) were diagnosed with depressive symptoms. With regarding to anxiety, 6 children (50%) reported anxiety issues during the psychiatric interview and 3 children (25%) were suffering from anxiety according to the RCMAS scale. Compared to other children with chronic illnesses, the individuals in our cohort reported a lower overall quality of life score and lower scores in physical and social subscales.Conclusion: Our study shows that MD can lead to psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents, in particular anxiety and depression, as well as poor quality of life. This highlights the need for regular psychiatric assessments in individuals with developing brains, such as children and adolescents. We do not, however, have data regarding the neuropsychological profile of this population.