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Background. We studied the cumulative incidence of physical illnesses, and the effect of early environmental factors (EEFs) on somatic comorbidity in schizophrenia, in nonschizophrenic psychosis and among nonpsychotic controls from birth up to the age of 50 years. Methods. The sample included 10,933 members of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, of whom, 227 had schizophrenia and 205 had nonschizophrenic psychosis. Diagnoses concerning physical illnesses were based on nationwide registers followed up to the end of 2016 and classified into 13 illness categories. Maternal education and age, family type at birth and paternal socioeconomic status were studied as EEFs of somatic illnesses. Results. When adjusted by gender and education, individuals and especially women with nonschizophrenic psychosis had higher risk of morbidity in almost all somatic illness categories compared to controls, and in some categories, compared to individuals with schizophrenia. The statistically significant adjusted hazard ratios varied from 1.27 to 2.42 in nonschizophrenic psychosis. Regarding EEFs, single-parent family as the family type at birth was a risk factor for a higher somatic score among men with schizophrenia and women with nonschizophrenic psychosis. Maternal age over 35 years was associated with lower somatic score among women with nonschizophrenic psychosis. Conclusions. Persons with nonschizophrenic psychoses have higher incidence of somatic diseases compared to peoplewith schizophrenia and nonpsychotic controls, and this should be noted in clinical work. EEFs have mostly weak association with somatic comorbidity in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: To find factors that are associated with not having psychotic illness in a prospective general population sample, with a special interest in individuals with parental psychosis. Methods: Data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 10 458) and several registers were used to detect individuals with and without parental psychosis. Altogether, 594 persons had parent(s) with psychosis and 48 of them also had psychosis subsequently. Variables related to pregnancy and birth, family and childhood, health and habits in adolescence, school performance and physical activity were studied to identify determinants of unaffected status among individuals with and without parental psychosis. Results: In the parental psychosis group, the unaffected persons had more likely a mother who was non‐depressed during pregnancy, and who worked outside the home or studied than among those who developed psychosis. Conclusions: Protective factors for psychosis were surprisingly few in this sample. These factors were related to the mother's non‐depressed mood and the mother's work outside the home or studies. This could relate to better health and functioning of a mother. This work highlights the need for more research on protective factors for psychosis in order to identify methods for prevention of psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our primary aims were (a) to identify the proportion of individuals with schizophrenia and related psychoses who met recovery criteria based on both clinical and social domains and (b) to examine if recovery was associated with factors such as gender, economic index of sites, and selected design features of the study. We also examined if the proportions who met our definition of recovery had changed over time. Method: A comprehensive search strategy was used to identify potential studies, and data were extracted for those that met inclusion criteria. The proportion who met our recovery criteria (improvements in both clinical and social domains and evidence that improvements in at least 1 of these 2 domains had persisted for at least 2 years) was extracted from each study. Meta-regression techniques were used to explore the association between the recovery proportions and the selected variables. Results: We identified 50 studies with data suitable for inclusion. The median proportion (25%–75% quantiles) who met our recovery criteria was 13.5% (8.1%–20.0%). Studies from sites in countries with poorer economic status had higher recovery proportions. However, there were no statistically significant differences when the estimates were stratified according to sex, midpoint of intake period, strictness of the diagnostic criteria, duration of follow-up, or other design features. Conclusions: Based on the best available data, approximately, 1 in 7 individuals with schizophrenia met our criteria for recovery. Despite major changes in treatment options in recent decades, the proportion of recovered cases has not increased. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In addition to psychoses, antipsychotic drugs are nowadays also prescribed for other psychiatric disturbances, such as mood disorders. We wanted to find out whether there is any association between the use of antipsychotic drugs and suicidality in cases of psychotic and non-psychotic disorders. Our sample was the population-based Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort. Information on the use of prescribed drugs was collected in 1997 from the nationwide medication register and with a postal questionnaire ( N = 8218). The presence of suicidal ideation was assessed cross-sectionally using the Symptom Check List-25 questionnaire. We studied associations between suicidal ideation, adjusted for symptoms of depression and anxiety, and antipsychotic medication in different diagnostic groups (schizophrenia, other psychosis and no psychosis). Individuals receiving antipsychotic medication ( n = 70, 0.9%) had in general more suicidal ideation regardless of diagnostic group, although the associations diminished when taking other symptoms into account. There were no statistically significant differences between those taking typical and atypical antipsychotics. In the non-psychotic group, higher antipsychotic doses were associated with more suicidal ideation even when adjusted for symptoms of depression and anxiety ( p < 0.05). In the cases of schizophrenia or other forms of psychosis, no such associations were observed. Our results suggest that one should take suicidal ideation into account when prescribing antipsychotic medication, especially for off-label use. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The California Verbal Learning Test and structural brain imaging were administered to 57 subjects with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 94 controls in a general population sample. Cases had lower semantic cluster scores. Poorer verbal memory strategies were associated with longer duration of illness and heavier use of antipsychotic medication. After controlling for duration of illness, sex, and total gray matter, poorer verbal memory was associated with lower gray matter volume in the cingulate cortex, juxtapositional lobule, right superior temporal gyrus, and precuneus. After controlling for use of antipsychotic medication, there was an association between higher serial clustering and smaller anterior cingulate gyrus and larger intracalcarine cortex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with elevated risk of diabetes and cardiovascular morbidity. However, little is known of the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of individual criteria in patients with schizophrenia. We studied the prevalence of MetS using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and adapted National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP-ATPIII) criteria in the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort population. In addition, the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values for individual criteria were determined. Both adapted NCEP-ATPIII and IDF criteria for MetS identified the same cases (29% of all schizophrenia patients). Among the IDF criteria, hypertriglyceridemia had the highest sensitivity, correctly identifying 77.8% of the patients. Reduced HDL cholesterol was the most specific criteria, with 95% specificity equalling a positive likelihood ratio of 9.78. Thus both the IDF and NCEP-ATPIII criteria may be equally useful in identifying MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood precursors of schizophrenia include multiple abnormalities of development. Continuities between early and subsequent deviance are poorly characterised. We studied associations among premorbid developmental deviance using data at ages 1 year (learning to stand, walk, and speak, attainment of bladder and bowel control) and 16 years (success at school). Generalised linear modelling was used to examine differential linear associations and trends across adult psychiatric diagnoses. In babies who, as adults, suffered schizophrenia or any psychosis, those who learned to stand latest were also more likely to perform poorly at school in both motor and theoretical domains at age 16 when compared with earlier learners. The effect was independent of genetic and perinatal factors. We conclude that the early developmental deviation in the first year of life is associated with lower school performance at age 16. Developmental continuity among children who develop psychoses was stronger than among normal controls and those hospitalized for nonpsychotic psychiatric disorder. These findings are in line with the hypothesis that a neural diathesis is present during postnatal brain development before schizophrenia. This supports the longitudinal dimension and life span models of schizophrenia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This naturalistic study analysed the association between cumulative lifetime antipsychotic dose and cognition in schizophrenia after an average of 16.5 years of illness. Sixty participants with schizophrenia and 191 controls from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 were assessed at age 43 years with a neurocognitive test battery. Cumulative lifetime antipsychotic dose-years were collected from medical records and interviews. The association between antipsychotic dose-years and a cognitive composite score based on principal component analysis was analysed using linear regression. Higher lifetime antipsychotic dose-years were significantly associated with poorer cognitive composite score, when adjusted for gender, onset age and lifetime hospital treatment days. The effects of typical and atypical antipsychotics did not differ. This is the first report of an association between cumulative lifetime antipsychotic dose and global cognition in midlife schizophrenia. Based on these data, higher lifetime antipsychotic dose-years may be associated with poorer cognitive performance at age 43 years. Potential biases related to the naturalistic design may partly explain the results; nonetheless, it is possible that large antipsychotic doses harm cognition in schizophrenia in the long-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information on the use of psychiatric medications in general population-based samples is limited. Our aim was to analyse the use of psychiatric medications and factors associated with antipsychotic use in psychoses in a general population sample. Fifty-five persons with schizophrenia, 21 with bipolar psychosis or psychotic depression and 20 with other psychoses from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 were examined at about 43 years of age. The frequency of use and dosage of psychiatric medication and the factors associated with the use of antipsychotics were analysed. Antipsychotics were used by 85% of schizophrenia, 65% of bipolar psychosis or psychotic depression and 62% of other psychoses cases; antidepressants were used by 22%, 60% and 33%; and benzodiazepines by 42%, 35% and 10%, respectively. In all the diagnostic groups, higher symptom scores and a higher number of hospital days were associated with the use of antipsychotics. In schizophrenia and other psychoses, poorer social and occupational functioning, and in other psychoses, female gender and lower education were also associated with the use of antipsychotics. Our results may partly indicate that, especially in schizophrenia, the effectiveness of antipsychotics is not as good as expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between the course of cognition and long-term antipsychotic medication in schizophrenia remains unclear. We analysed the association between cumulative lifetime antipsychotic medication dose and change of verbal learning and memory during a 9-year follow-up.Method: Forty schizophrenia subjects and 73 controls from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 were assessed by California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) at the ages of 34 and 43 years. Data on the lifetime antipsychotic doses in chlorpromazine equivalents were collected. The association between antipsychotic dose-years and baseline performance and change in CVLT was analysed, controlling for baseline performance, gender, age of onset and severity of illness.Results: Higher antipsychotic dose-years by baseline were significantly associated with poorer baseline performance in several dimensions of verbal learning and memory, and with a larger decrease in short-delay free recall during the follow-up (p=0.031). Higher antipsychotic dose-years during the follow-up were associated with a larger decrease of immediate free recall of trials 1-5 during the follow-up (p=0.039). Compared to controls, decline was greater in some CVLT variables among those using high-doses, but not among those using low-doses.Conclusion: This is the first report of an association between cumulative lifetime antipsychotic use and change in cognition in a long-term naturalistic follow-up. The use of high doses of antipsychotics may be associated with a decrease in verbal learning and memory in schizophrenia years after illness onset. The results do not support the view that antipsychotics in general prevent cognitive decline or promote cognitive recovery in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Structural brain differences have been reported in many studies with schizophrenia, but few have involved a general population birth cohort. We investigated differences in volume, shape and laterality of hippocampus and amygdala in patients with schizophrenia, all psychoses and comparison subjects within a large general birth cohort sample, and explored effects of family history of psychosis, perinatal risk and age-at-onset of illness. All subjects with psychosis from the Northern Finland 1966 birth cohort were invited to a survey including MRI scan of the brain, conducted in 1999–2001. Comparison subjects not known to have psychosis were randomly selected from the same cohort. Volumes of hippocampus and amygdala were measured in 56 subjects with DSM-III-R schizophrenia, 26 patients with other psychoses and 104 comparison subjects. Small hippocampal volume reductions in schizophrenia (2%) and all psychoses (3%) were not significant when adjusted for total brain volume. The shape of hippocampus in schizophrenia did not differ significantly from comparison subjects. Right hippocampus and amygdala were significantly larger than the left in all groups. Mean amygdala volume in schizophrenia or all psychoses did not differ from comparison subjects. Patients with family history of psychosis had larger hippocampus than patients without. Neither perinatal risk nor age-at-onset of illness had any effect on hippocampal or amygdala volumes. Small hippocampal volume reduction in schizophrenia and all psychoses was not disproportionate to reduced whole brain volume in this population-based sample. Perinatal events that have been suggested as of etiological importance in structural pathology of psychosis had no effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Problems in the early mother–infant relation pose a hypothetical risk factor of schizophrenia. We studied the association between very early separation and later development of schizophrenia or other psychoses in a unique data set. Method: The index cohort consisted of 3020 subjects born in 1945–1965 in Finland who were temporarily isolated from their family immediately after birth to adequate nursing homes due to tuberculosis in the family. The average separation time was 7 months. For every index subject, two reference subjects were matched for sex, year of birth and place of birth. The Finnish Hospital Discharge Register was used to identify subjects with schizophrenia and other psychoses arising from childhood to middle age, between January 1, 1971 and December 31, 1998. Results: The 28-year cumulative incidence of schizophrenia was 1.6% both in the index cohort and in the reference cohort (rate ratio 1.01, 95% CI 0.75–1.37). The incidences of other psychotic disorders were 1.5% and 1.3% (RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.79–1.58), respectively. Conclusion: Separation at birth was not found to be associated with either schizophrenia or other psychotic illness. Temporary placement to adequate nursing homes in the first year of life is unlikely to increase the risk for schizophrenia or other psychoses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]