About the project
Increasing evidence indicates that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins early in life. What initiates this disturbed development has not yet been determined. Still, some factors that can potentially have a triggering effect are obstetric complications (OC) and maternal infection during pregnancy. Recently, such prenatal factors have also been examined concerning causal links to the core feature of schizophrenia - neurocognitive deficits - rather than to the disease itself.
Objectives
The project consists of two phases, one running from 2014 to 2028 and the other from 2029 to 2036.
The project's first phase aims to investigate neurocognitive functioning and impairment in a sample of 14-year-old adolescents at risk for psychotic disorders who are part of the large national birth cohort of the Norwegian Mother-, Father- and Child study (MoBa). The at-risk status of these adolescents was identified through survey items asking about psychotic experiences and anomalous self-experiences (ASE) and was not based on help-seeking behavior. We also aim to investigate the relationship between neurocognitive functioning and ASEs in the same cohort and between neurocognition, psychological and social function, and OC. At the end of this phase, we will study those among the participants who develop psychosis (schizophrenia), specifically concerning neurocognitive function and OC.
In the project's second phase, we will investigate the association between maternal infection and schizophrenia.
Data collection
Preparations for the project began in 2014, and data collection started in 2017. Data collection in the first phase is still ongoing (2023).
Instruments/tools
Neuropsychological functioning is assessed with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery MCCB) and clinical assessment with the MINI.