Altered growth trajectory of head circumference during infancy and schizophrenia in a National Birth Cohort.

ABSTRACT: Identification of abnormalities in the developmental trajectory during infancy of future schizophrenia cases offers the potential to reveal pathogenic mechanisms of this disorder. Previous studies of head circumference in pre-schizophrenia were limited to measures at birth. The use of growth acceleration of head circumference (defined as the rate of change in head circumference) provides a more informative representation of the maturational landscape of this measure compared to studies based on static head circumference measures. To date, however, no study has examined whether HC growth acceleration differs between pre-schizophrenia cases and controls. In the present study, we employed a nested case control design of a national birth cohort in Finland. Cases with schizophrenia or schizoaff

SUBMITTER: Brown AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5376228 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature