The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study - VIA 11: Study Protocol for the First Follow-Up of the VIA 7 Cohort −522 Children Born to Parents With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders or Bipolar Disorder and Controls Being Re-examined for the First Time at Age 11

Anne Amalie Elgaard Thorup, Nicoline Hemager, Anne Søndergaard, Maja Gregersen, Åsa Kremer Prøsch, Mette Falkenberg Krantz, Julie Brandt, Line Carmichael, Marianne Melau, Ditte Vestbjerg Ellersgaard, Hanne Birgitte Klee Burton, Aja Neergaard Greve, Md Jamal Uddin, Jessica Ohland, Ayna Baladi Nejad, Line Korsgaard, Anna Hester ver Loren van Themaat, Anna K Andreassen, Lotte Vedum, Christina B KnudsenHenriette Stadsgaard, Jens Richardt Møllegaard Jepsen, Hartwig Roman Siebner, Leif Østergaard, Vibeke Fuglsang Bliksted, Kerstin Jessica Plessen, Ole Mors, Merete Nordentoft

Abstract

Introduction: Offspring of parents with severe mental illness have an increased risk of developing mental illnesses themselves. Familial high risk cohorts give a unique opportunity for studying the development over time, both the illness that the individual is predisposed for and any other diagnoses. These studies can also increase our knowledge of etiology of severe mental illness and provide knowledge about the underlying mechanisms before illness develops. Interventions targeting this group are often proposed due to the potential possibility of prevention, but evidence about timing and content is lacking.

Method: A large, representative cohort of 522 7-year old children born to parents with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or controls was established based on Danish registers. A comprehensive baseline assessment including neurocognition, motor functioning, psychopathology, home environment, sociodemographic data, and genetic information was conducted from January 1, 2013 to January 31, 2016. This study is the first follow-up of the cohort, carried out when the children turn 11 years of age. By assessing the cohort at this age, we will evaluate the children twice before puberty. All instruments have been selected with a longitudinal perspective and most of them are identical to those used at inclusion into the study at age 7. A diagnostic interview, motor tests, and a large cognitive battery are conducted along with home visits and information from teachers. This time we examine the children's brains by magnetic resonance scans and electroencephalograms. Measures of physical activity and sleep are captured by a chip placed on the body, while we obtain biological assays by collecting blood samples from the children.

Discussion: Findings from the VIA 7 study revealed large variations across domains between children born to parents with schizophrenia, bipolar and controls, respectively. This study will further determine whether the children at familial risk reveal delayed developmental courses, but catch up at age 11, or whether the discrepancies between the groups have grown even larger. We will compare subgroups within each of the familial high risk groups in order to investigate aspects of resilience. Data on brain structure and physical parameters will add a neurobiological dimension to the study.
Original languageEnglish
Article number661
JournalFrontiers in Psychiatry
Volume9
Number of pages16
ISSN1664-0640
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Dec 2018

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