Long-term effects of early treatment with SSRIs on cognition and brain development in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Mancini, Valentina; Maeder, Johanna; Bortolin, Karin; Schneider, Maude; Schaer, Marie; Eliez, Stephan

doi:10.1038/s41398-021-01456-x

Advanced search

Browse by...

Deposit

Highlights

More informations

Title		Long-term effects of early treatment with SSRIs on cognition and brain development in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
Authors		Mancini, Valentina Maeder, Johanna Bortolin, Karin Schneider, Maude Schaer, Marie Eliez, Stephan
Published in		Translational psychiatry. 2021, vol. 11, no. 1, 336
Abstract		Cognitive deficits in individuals at risk of psychosis represent a significant challenge for research, as current strategies for symptomatic treatment are often ineffective. Recent studies showed that atypical cognitive development predicts the occurrence of psychotic symptoms. Additionally, abnormal brain development is known to predate clinical manifestations of psychosis. Therefore, critical developmental stages may be the best period for early interventions expected to prevent cognitive decline and protect brain maturation. However, it is challenging to identify and treat individuals at risk of psychosis in the general population before the onset of the first psychotic symptoms. 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), the neurogenetic disorder with the highest genetic risk for schizophrenia, provides the opportunity to prospectively study the development of subjects at risk for psychosis. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to establish if early treatment with SSRIs in children and adolescents with 22q11DS was associated with long-term effects on cognition and brain development. We included 98 participants with a confirmed diagnosis of 22q11DS followed up 2-4 times (age range: 10-32). Thirty subjects without psychiatric disorders never received psychotropic medications, thirty had psychotic symptoms but were not treated with SSRIs, and 38 received SSRIs treatment. An increase in IQ scores characterized the developmental trajectories of participants receiving treatment with SSRIs, even those with psychotic symptoms. The thickness of frontal regions and hippocampal volume were also relatively increased. The magnitude of the outcomes was inversely correlated to the age at the onset of the treatment. We provide preliminary evidence that early long-term treatment with SSRIs may attenuate the cognitive decline associated with psychosis in 22q11DS and developmental brain abnormalities.
Keywords		Adolescent — Adult — Brain — Child — Cognition — DiGeorge Syndrome / complications — DiGeorge Syndrome / drug therapy — Humans — Psychotic Disorders / drug therapy — Retrospective Studies — Young Adult
Identifiers		DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01456-x PMID: 34052829
Full text		Article (Published version) (2.8 MB) - Free access
Structures		Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de psychiatrie Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine fondamentale / Département de médecine génétique et développement Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l'éducation / Section de psychologie
Research groups		Laboratoire d'imagerie et de psychopathologie développementale (693) NCCR Synapsy
Project		Swiss National Science Foundation: 30030_179404, 324730_144260
Citation (ISO format)		MANCINI, Valentina et al. Long-term effects of early treatment with SSRIs on cognition and brain development in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. In: Translational Psychiatry, 2021, vol. 11, n° 1, p. 336. doi: 10.1038/s41398-021-01456-x https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:153692