NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL DYSFUNCTION IN PARENTS OF SCHIZOPHRENICS

Neuropsychological measures designed to examine aspects of attention, learning efficiency, and memory were investigated in 14 schizophrenic probands, their 28 parents, and 18 normal individuals. Probands perfor med at levels significantly below normals on measures of attention and of learning efficiency and performed below their parents on a subset of the same measures. Eight families had one parent with a personal or ancestral pedigree history consistent with schizophrenia; the other p arent's personal and ancestral history was negative for schizophrenia. In these families, the probands were significantly different from the negative-history parents, but not the positive-history parents on an aggregate index of attention. Schizophrenics were significantly differ ent from both the positive- and negative-history parents on an aggrega te index of learning efficiency. These results extend previous finding s of specific neuropsychological dysfunction in attention and learning in schizophrenics to show that some of the deficits are present in a subgroup of their parents, those who are likely carriers of genes conv eying risk for schizophrenia. The data suggest that a heritable compon ent of the neuropsychological deficit is a primary dysfunction in atte ntion, and that a secondary or additional deficit in learning may be e vident in family members who actually express the disorder of schizoph renia.