The New York High-Risk Project: Observations on the rating of early manifestations of schizophrenia

The neurodevelopmental paradigm of schizophrenia (Sz) proposes a lifelong p rocess of brain pathology as the cause of the disorder. Investigating the e arly phenotype of Sz, we rated videotapes of children at risk for Sz for ea rly manifestations of thought disorder and Sz-related symptoms, using the S cale for the Assessment of Thought, Language, and Communication and parts o f a diagnostic interview designed for psychiatric assessment of children. W e found that thought disorder as well as negative symptoms were elevated in children with adulthood Sz-related psychosis, This discussion focuses on m ethodological problems that arise in making clinical judgments on early and still subtle functional deviations. Am. J, Med, Genet, (Neuropsychiatr. Ge net,) 105: 25-27, 2001, 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.