A family study of endophenotypes for psychosis within an early intervention programme in Hong Kong: Rationale and preliminary findings

Abstract

The study of endophenotypes may be a viable strategy to tackle the genetic complexity and phenotypic heterogeneity of psychosis, but this research direction is relatively under-developed in China as compared to Western countries. We have recently initiated one of the first family studies of endophenotypes for psychosis in China. Patients entering an established early psychosis intervention service are recruited into this research project for phenotyping, endophenotyping and genotyping. At the endophenotypic level, four domains (neurological soft signs, neurocognition of prospective memory, social cognition of facial emotion recognition, and affective cognition of anticipatory and consummatory pleasure) are studied in the sample of patients with psychosis and their unaffected siblings. This article illustrates the benefit of a research-oriented clinical programme and its findings based on the data collected as of early 2011.

Course of neurological soft signs in first-episode schizophrenia: Relationship with negative symptoms and cognitive performances

“…First-episode schizophrenia patients were recruited from the joint research-based first-episode schizophrenia programme between Castle Peak Hospital of Hong Kong and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing 43 . The programme aims to investigate a number of potential endophenotypic markers using a family study approach.…”

“…In addition to clinical assessment (phenotyping), detailed endophenotype measurements and DNA collection of both recruited patients and their first-degree relatives are part of the study paradigm. A number of neurocognitive functions thought to have high translational potential have been chosen as potential endophenotypes in this study while the inclusion of proteomics in this project may provide further opportunity to investigate the effect of genotype on psychosis 43 .…”

The nature of anhedonia and avolition in patients with first-episode schizophrenia

“…We recruited 72 out-patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) first-episode schizophrenia from the joint research-based first-episode psychosis programme (Lui et al 2011) between Castle Peak Hospital of Hong Kong and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing led by the two senior authors (R.C.K.C. and E.F.C.C.).…”

Re-visiting the nature and relationships between neurological signs and neurocognitive functions in first-episode schizophrenia: An invariance model across time

“…Patients with first-episode schizophrenia were recruited from the joint research-based first-episode schizophrenia programme between Castle Peak Hospital of Hong Kong and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing 33 . All patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia based on the DSM-IV 34 , ascertained using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and medical record reviews.…”