Association of maternal genital and reproductive infections with verbal memory and motor deficits in adult schizophrenia

Abstract

Maternal exposure to genital and reproductive infections has been associated with schizophrenia in previous studies. Impairments in several neuropsychological functions, including verbal memory, working memory, executive function, and fine-motor coordination occur prominently in patients with schizophrenia. The etiologies of these deficits, however, remain largely unknown. We aimed to assess whether prospectively documented maternal exposure to genital/reproductive infections was related to these neuropsychological deficits in offspring with schizophrenia and other schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The cases were derived from a population-based birth cohort; all cohort members belonged to a prepaid health plan. Cases were assessed for verbal memory, working memory, executive function, and fine-motor coordination. Compared to unexposed cases, patients exposed to maternal genital/reproductive infection performed more poorly on verbal memory, fine-motor coordination, and working memory. Stratification by race revealed associations between maternal G/R infection and verbal memory and fine-motor coordination for case offspring of African-American mothers, but not for case offspring of White mothers. Significant infection-by-race interactions were also observed. Although independent replications are warranted, maternal G/R infections were associated with verbal memory and motor function deficits in African-American patients with schizophrenia.

Epidemiologic studies of exposure to prenatal infection and risk of schizophrenia and autism

“…Our group demonstrated that prenatal infection was related to deficits in executive function and larger size of the cavum septum pellucidum, a neuromorphologic marker of a disruption in formation of this brain structure among patients with schizophrenia (Brown et al,2009a,2009b). Furthermore, maternal genital–reproductive infections were associated with verbal memory, neuromotor, and working memory deficits in schizophrenia cases (Brown et al,2011). These studies provide further support for a neurodevelopmental impact of prenatal infection on schizophrenia and suggest that these exposures may account for at least some of the cognitive and neuroanatomic abnormalities observed in schizophrenia.…”

Motor Symptoms and Schizophrenia

“…In motor symptoms in schizophrenia, obstetric complications correlate with spontaneous movement disorders but not with drug-induced motor symptoms [51,222]. In addition, maternal genital infection was associated with impaired fine motor abilities in adult schizophrenia patients [223]. …”

Prenatal infection, maternal immune activation, and risk for schizophrenia

“…In the Developmental Insult and Brain Anomalies and Schizophrenia Study (DIBS), based on the schizophrenia and control offspring of the CHDS birth cohort, Brown and collaborators showed that prenatal exposure to influenza or Toxoplasma gondii was associated with impairment in executive function in adult patients with schizophrenia [24]. In a second study from the DIBS, exposure to maternal genital-reproductive infections was related to verbal and neuromotor deficits in adult schizophrenia patients [25]. Moreover, maternal infection was associated in that cohort with increased size of the cavum septum pellucidum, a replicated neuromorphologic finding in schizophrenia that has embryologic origins [26].…”