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Pituitary gland volume and psychosocial stress among children at elevated risk for schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2015

A. E. Cullen ,
F. L. Day ,
R. E. Roberts ,
C. M. Pariante  and
K. R. Laurens
A. E. Cullen*
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
F. L. Day
Affiliation:
Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
R. E. Roberts
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
C. M. Pariante
Affiliation:
Section of Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology and Perinatal Psychiatry, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
K. R. Laurens*
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK Research Unit for Schizophrenia Epidemiology, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: A. E. Cullen and K. R. Laurens, Department of Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. (Email: alexis.cullen@kcl.ac.uk)
*Address for correspondence: A. E. Cullen and K. R. Laurens, Department of Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. (Email: alexis.cullen@kcl.ac.uk)
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Abstract

Background

Pituitary volume enlargements have been observed among individuals with first-episode psychosis. These abnormalities are suggestive of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity, which may contribute to the development of psychosis. However, the extent to which these abnormalities characterize individuals at elevated risk for schizophrenia prior to illness onset is currently unclear, as volume increases, decreases and no volume differences have all been reported relative to controls. The current study aimed to determine whether antipsychotic-naive, putatively at-risk children who present multiple antecedents of schizophrenia (ASz) or a family history of illness (FHx) show pituitary volume abnormalities relative to typically developing (TD) children. An additional aim was to explore the association between pituitary volume and experiences of psychosocial stress.

Method

ASz (n = 30), FHx (n = 22) and TD (n = 32) children were identified at age 9–12 years using a novel community-screening procedure or as relatives of individuals with schizophrenia. Measures of pituitary volume and psychosocial stress were obtained at age 11–14 years.

Results

Neither ASz nor FHx children showed differences in pituitary volume relative to TD children. Among FHx children only, pituitary volume was negatively associated with current distress relating to negative life events and exposure to physical punishment.

Conclusions

The lack of pituitary volume abnormalities among ASz and FHx children is consistent with our previous work demonstrating that these children are not characterized by elevated diurnal cortisol levels. The findings imply that these biological markers of HPA axis hyperactivity, observed in some older samples of high-risk individuals, may emerge later, more proximally to disease onset.

Keywords

Childhood traumadiathesis–stress modelgenetic high riskhypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axispsychosis vulnerability
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 45 , Issue 15 , November 2015 , pp. 3281 - 3292
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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