Executive functions in unaffected first degree relatives of patient with schizophrenia

Present study examines the nature of executive function deficits in first degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia. 3 0 unaffected first degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia with an age range of 16 to 50 years participated in the study. They were evaluated with Stroop Test, Controlled Oral Word Association test, Animal Name Test, Tower of London and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. The relatives ’ group performance was compared with normative data published in the NIMHANS Neuropsychological Battery. The obtained results were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation on individual tests. 3.3 to 43 percentage of sample showed impairment on various executive functions tests. The unaffected first degree relatives showed deficit performance that was comparable with performance of the identified patient groups in all measures of executive functions except Verbal fluency. This indicates that first degree relatives also had executive functions impairments, suggestive of frontal lobe involvement which may be considered as a vulnerability marker for schizophrenia.