Craniofacial dysmorphology in Swedish schizophrenia patients

Objective: To perform detailed assessments of craniofacial dysmorphology in individuals with schizophrenia and controls in Sweden, in order to further elucidate the neurodevelopmental origins of schizophrenia. Method: We performed detailed, anthropometric assessments of craniofacial dysmorphology in male patients with schizophrenia (n = 24), healthy controls (n = 16), and patients' siblings with schizophrenia (n = 2) in Sweden, while remaining as blind as possible to schizophrenia/control status. Results: Individuals with schizophrenia evidenced significantly more craniofacial dysmorphology than controls, especially in the ears and mouth. At a group level, there was a dose-response type relationship between total dysmorphology score and patient/control status. Conclusion: The consistency of results across multiple studies supports the hypothesis that individuals with schizophrenia have increased rates of prenatal developmental disturbances. The presence of a dose-response type relationship between total dysmorphology score and patient/control status supports the importance of neurodevelopmental disturbance as a contributory cause of schizophrenia.