Cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia in velo-cardio-facial syndrome

Velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS) is a genetic disorder associated with 22q11 deletion, a characteristic clinical phenotype, behavourial problems, specific cognitive deficits and a high rate of psychosis (particularly schizophrenia). The study of VCFS provides a unique opportunity to identify susceptibility genes for schizophrenia and its associated cognitive deficits. To date, there have been no studies investigating the impact of schizophrenia on cognitive function in adults with VCFS. Therefore we studied the neuropsychological profile of 28 adults with VCFS; 13 with schizophrenia (mean age (+/-S.D.) 34 years +/-11, IQ 71+/-11) and 15 without a history of psychosis (mean age 33 years +/-11, IQ 75+/-11). The VCFS group with schizophrenia compared to the VCFS group without schizophrenia performed significantly (P