Obstetric complications correlate with neurobehavioral and brain structural alterations in young relatives at risk for schizophrenia

As complications of pregnancy and birth may be important risk factors for the development of schizophrenia, studying the "roots" of schizophrenia in high-risk offspring may better elucidate the interface between biology, environment, and susceptibility to illness. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neurobehavioral assessments and obstetric histories, we found several significant correlations between these multiple factors, suggesting that birth complications may be a nonspecific etiopathogenic risk factor for psychopathology in young relatives at risk for schizophrenia.