Familial covariation of the subclinical psychosis phenotype and verbal fluency in the general population

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive impairments may be markers of familial transmission of liability to psychosis. This study examined to what degree the subclinical psychosis phenotype in the general population shows similar familial continuity with cognition, measured with a verbal fluency test, and whether this was similar for men and women. METHODS: Measures of the subclinical psychosis phenotype and verbal fluency were administered to a general population sample of genetically related individuals (n=425). RESULTS: In men but not women, higher levels of the subclinical psychosis phenotype were associated with worse verbal fluency performance both within and across relatives. CONCLUSION: Psychosis and verbal fluency may be more strongly linked in men than in women, and this difference is also expressed at the subclinical level of the phenotype.